Past pupils of Uitenhage High have made a donation of R100,000 to the school to build nine additional classrooms by the end of the year.
They were motivated by the belief that education has the ability to transform lives and break the cycle of poverty.
Uitenhage High Past Pupils and Teachers’ Association chair Dr Arnold Johannes handed over the cheque to school principal Mark Williams who has been spearheading the project, on Monday morning, saying his organisation was devoted to being part of the solution to the challenges faced by the school.
“[The association] shares the responsibility of development and learning,” Johannes said.
“We acknowledge that the school cannot act in isolation to overcome obstacles [and the association] has devoted itself to always being part of the solution.”
Johannes said when the school governing body identified the need to build additional classrooms the alumni came together to raise funds.
“We are happy to see a proactive school governing body that does not sit and wait for the department of education for solutions to the challenges the school faces,” he said.
Governing body chair Edward Coetzee said the donation was highly appreciated, especially at a time when the governing body had reached a dead end.
“We know that for a couple of years [the school] has been struggling with classrooms that are falling apart.
“And that’s where the conclusion of getting more classrooms came from,” he said.
He said the construction of the classrooms would not interfere with teaching.
Principal Williams said the first part of the plan to relieve the vastly overcrowded school was to build three classrooms during the June-July school holiday.According to Williams, the school was established to accommodate 850 pupils but now had 1,380 enrolled.In the absence of funding from the department of education, the extension of the school was being funded through fundraising events organised by pupils and from school fees.He said the construction cost for all nine classrooms was about R2.3m.The new classrooms would replace mobile classrooms.Williams said teaching in the mobile classrooms was difficult in extremely hot weather because of the lack of airconditioning.“The classrooms are in a hazardous and unhealthy condition,” he said.“We are still busy raising funds for the project and we’ve been receiving individual donations and, of course, some of the funds will come from the school.The three new classrooms will be erected on top of existing classrooms which have a cement roof slab.