A school serving children with special needs in Orange Farm is in a state of disrepair and parents pleas for assistance have gone unanswered.
Members of the school governing body (SGB) at Duzenendlela Special School say that the school is struggling due to a lack of support and resources, further exacerbated by ongoing administrative challenges.
Even though some children at the school require ramps for their wheelchairs, the railings are broken and other learners need to assist them in using the ramps.
Parents have expressed concerns that the poor state of the school infrastructure, combined with weak administration, has led to chaos and safety concerns. Pupils reportedly often engage in fights or reckless activities, including sexual behaviour.
SGB members have stressed the importance of the barriers to protect children with special needs from one another.
There is a fire dump site at the back of the school that is not sectioned off or barred. The five workshop classes, which lack equipment, and have no teachers, have closed. The last teacher retired in December.
SGB member, Puleng Mokoena says that the problems have been ongoing since 2018.
“It has got worse over the years. This school teaches skills such as welding, sewing and carpentry among others, but the people who teach these skills are struggling with the problem of getting the material to teach these children.”
The learners have to travel to Lens Special School in Lenasia to get the lessons they need.
The toilets, reported broken after the Covid-19 pandemic, have remained blocked and unusable, exacerbating the already dire conditions.
The boys' toilets have deteriorated to the extent that the ceiling has collapsed, and the space has been repurposed as a storage facility.
The other toilet, which both boys and girls must now share, remains locked by caretakers, and entry can only be gained by manipulating the door handles.
The septic tank is also broken, causing sewage to flow into the schoolyard.
Most classrooms have more desks than chairs, and some have limited furniture, making it difficult for learners to have a proper learning environment.
Gauteng Department of Education spokesperson Steve Mabona said they were aware of the situation at the school and would send a team to conduct an assessment.
“The department is aware of the situation at Duzenendlela Special School. Accordingly, a team from our Infrastructure Unit was dispatched to conduct the necessary assessments on the work required, in addition to other problems that require rectification."
A month later, when asked Mabona about the findings of the assessment team, Mabona said that he needed more time to provide a comprehensive response.
Another SGB member Nthabiseng Tseeke, said that the groundskeepers at the school have tried to fix the plumbing issues but could only do so much. When raising issues with the school administration the SGB is often met with resistance.
“There are a lot more bad things happening at that school. When we, as the SGB, try to address our children's needs, the principal always blocks us. She only does things that benefit her, not our kids.
"As the SGB, we are not listened to. Our concerns about our children are not taken into consideration. We are told that we are dramatic. But even the teachers agree with our stance on the situation.“
“The teachers themselves can’t teach in such circumstances. They don’t have the proper equipment or the support they need to take care of the children properly, so they often get fed up and leave,” said Tseeke.
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