A gift of desks for needy pupils
Pupils at Lubana Primary School sit at new desks this week.
THERE was reason to celebrate at Lubana Primary School recently.
A 100 brand new desks were delivered courtesy of a Transnet Engineering’s (TE) Durban CSI initiative.
More than 2 000 desks have been built and donated to needy schools through TE’s ‘Build a Desk, Build a Learner Campaign’.
On 29 May the TE Executive Committee, headed by CEO Thamsanqa Jiyane, travelled to Lubana and to hand over the 100 desks.
Lubana Primary, located in rural Mhlana Traditional Authority, uMfolozi Municipality’s KwaMthethwa Reserve, was built in 1965 with funding from parents within the community and still stands strong in its original structure.
The school has 13 teachers and 380 pupils from Grades R to 7.
Last year, Principal Thama Khumalo submitted a motivation to the Department of Basic Education for a supply of desks.
In April, almost a year after submitting her request, Miss Khumalo was advised the department’s budget had been exhausted and she would have to resubmit again later in the year.
This was a setback for her school and its pupils as in the interim, classes with an average of fifty or more pupils had to continue with the use of insufficient and dilapidated desks.
In each classroom, three or more pupils had to share a desk and at exam times, some of them had to sit on the floor to allow for the prescribed space.
Jiyane encouraged the pupils to focus on their education and to take pride in their newly acquired assets.
He assured all present TE would spread the word on the plight of the school and hopefully once it gets around, others will come forward to assist.
