adminSukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent
SCHOOLS in Bulilima and Mangwe districts are facing water challenges as boreholes at some of the institutions are not functioning forcing pupils to bring the precious liquid from home.In an interview, outgoing councillor for Ward 2 in Mangwe District, Mr Edward Ndlovu, said a school in his area had gone for two months without water supplies.
“Pupils from Evimila High School are forced to bring water from their homes because the school has not had any water supplies for the past two months.
“The school had been relying on a community borehole which was situated close by, but it has since broken down and there is no other nearby source of water,” said Mr Ndlovu.
He said water was an essential element at the school as most pupils travelled long distances to reach the school.
“Our area has few secondary schools which are hardly enough to cater for pupils that are released by our primary schools. Some pupils have to travel as much as 10 kilometres to reach the school and in such a case water is a necessity.
“The learning environment ceases to be conducive once there are no water supplies. Such a learning environment which pupils in rural areas are exposed to partly explains why they eventually lose interest in their lessons,” said Mr Ndlovu.
The headmistress for Tokwana Secondary School in Bulilima District, Ms Precious Gumpo, said the school was in need of a water pump as the borehole they were using was constantly breaking down.
“We cannot even say the school has a borehole because it barely lasts a week without requiring some repairs. Pupils have to eventually carry their own water from their homes in such a case.
“The borehole that we have needs to be replaced because the old one is beyond repair,” said Ms Gumpo.
“We have an enrolment of 300 pupils and the population mostly comprises orphans and other vulnerable children. Our admission policy requires us to enrol disadvantaged children so that their future is improved.
“However, we are struggling with resources of equipping our school as we need a reliable water source, furniture for the school, furniture to open up a library, equipment for a Science laboratory and the construction of workshops for practical subjects,” she said.
In an interview Mangwe chief executive officer, Mr Nketha Mangoye Dlamini said some schools in the district were still facing water challenges, which in turn affected the commitment of pupils.
“We realised that being exposed to water challenges while in school would create a negative picture of the school environment. That is why we prioritised primary schools under the water harvesting tanks programme.
“However, not all schools were covered and the secondary schools themselves need reliable water sources so that pupils do not develop a negative image of the learning environment,” he said.
Online Reporter