Donation of just five laptops for 1 000 pupils angers community
One community member said they were concerned that the laptops would only be used by teachers and not pupils.
A handover that was meant to help the less fortunate has caused a stir on social media.
This follows a post by Mbizana Local Municipality where Eastern Cape Public Works MEC Lubabalo Madikizeka handed over five laptops and more than 50 sanitary towels to a school in Bizana.
According to the post, the pupils from Ezizityaneni Full Service School (FSS) in ward 31 would now be able to have access to the internet through these laptops.
The school which has over 1000 pupils is located in a rural community where there are no internet cafes or libraries for pupils to access information.
During the handover, the MEC encouraged pupils to always strive to be the best regardless of their background and challenging conditions
Community members said they were very disappointed that the mayor and MEC would hand over only five laptops.
Nokulunga Beja said they would expect that from a private businessman and not a government leader who has all the resources at his disposal.
“Besides it’s our tax money, why can’t they use it to install proper computers for the whole school to use? How are pupils going to practice social distancing with only five laptops.”
Another community member said they were concerned that the laptops would only be used by teachers and not pupils.
“There’s no way that those laptops would be used by pupils, it’s obvious they are for teachers. This really angers me as I know what it’s like to grow up in a rural community where we had no access to resources.”
In a statement, the municipality said all comments were noted.
“The laptops were donated to the school and not to individuals with the purpose of making sure that computer literacy is exposed to primary school pupils at an early age,” the statement read.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Like the South Coast Herald’s Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram
