Starved for knowledge

The 100 plus pupils of Mbekamuzo Combined School in Thembeni, Groutville, daily fill their school library, jostling to feed their minds with outdated information.

The shelves are almost bare and the options are very limited.

In a community where access to the internet remains a pipe dream, books are the only source of knowledge.

But one woman is on a mission to fill the shelves again and provide for the hungry young minds who fill her classroom.

Grade six teacher Charlene Shunmugun is determined to revitalise the school’s library.

“The school lost most of the books when it was renovated a few years back. Books were stolen and some were damaged by rain. Some of the books that were given to us are adult fiction and we cannot allow grade six pupils to read those books. We need children’s fiction and reference books,” said Shunmugun.

She said it was heart-breaking to see pupils with a thirst for knowledge using outdated books for their assignment and projects.

“Every lunch break they come to read the books and we also have a reading club and it is affected by the shortage of books at the school’s library,” she said.

The library also needs furniture, as the sparse room has only five chairs available for pupils to use.

“We are appealing to the community to please help the school get the updated books we need for our pupils.”

To help the school you can call Shunmugun on 078 416 3110 or the principal Mxolisi Khumalo on 083 2574 638.

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