After seeing the serious lack of proper facilities, the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Mr Michael Masutha, intervened to improve the bad conditions at the Rivoni School for the Blind when he visited the school last Friday.
He witnessed that Rivoni's infrastructure is still not up to standard. Most of the buildings are in a bad state and Correctional Services roped in parolees to renovate the dilapidated structures.
Masutha added that his department intended improving conditions of special schools around the country. Rivoni School for the Blind is among those producing top learners, he added.
Masutha also stated that schools for learners with special needs required proper facilities. He added that his department had implemented a project called Adopt a School. For this project to succeed, they expect correctional centres to identify schools in need of support by ensuring that the schools enable pupils to learn in conducive and decent conditions.
The head of the department, Ms Beauty Mutheiwana, said that plans were at an advanced stage to build a new school. She has admitted that conditions at the school are not conducive to proper learning. She says the department has a huge infrastructure backlog, but an assessment that will assist in identifying a priority school has been completed.
One of the pupils, Lethabo Magakwe, said that pupils had to share one rondavel and that not enough braille machines and books were available for them.