Rivoni gets Braille printing machine

The Rivoni School for the Blind in Elim received a major boost regarding the educating and learning process when the Transport Education Training Authority (TETA) donated a Braille printing machine for the school's use.

The Braillo machine, which costs R462 000, was handed to the school during an event at Rivoni Society for the Blind on last Thursday. The CEO of TETA, Mrs Maphefo Anno-Frempong, said that giving back to the community was a calling for them. “We take it as a calling to provide services such as educational resources and opportunities for young children,” she said.

She then gave an illustration on the importance of instilling a sense of hope in the people living with disabilities by using the story of Thomas Edison. “Edison was released from school with a written note after the school said that he couldn't be taught and should actually be sent home,” she said. “The mother read the letter to herself and decided to teach her son at home instead of giving up. She believed that Edison was differently abled and not disabled.”

Anno-Frempong added that TETA would make it their mandate to continue helping Rivoni School for the Blind to ensure that the pupils and educators were reaching educational goals with ease.

Rivoni School for the Blind was added to the list of TETA-adopted schools and it is the only representative of schools with special needs. A capacity-building workshop for teachers formed part of the occasion to further advance TETA’s mandate of inform the teachers on transport-related careers and skills-development programmes.

The deputy director for special programmes in the Limpopo premier's office, Mr Maluta Mulibana, said that the office was glad to notice that TETA believed in partnering with the government in ensuring quality education. “We still need more partnerships to augment what is available and eventually improve the quality of lives of persons with various disabilities,” Mulibana said.

The Department of Education's provincial director on inclusive education, Mr Matsobane Mabote, lambasted people who have a tendency of associating special schools with inability. “That's a wrong, twisted mentality!” he said. “Every child in public school is entitled to quality education.”

The school’s principal, Ms Constance Mabaso, thanked TETA and all other supporting stakeholders for lending a helping hand to the school.

Date:17 June 2017

By: Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.

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