Principal’s plea leads to Sassa uniform donation
ifty Upper Ngonyama Primary School pupils from Ngonyama Village in Vaal Bank each received full school uniforms from the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) recently.
The beneficiaries included 30 girls and 20 boys from underprivileged backgrounds.
The handover was as a result of principal Mzwabantu Cawe’s plea to Sassa officials to assist pupils at the school who struggled without basic necessities at their homes, including uniforms, so that they could attend school in a dignified manner.
Cawe said: “I met with Sassa officials to put forward the plight the school is facing with its pupils.
“They said they have a programme that provides school uniforms for pupils.
“They then requested us to identify 50 pupils who were in need of school uniforms.”
Cawe said the school had 173 pupils enrolled, from grade R to 7.
Elaborating on the importance of supporting underprivileged pupils with resources while on their journey to receiving an education, Cawe said: “Some pupils miss school because they do not have a school uniform, some do not have shoes and some feel embarrassed to come to school with a torn shirt or jersey.
“Sassa’s contribution will encourage pupils to attend school, including those who have not received school uniforms.
“We will keep knocking on Sassa doors. These are children who are living with their grandparents, their mothers are not around,” Cawe said.
He said while the school was not
Fstruggling with pupils dropping out, there was a problem with children bunking classes.
“I joined the school last year in November. So far dropping out has not been a major issue for us but we are struggling with pupils missing school.
“They leave home saying to their grandparents they are going to school, only to find out that they do not come.”
Cawe expressed his gratitude to Sassa officials for heeding the call to assist pupils.
He said Ngonyama village was a poverty-stricken area and that his desire was for companies such as Tiger Brands to provide breakfast for the children as the food they received was insufficient.
He also thanked parents for their willingness to support the school, along with staff members without whose efforts, he said, the project would not have been a success.