MABOCHA – Community members and teachers have heaved a sigh of relief after the contract of building new school blocks at the Mokobola Primary School has finally started.
The Ridakule building contract under the auspices of Mr Nicolas Shitiva, commenced with the building of eight new classrooms and a nutrition centre at the once dilapidated school. Shitiva said they planned to finish the project by the end of September.
“We will ensure the learners have some of the best classrooms in the Mabulane circuit,” he told this reporter.
The school’s old buildings were left roofless after a devastating storm hit the Sekhukhune region in October last year. Children were forced to share classes when writing their final year exams. For years the school relied on poorly constructed classrooms that were built by community members back in 1972.
Steelburger/Lydenburg News previously visited the school, and discovered the grade four to -seven learners all squeezed into one classroom.
The paper then sent numerous questions to the Limpopo’s provincial education department about the state of the school.
Today, there is a bright light at the end of the dark tunnel as workers have already started with the foundations of the new classrooms; they pledged their desire to complete the building process on time.
Speaking to Steelburger/Lydenburg News, the principal of the school, Ms Mohube Dibakwane, shared his delight at the prospect of having new buildings at the school.
“I can confirm, we will be get new classrooms, and a kitchen for the feeding-scheme cooks. It was difficult for the school to operate efficiently in the previous buildings we had, we are grateful that the department listened to our pleas. I am just happy our kids will enjoy learning in decent buildings,” Dibakwane said.
Dibakwane added they are still expecting the education department to revamp one other block at the school. Spokesman for the department, Mr Pitsi Maloba, was not available for comment before the paper went to print.
Mokobola has previously produced academics ranging from doctors, engineers and accountants but the infrastructure of the school and standard of education deteriorated due to lack of attention from the provincial department of education.
Teachers at the school, previously highlighted that the dire conditions made the school lose learners annually. They estimated that a quarter of the learners had left the school because of the state of the classrooms. It remains to be seen if more learners will be flocking to the school after the project is completed.
