The Eastern Cape Department of Education MEC, Fundile Gade handed over the refurbished Bele Zingcuka Technical School, situated in the outskirts of Umhlonto Municipality at Madolo village.

The school has been provided with revamped classrooms to accommodate the latest technology needed for technical studies. With over 500 learners, the school has also added a nutrition centre, multimedia classrooms, a library, technical workshop classrooms, over 10 offices at a cost of R42 million.

Asisipho Skiti who is a Grade 12 learner started her schooling at the school in 2021 when she was doing Grade 8 sees her school as a blessing. “When I came here the structure of the school was not in a good shape at all, we are happy that our school got such a face lift but most importantly teaching and learning is in a conducive environment and we have supportive and understanding teachers” said Skiti.

School Governing Body (SGB) Chairperson, Zwelidumile Mtyholotyholo appreciated the contribution of the Department to the school. “I see that the school is almost there, even with the disadvantages that we have at the school, we continue to produce results that are up to standard. That means that the participation of the learners in their studies, the dedication of the staff and the input by the district office is an advantage”, said Mtyholotyholo.

The Eastern Cape Department of Education MEC, Fundile Gade took a walk around the school immediately after the hoisting of the flag and said that there were still a few things that need to be fixed at the school. “The aim is to build schools that will ensure that our learners have a brighter future” said Gade. He added that the school focuses on Engineering studies and the designs of the workshops need to be aligned to suit such studies. “Technology is fast changing and the school needs to be prioritized in e-learning faculty. As a result of this we really need at least one school of this nature in every district and learners need to be taught how to ensemble and dissemble a car using a gadget like a tablet for an example” concluded Gade.