Once proud Vuwani boarding school now a squalid shame

LIMPOPO – Once proud Lwenzhe Technical Secondary School is now a place of filth and neglect as the school has not been maintained for years, resulting in buildings so dilapidated they pose both a danger and a health hazard to the learners.

Lwenzhe is situated in Tshino village, a few kilometres away from the township of Vuwani. The school offers education from grades 8 to 12 and boarding facilities for both boys and girls on the school premises.

Limpopo education department neglect

But, the current situation at the school has left some parents, teachers and former learners concerned. They blame the Limpopo Department of Education for not doing enough to improve the poor conditions at the school.

“I fail to understand how the department of education has failed to maintain such a wonderful school. Back in the years, the school used to be one of the best, not only in terms of the performance but also in terms of its buildings and surroundings. How the condition suddenly changed baffles me,” says Mashudu Muhanganei, a former learner at Lwenzhe.

Muhanganei, who matriculated in 2017, told Elitsha that he blames the department of education for the deterioration of Lwenzhe. “This is the only secondary school, which offers accommodation for both male and female learners, and because of that, it used to attract learners from areas far away from Vuwani region. But if you see the conditions of the rooms which learners are using at the moment, I bet no learner can wish to come and study here. The department of education has failed the people of Vuwani,” says Muhanganei.

Most of the classrooms at Lwenzhe are in disrepair, with visible cracks and some without a proper roof, while the learners’ accommodation looks like a dumpsite. The school does not have proper sanitation nor running clean water.

‘Lwenzhe does not qualify to be a school’

A teacher at Lwenzhe who spoke to Elitsha, who wished to remain anonymous, said that the current conditions of the school are not conducive for learning and teaching.

“It is so difficult to teach learners in such poor conditions. Some of the buildings here can easily fall on top of us and if you look around, most of these classrooms do not even have proper roofs, as they are dilapidated and outdated, and some do not even have windows. During winter season like now it becomes so difficult for learners to concentrate in class,” explained the teacher.

He said that he is planning on leaving the school. “If I find another job, I am definitely moving on if nothing is done to address the poor conditions of this school. It is so difficult to motivate learners to study hard, while they are attending classes under such inhumane conditions,” he said.

Inside one of the dormitories at Lwenzhe Technical Secondary in Tshino village.

No water and proper sanitation

In terms of its lack of proper sanitation and running water, Lwenzhe is not alone as many other schools in Limpopo, especially in the Vhembe district, are facing similar challenges. Earlier this year, Elitsha reported how the department of education has failed to put an end to the use of hazardous toilets in public schools in the province.

“I just wish that those in power can visit the school; maybe they can be able to come up with some solutions to all the current problems being faced by the school. Something must be done urgently or if they are not prepared to help maintain the school, they might as well close it down,” said Muhanganei.

Toilets at Lwenzhe Technical Secondary School.

Gladys Chauke, who resides a few houses away from the school, told Elitsha that she witnessed the deterioration of Lwenzhe over the past few years. “I saw this one coming from a distance, because what I know is that if a building is not being maintained, what follows is that it will keep on dilapidating. This is what has happened to our lovely school. They should not have let the school to be in such condition in the first place,” said Chauke.

Chauke said she is lucky she no longer has a child attending the school. “Having a school within your community is something special but if the school is going to be left in such a poor condition, it now becomes a burden to the community. What I see every day when I pass by the school gate, does not qualify to be called a school. The conditions are very inhumane and they need to be addressed as a matter of urgency,” said Chauke.

Broken ceiling inside a classroom

Chauke has since called on the department of education to act and address the challenges being faced by learners at Lwenzhe.

“The department of education must visit the school to see how learners are being forced to attend their lessons under inhumane conditions at Lwenzhe. Learners from our area deserve better, so that they can also perform better but at the moment the conditions can easily dampen learners’ learning mood,” said Chauke.

Attempts to get comment, either from Lwenzhe school governing body or the provincial department of education failed.