Children stuck at hostel due to lack of transport

OVER 200 pupils with special needs have been unable to go to school for two months due to lack of transport. As a result, the pupils have been forced to stay in their dilapidated hostel in Umzimkhulu, KwaZulu-Natal.

The 269 pupils with various intellectual disabilities from Vulekani Special School Skills and Training Centre were unable to travel to their school, which is about 3km away from the hostel. A teacher said pupils had been living under dire conditions for years after a contractor failed to deliver on a project to build a hostel in the school premises.

“The bus has a mechanical problem, which is why we [as teachers] had to come down to the hostel and look after the learners,” said a teacher. She said the bus often experienced problems. National Council of Provinces member James Mthethwa said: “The old school bus is also not in good condition and has been taken in for repairs since July 2016.”

When the Sowetan’s team arrived at the hostel on Wednesday, many of the pupils were sitting outside in their full uniform. It seemed there was little or no teaching and learning happening at the hostel.

Clad in yellow shirts and maroon jerseys or school jackets, the pupils played in the stairway, oblivious to cracks on the walls of the hostel and rocky ground. Some pupils were sitting at the gate while others chased each other in the yard.

One teacher said: “The building does not belong to the school. There is overcrowding because there is not enough space for all the children to sleep. Some of the rooms cannot be used because they are in a very bad condition.

This situation also affects us as teachers. These children are restless in class and we have to ensure that they progress or the department will say we are failing to do our jobs.”

The SGB would not comment.