Modern school for Khulani pupils
The Department of Education recognised the need for an official school for handicapped children in the area.
HAVING come a long way since the days when it operated from a privately donated two-bedroom house in Mbazwane, the all new, state of the art Khulani Special School was officially opened by MEC for Education Peggy Nkonyeni on 3 April.
Since its registration with the Department of Education in 2009, Khulani Special School has received more than R55-million worth of departmental funding in the form of brand new school premises.
The scope of works includes 15 classrooms, a computer lab, media centre, three multi-purpose rooms, a workshop, one therapy suite, an activity room, administration block, principal and deputy principal’s offices, one consulting room and dormitories for the 100 boarders currently attending the school, plus space for more.
In 2010, when Khulani staff and pupils found themselves bursting out of the donated house, the Africa Foundation stepped in and raised money for a new school building.
With many children attending the school and many more on the waiting list, the Department of Education recognised the desperate need for an official school for handicapped children in the area.
Before building could begin, the school’s plot of land had to be swapped with the Pentecostal Church to ensure sufficient space for the new school and its grounds.
Once this was finalised, the department set aside the funds and building on the new premises began.
‘It’s been a long time coming and we are ecstatic to be moving into our new premises,’ said Principal Nxumalo in an interview prior to the opening.
‘It will be wonderful to have proper equipment and space for the children’s vegetable garden.’
