Local pre-school appeals for aid to refurbish old infrastructure

One of Boksburg’s oldest early childhood development centres, the Junior Oxford Crèche and Preprimary School, needs help to continue refurbishing the school’s infrastructure.

During a brief guided tour of the school, management pointed out to the Boksburg Advertiser areas still needing repairs, including shabby classroom walls, damaged roofing and floor tiles, peeling paint, broken windows and doors, worn kitchen fixtures, faulty plumbing and electrical wiring, and battered fencing.

According to school representative Shani Smart, they are doing their best to improve the physical environment of the facility, but due to a lack of funding, they can only do so much with the little they have raised.

“We are not sitting back and waiting for help. We have fixed some sections of the building and the roofing, but with the high cost of materials, we are battling to complete the renovations. The parents of our children are trying their best, but are also struggling, and we are not getting anywhere.
“We recently formed a fundraising committee and plan a fun day for our children to raise funds for the renovations and other improvements on October 24. There will be children’s activities, including face-painting and water slides, as well as snacks.

“We strive to ensure that, regardless of coming from disadvantaged families, our children get access to a comfortable environment and quality education that meets the demands of a rapidly changing world.”
The school currently caters for over 400 children, from babies to Grade R and primary learners. Most come from struggling families and cannot afford the fees charged by other local facilities.
“We are appealing for help from individuals, the private sector and donors.”
Smart added that burglars frequently target the facility, formerly a farmhouse with horse stables converted into a pre-school in 1952, who had already stolen the children’s food, solar panels, metal toys and jungle gyms in separate incidents.

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