By Mashamba Media
news@alexreporter.co.za
According to Sergio Dos Santos MPL and DA Gauteng spokesperson for education, Learners at Nokuthula Special School are being denied a decent learning experience due to the Gauteng Department of Education’s failure to respond to critical infrastructure problems.
Santos said this was discovered during the Democratic Alliance’s oversight inspection at Nokuthula Special School. He said among a long list of concerning infrastructural issues, Nokuthula Special School has 12 classrooms that are not being used due to the damage they endured during a hailstorm in 2022.
“The ceiling boards are falling off, the fire hydrants are not working, there is flooding due to a poor drainage system, and the geysers and roof are leaking. The infrastructural challenges at this school are a result of shoddy workmanship. The school’s retainer wall next to a classroom housing learners with severe disabilities has collapsed.
“This insecure wall puts the learners and the residents of apartment buildings next to the school in danger of injury or death,” said Santos. He said when the DA brought up the appalling conditions at the school to the department of education and “its MEC last year, we were told that the structural issues would be fixed by September 2024”.
“Even though it is still within that window of time, the fact that there is no visible progress in this regard is concerning.
“The DA will be tabling questions in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature to the Department of Education and Infrastructure Development to ascertain why urgent issues such as inadequate drainage and malfunctioning fire hydrants are not resolved.
“Learners with disabilities deserve to be treated with the same respect as any other learner. As the DA, we shall not rest until all learners, including those with disabilities, have a positive and enriching learning experience.”