KABOKWENI – It’s every child’s dream to reach tertiary institutions and have a brighter future.
All that can happen if you work hard in your studies at school, but to a very intelligent grade seven learner at Mgwenyana higher primary school, Sizwe Zwane, life is tough since he’s facing a challenge with his eye sight due to albinism.
His class teacher, Mr Elasty Mashigo, decided to write an open letter to Mpumalanga News asking citizens of the province who can assist Sizwe to get special sunglasses, to come forward and help him.
Speaking to this reporter, Mashigo said: “This boy is so intelligent, he is performing very well in his studies, but these days he’s discouraged because he finds it very difficult to read textbooks and even on the board. He visited different doctors, but the situation is getting worse by the day.
“What touches me in that I contacted this paper, is that I don’t want to see himdropping out of school because of his condition and I know that there are people out there who will be willing to assist the young boy. This country needs people who are intelligent like Sizwe,“ he said.
This paper learnt that Sizwe went to different schools since he was not coping with the way he was treated by other learners, but at Mgwenyana they are welcoming him very well. In order for him to try not to feel left out during lessons, he is forced to sit very close to the board even though it’s not helping at all.
“Even when it comes to exam question papers, we make special ones for him where he can try to read the questions as we believe that this child has a right to go to school,” he added.
Voicing out to the media, Sizwe said: “I really need help. I wish somebody out there can come to my rescue so that I can be able to participate in my studies well and my dream of becoming an accountant to be a reality, only if I can get special glasses so that I can be able to read. My biggest fear is that next year I’m going to secondary level, I don’t know whether I’m going to cope or not because people will be teasing me.”
Sizwe’s mother, Ms Nokuthula Zwane indicated that sometimes her child doesn’t see at all even though she tried by all means to take him to special doctors, but it’s a waste of time and energy.
“Sometimes he’s struggling to walk. When I asked him what was wrong, he just
says: “I can’t see mama”, even when she walks, you can’t tell by his steps that
he doesn’t see where he is going. I don’t have much money to take him to special doctors so that he can get assistance,” she said.
