- Mellon Educate, an Irish NPO, partnered with the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) to construct 12 new classrooms at Umnqophiso Primary School.
- The project, funded 60% by Mellon Educate and 40% by the WCED, includes specialised classrooms for Grade R, senior phases (Grades 7 and 8), literacy, and Learners with Special Education Needs (LSEN).
- School principal Ntomboxolo Mqumbisa and Ward 86 councillor Xolani Diniso praised the initiative for easing the strain on teachers.
Umnqophiso Primary School learners and parents will have much to celebrate when schools open for the 2025 academic year, thanks to Mellon Educate.
Working with the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), the Irish-based non-profit organisation (NPO) is building extra classes at the school to ensure a safe learning and teaching environment. An extra 12 classrooms have been built and will start being used next year.
Ward 86 councillor Xolani Diniso said the new classes will reduce the burden on teachers. He described classes at the school as “overcrowded”.
“There are new classes for Grade R, Grade 1 and Grade 8. These will make it easy for the teachers because some of the classes are overcrowded, and it is difficult for the teachers to teach. For their part the learners are unable to concentrate in the class because of the numbers.”
READ RELATED | Scottish donors help transform Langa family’s burnt home
Diniso said he aims to ensure that all the children are at school next year. “We want to make education at Lwandle fashionable. No child will stay at home because he or she didn’t go to school.
The population of Lwandle is growing every year and that makes it difficult for the schools in Lwandle to accommodate everyone.”
He added that there are three primary schools and three high schools in his ward.
Ntomboxolo Mqumbisa, the school principal, echoed Diniso’s sentiments, saying Mellon addressed the problem of limited classroom numbers. “It contributed 60% to the project, while the WCED contributed 40%. As a school we were approached by Mellon Educate, which came and asked what they could do for us. We mentioned our limited classroom numbers and Mellon said it would help us here.”
Mqumbisa said the project is almost done and only a few things are left.
“The classrooms are almost finished. They are doing touch-ups. On Friday 22 November Mellon handed them over to the school. We are going to open them officially in January.”
READ MORE | Luhlaza High School opens new science lab to inspire future scientists
She added that of the 12 classrooms constructed four are for Grade R classes, six for senior phases, which are Grade 7 and 8, one for Learners with Special Education Needs (LSEN) and another for literacy.
“The Grade 7 and 8 classrooms depend on the intake, so their number isn’t finalised. For LSEN there will be a teacher who deals with almost all these grades. There will be a timetable for all the classes. And for literacy we are not sure how we are going to handle it as it is just an idea for now. But we will sit down and discuss it.”
Mqumbisa said the classrooms meant a lot not only to staff members, but the community as well. She said more staff members were to be hired for the new classes.
Kerry Mauchline, the spokesperson for Western Cape Minister for Education David Maynier, said the project was being run by Mellon Educate.
“They bring volunteers out from Ireland to complete the project,” she said, “so I would recommend that you chat to them first and then we can offer a comment.”
