Elliotdale school celebrates handover of new premises after years of challenges

For nearly a decade, pupils at Tongani Junior Secondary School situated in the hinterlands of Nkanya in Elliotdale endureddeteriorating infrastructurethat made teaching and learning difficult. The roofs of several classrooms leaked in heavy rains, while some broken windows were covered with zinc sheets as a temporary solution. The poor facilities, which included a lack of proper fencing, created an unconducive learning environment and contributed to pupil absenteeism.

School principal Sibongile Siyo said these challenges continued for years before the construction of a new school brought hope. He reflected on the difficult conditions pupils and teachers faced when he began working there in January 2015. “None was in a good condition.

During heavy rains the classrooms leaked, and when it was dry the rooms were dusty. “There was no fencing at all, and that created a challenge because some pupils would bunk school, especially after break.” Siyo said the conditions discouraged many pupils from attending classes, particularly during bad weather. “Many pupils, especially those in the foundation phase, wouldn’t want to come to school when it was raining heavily because their classrooms were leaking.” These challenges affected the school’s academic performance. “This had a negative impact, because when a pupil misses even a single day of school, they miss a lot of important learning.”