SOS: Maryward Primary needs urgent assistance
LUHLENDLWENI – Maryward Primary School needs urgent government attention. This was evident yesterday when two Cabinet ministers, being the Minister of Agriculture Mandla Tshawuka and the Minister of Health Mduduzi Matsebula, took a tour of the school.
They also went to two other schools. These were Beaconkop Anglican Primary School and the Embo Methodist Primary School.
The tour started at Maryward Primary School, which is located at the depth of Eluhlendlweni chiefdom which falls under Siphocosini Inkhundla. Matsebula is also the Member of Parliament of Siphocosini Inkhundla.
When the ministers arrived, they were welcomed by a glaring half damaged roof of one of the block of classes.
The block’s roof was damaged and old.
Inside the block were pupils taking their normal lessons.
From afar, the pillars that support the roof in the corridors of another block do not give the assurance that the roof they support could still stand.
The ministers were also taken to a third block. The teachers told them that the roof there was replaced after it was blown away by the recent storms.
LEAKS
The stains on the walls showed that the roof leaks to a certain degree when it rains.
The ministers also saw that the distribution board commonly known as the DB is unprotected.
It was said the school has no head teacher, so the ministers were instead welcomed by a senior teacher at the school, Lindokuhle Simelane, who is holding the fort.
She narrated to the ministers that the Ministry of Health officials concluded that the school is not fit for occupation.
She pleaded with the ministers to expediently bring help for the sake of the pupils.
The school’s committee Chairperson Mduduzi Magagula said administrative duties at the school had stalled.
She said the kitchen chimney was falling, the pillars were missing and others were falling, while the electricity was on and off.
She also said they did not have access to clean water and that the pupils have complained of stomach aches from consuming unclean water.
Simelane said even the head teacher, who left last September, was the second one to leave.
Simelane said the teachers did not blame the deserters for wanting to teach at a better school.
This she said was because the residential house allocated for the head teacher was also blown away by a storm. Simelane also said that the road to and from school is a gravel one and it was hard to drive on in a small vehicle.
She said other than the missing head teacher; the school was short of at least three teachers.
gap
She said there were only six teachers at the school and the adding of the three would close the gap of some classes without teachers. Simelane said the neglect of the school affected the welfare of the teacher and the performance of the pupils.
She said over the years parents have been withdrawing their children from the school.
Simelane said the school enrolment was 132 but in the past years it had over 200 pupils, she said.
Within the school opening this year, 25 children were withdrawn by parents and went to the neighbouring schools. However these schools are a distance apart.
Simelane said Grades II, VI and VII were without teachers.
Simelane said the school has never produced a merit at Eswatini Primary Certificate (EPC) examination.
PERFORMANCE
Last year’s performance saw three Fails, as 20 pupils took the exams.
There were no Merits or First Class passes. Eight got Second Class passes while nine obtained Third Class passes.
She also said there was theft and looting in the school by unknown community members.
“We sometimes find that people went into the classrooms and were charging their phones. We appealed for burglar doors and they were donated to the school,” Simelane said.
The ministers took note of the issues. Meanwhile, school Chairperson Mduduzi Magagula said the support staff has not been paid for the past four months.
On the other hand, Cebile Simelane of Beaconkop Primary said she hoped government would take over the Grade Zero programme so that they also get paid by government. Government introduced the Grade Zero programme for the assistance of children whose parents cannot afford preschool education.