Miss-Delectable
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IOL: Hijacking leaves deaf pre-schoolers stranded
Fifteen deaf pre-schoolers have been forced to miss out on school for the past two weeks after their school bus was hi-jacked in Mfuleni, minutes after the driver dropped off the last pupil.
With no funds to buy a new school bus before the end of term, teachers at the Carel du Toit Centre in Parow are battling to get the children to school.
The pupils live in Mfuleni, Khayelitsha, Kraaifontein and surrounding areas. They are missing out on crucial learning activities to develop their speech so they can enter mainstream primary schools.
The social worker at the centre, Dr Erika Oosthuizen, said teachers worked with eight pupils in a class and, with 15 missing, it has had a major impact on school activities.
"It is essential they come to school because they are losing out on language. If they miss out on just one week, they miss out on a lot," she said.
The pre-schoolers are at the most "crucial" stage of their development and cannot afford the setback, said Oosthuizen.
Teachers managed to transport the children in two cars yesterday, but both are too small to accommodate all of the children. Five unemployed mothers are bringing their children to school by taxi, but those who work are unable to.
Principal Laurette du Preez said the mothers took three taxis to get to the school at Tygerberg Hospital and could not afford the travelling costs.
"We are paying more than R250 a day to these parents so they can get their children to school. It's a very difficult situation," she said.
The bus is insured, but the payout the school will receive is not enough to buy a new bus.
Bus driver Eric Bhovu said a car had stopped in front of the bus in Mfuleni. He reversed the bus and rode away, but the car pursued him.
"I stopped the bus, jumped out and ran. I thought they were going to kill me," he said.
Bhovu said he was relieved none of the children were in the bus when it was hijacked.
Gert Witbooi, spokesperson for Western Cape Education MEC Cameron Dugmore, said: "We will look into the situation and see how we can help them."
Fifteen deaf pre-schoolers have been forced to miss out on school for the past two weeks after their school bus was hi-jacked in Mfuleni, minutes after the driver dropped off the last pupil.
With no funds to buy a new school bus before the end of term, teachers at the Carel du Toit Centre in Parow are battling to get the children to school.
The pupils live in Mfuleni, Khayelitsha, Kraaifontein and surrounding areas. They are missing out on crucial learning activities to develop their speech so they can enter mainstream primary schools.
The social worker at the centre, Dr Erika Oosthuizen, said teachers worked with eight pupils in a class and, with 15 missing, it has had a major impact on school activities.
"It is essential they come to school because they are losing out on language. If they miss out on just one week, they miss out on a lot," she said.
The pre-schoolers are at the most "crucial" stage of their development and cannot afford the setback, said Oosthuizen.
Teachers managed to transport the children in two cars yesterday, but both are too small to accommodate all of the children. Five unemployed mothers are bringing their children to school by taxi, but those who work are unable to.
Principal Laurette du Preez said the mothers took three taxis to get to the school at Tygerberg Hospital and could not afford the travelling costs.
"We are paying more than R250 a day to these parents so they can get their children to school. It's a very difficult situation," she said.
The bus is insured, but the payout the school will receive is not enough to buy a new bus.
Bus driver Eric Bhovu said a car had stopped in front of the bus in Mfuleni. He reversed the bus and rode away, but the car pursued him.
"I stopped the bus, jumped out and ran. I thought they were going to kill me," he said.
Bhovu said he was relieved none of the children were in the bus when it was hijacked.
Gert Witbooi, spokesperson for Western Cape Education MEC Cameron Dugmore, said: "We will look into the situation and see how we can help them."