Late president Nelson Mandela said: “Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mine worker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.”
After a 14-year fierce campaign for a primary school in Witsand by residents, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) finally approved the building of a public school on the corner of Chris Hani en John Dreyer Street.
The school will consist of 10 classrooms, a personal room for the teachers, a kitchen (feeding room), two ablution rooms and two containers as storerooms.
At present, numerous children from the informal settlement attend schools in Atlantis, Philadelphia and outside Atlantis in the absence of a primary school there.
According to Education MEC Debbie Schäfer, the Witsand area is experiencing high levels of growth in terms of housing and development, and urgently requires a school to cater to the growing numbers. The mobile school will help relieve the demand for schools in the short to medium term, she added.
“The expected enrolment for 2020 is 320 learners in Grade 1 to 4, but the grades will be expanded annually, ultimately to accommodate at least 850 learners.”
“It is really great news for our children as they will now have the opportunity to attend a school in their own area without waking up early in the mornings,” said delighted Witsand parent Pienky Masega. “We will also save a lot of money on transport as the school will be within walking distance for our children.” Other local parents Coceeka Nokrayyo and Xolani Blasi agreed with her.
Kwick Space was the successful bidder for the tender to build the mobile classrooms for the first 320 learners, which will be handed over in December.
Local small businesses also stand to benefit from the project, although they will have to meet contractor specifications, according to the Witsand Business Forum.
Witsanders will use their knowledge and skills to uplift their township, community leaders say.
