By Staff Reporter
A male parent whose child is a pupil at St Bernadette Primary School in Maseru gets panicky as he abandons his chores to pay an unplanned visit to the school’s principal.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the parent vents out his frustrations and fury over widespread social media reports that a pupil had fallen into a concrete pit latrine at the school.
The reaction is swift.
The school decides to go all out to build new ablution facilities. This is to be done courtesy of financial support from the Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA) and technical expertise from Lerotholi Polytechnic College.
Of course, all this is part of a real-life story portrayed through a drama staged by the Roman Catholic-owned school’s pupils at the unveiling of a sanitation block last month to replace the collapsed toilets which were constructed decades ago when the school first opened its doors to learners.
The drama depicts the story of glaringly unsuitable toilets which pose a danger to the pupils’ health and safety.
It is such unwelcome conditions that prompted the school’s administration to seek support from the LCA to fund the construction of modern flush toilets. This was part of enhancing cleanliness at the institution.
Construction of the M600 000 toilets, which will be used by 600 pupils from Grade 1 to Grade Seven, began in March 2023.
The facility was officially handed over to the school last month as part of the LCA’s corporate social initiatives.
“As LCA, we have been given the responsibility to engage in corporate social initiatives and this occasion marks one of those activities,” the LCA chief executive officer Nizam Goolam said during the unveiling of the facilities.
Goolam noted that every year they receive many proposals for support in various aspects and they have to assess which projects to undertake.
According to Goolam, he was regularly quizzed on what the LCA was doing in as far as the corporate social responsibility efforts are concerned, triggering him to bankroll the implementation of the project.
He related how the communications authority was approached by the school’s administration for support after realising that there was a problem.
Describing the initiative as the first phase of the requested project, Goolam recounted that the LCA in turn approached Lerotholi Polytechnic to provide manpower.
The tertiary institution then deployed its building and construction students to build the facility at St Bernadette school.
“This initiative to build the toilets was meant to give Lerotholi students practical experience. It was an opportunity for them to gain experience in projects such as construction,” Goolam explained.
He thanked the Water and Sewerage Company (WASCO) for building a sewer line ‘at remarkably reduced costs.’
At the same occasion, WASCO’s acting director of corporate services, Limpho Debeshe, said the company was committed to enhancing cleanliness.
Debeshe indicated that the water utility encourages tidiness and was willing to ensure that the project is a success.
WASCO provides water and sewerage services in the 10 districts of the country in and some urban towns with monthly fees charged on quantity of service supply.
Debeshe received a rippling round of applause when she announced the company’s undertaking to bear the costs of water for two months commencing in February 2024.
Lerotholi Polytechnic rector, Professor Spirit Tlali expressed appreciation at LCA for the opportunity to construct the building.
“There is need for cooperation hence Fokothi (as the school is famously known) built this historic infrastructure,” Tlali said as he called for projects to revamp government buildings to be awarded to Fokothi students.
“If we really want to deliver services for development, Fokothi should be awarded such works…The problem encountered by those who were engaged in toilets construction was that they also had to attend theory classes,” he remembered.
The facilities were designed at the college’s department that manages projects.
On her part, communications, science and technology and innovation minister Nthati Moorosi heaped praise on the LCA and Fokothi for their efforts.
“The LCA requested Fokothi to construct the facility, resulting in cost reduction and assisting the students to gain much needed practical experience. The facility should be well-maintained and kept clean in order to help prevent the spread of bacteria that cause cholera.
“The facility is equipped with hand washing basins; this will go a long way towards curbing the spread of disease-causing germs. Please keep it tidy at all times,” she appealed to the pupils and other users.
According to the United Nations World Health Organisation (WHO), poor sanitation is linked to transmission of diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery and hepatitis.
It notes that good sanitation helps improve public health and reduces disease transmission.
In 2022, 57 percent of the global population (4.6 billion) used a safely managed sanitation service while 1.5 billion did not have basic sanitation services such as improved toilets.
Also expressing his delight at the development was Professor Ntoi Rapapa, minister of education and training who emphasized the “importance of the infrastructure in building the future society through education.”
He revealed his ministry’s plans to pave the school grounds.
He also pledged to introduce digital learning after such modernised learning was introduced at Lesia Primary School.
“The facility is considered by government as an ingredient to elevate proper learning and performance by pupils as it will promote proper sanitation and health safety,” Prof Rapapa said.
St Bernadetteschool board representative and principal, Sr. Ernestina ‘Malisebo Lebina, could not conceal her excitement.
She thanked the donors for their generosity.
The facility will be used by 600 pupils from Grade 1 to Grade Seven.
According to South Africa’s Water Research Commission, toilets that are not maintained in a safe condition pose a threat to the lives of learners.
Filthy conditions also undermine health, spreading infections and compromising cognitive development, resulting in school absenteeism.
Degrading and frightening experiences in the toilet undermine learners’ psychological wellbeing, compromising learning and their ability to thrive academically and socially, the commission warns.
It also points out that learners who avoid using toilets because of the conditions there may find themselves unable to concentrate in class, or may leave school to find a more acceptable toilet elsewhere. “Girls who find it too difficult to manage their periods in the school toilets may routinely stay home when they are menstruating, compromising their education,” the commission adds.
