Qunu - The days of being forced to leave their village after Grade 7 because there is no high school will be a thing of the past for the pupils of Mvezo, former President Nelson Mandela’s birth place.
Authorities have confirmed that a state-of-the-art specialised high school is set to open there in early 2014.
In honour of the village’s most famous son, the first high school in Mvezo will be named the Mandela School of Science and Technology. The school is set to open a new world of opportunities for the children of Mvezo.
“It is a first high school of its kind in our area We have previously never had a high school and this will now ensure that our youth don’t drop out from Grade 7. They will be able to continue and finish their studies,” said the village’s tribal leader Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela, also known as Mandla Mandela.
“Because these children had to leave after Grade 7 and be outside the control of their parents, they would be prone to things like teenage pregnancy and alcohol and substance abuse so this high school will address that challenge. If Mvezo was able to produce a global icon, we hope through this school, we can produce more leaders,” he said.
Locals told SAnews during a visit to Mvezo that because there is no secondary school in the area; parents were forced to send their children to schools in Mthatha and Dutywa, which are at least 80km and 100 km away respectively.
“Some people are lucky to have relatives in Mthatha but for some of us it meant that we have to budget money for accommodation. For those who can’t afford this money, it meant that their children are forced to drop out after Grade 7 and that is not good for a child,” said an elder who introduced himself by his clan name of Zizi.
Zizi said it was a shame that an area that had given birth to an icon like Mandela did not have a high school.
“It pained us and all we could do was to try and do the best for our children but if you do not have a school what else can you do but we are glad we are finally getting our own school, Im sure even Dalibhunga (Nelson Mandela’s royal name) would be happy about this”.
The Mandela School of Science & Technology, which is supported by technology company Siemens, will allow 700 children and young adults to change their lives for the better. The school will start with grades 8 to 10 and will be at full capacity by 2016 with students up to grade 12. The company has said it will contribute towards the school’s operational and maintenance costs for three years.
Mandela is hailed here for his contribution to education and development and is seen as a symbol of hope. Because of their link with Madiba, people have chosen hope over uncertainty.
Like for many South Africans, the people of Mvezo see Mandela as a man who changed their lives for the better.
“Many schools here were mud structures and were in a state of dilapidation. But when Mandela became president and his government was in control, things changed here, we had proper schools for the first time, the legacy is all around here,” said local teacher Baninzi Boyana.
Government infrastructure initiative
The Eastern Cape has been a major beneficiary of the government-led Accelerated School Infrastructure Delivery Initiative (ASIDI) with government targeting to build 49 new schools there through the programme. As of March this year, 17 of these schools were completed.
Nationally, 510 schools that were built with inappropriate structures are being replaced with brand new schools that meet the Department of Education standards.
About 939 schools that previously did not have any access to sanitation will be supplied with a basic level of sanitation and 932 schools will get electricity for the first time while 1145 will be provided with basic water supplies for the first time. As of March, 134 schools were connected with electricity, 190 provided with sanitation and 116 had water. – SAnews.gov.za
