One New School a Month Programme hits Nellmapius

The commitment made by Gauteng Provincial Government to deliver one new public school every month until the year 2017 has just seen the community of Nellmapius in Mamelodi being officially handed a newly-completed learning facility with state-of-the-art technology in which they have actively participated in building.

On Friday September 23, officials from the department of infrastructure development accompanied the leadership of the organisation under the stewardship of MEC Jacob Mamabolo in proudly handing the keys to Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi and the school principal.

The school premises were abuzz with excited learners, teachers and members of the community as they were informed that the new school was now theirs to care for and to protect as the common heritage of the community. The province said the facility would be a melting pot of modern skills that will produce an advanced generation of professionals.

Referred to as a mega-school that will accommodate about 1 500 learners, all the 32 classrooms of the new Nellmapius Secondary school are fully fitted with paperless learning infrastructure. Lesufi said it is a school of the future that will help learners become active participants in the new economy which uses information communication technologies as the main platform.

More than 100 local contractors participated in the implementation of the project, taking responsibility to deliver different parts of the construction and outlay of the new facility. Dozens of Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) participants also received training in various fields of work during the course of the project.

The end product is a beautiful place of learning which, according to the head of department at infrastructure development Bethuel Netshiswinzhe, is even comparable to or better than some presentday universities in look, feel and technology.

It also features the following facilities: an administration block, 30 smart classrooms (with paperlesslearning technology), two smart science laboratories, two smart multi-purpose rooms, a computer laboratory, a library,and a nutrition centre and dining hall. Other features include a courtyard, a guardhouse, and covered walkways.

Its sports facilities include a soccer-and-rugby field, and combi courts (to accommodate netball, basketball and tennis courts). It also has a refuse yard and a pump room.

The green-technology aspects of the facility are in the form of roof insulation (which reduces energy loss from the buildings), glazing (that maximises natural light into the building and reduces energy loss from the building, energy-saving lighting (LED light fittings), an underground rainwater marvesting tank, landscaping, insulated walls for heat conservation and soundproofing.

MEC Mamabolo also called on the community to isolate and report people who destroy public infrastructure as part of their protest action. He said no one should ever be allowed to vent their grievances at the expense of public infrastructure.

Hence the new Nellmapius Secondary School should serve many future generations of learners to become better persons in society, he said.