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Richards Bay Coal Terminal: Media Release 20/03/07
20 March 2007
A School for Learners with Special Needs
Getting formal education for previously disadvantaged children who are neither mentally retarded nor able to cope with the pace in a normal school has always been a challenge in the Zululand area. This led to one brave woman to quit her private practice as an occupational therapist and start a school to cater for the needs of these children.
Miss Nomakhaya Swana, the founder and principal of Swana School and Assessment Centre Trust, left her formal employment in 2004 and started a school in 2005 in a dilapidated house at Empangeni to cater for the needs for of these learners with special learning barriers in the Zululand area. It was during her time in private practice that she identified the gap that there were no schools in the area where these children could fit in properly and be able to cope.
On 15 March 2007, was a day that marked an important milestone in the history of Swana School and Assessment Centre; a lease agreement was signed between Swana School and Assessment Centre Trust and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education where the Department has committed to providing the land for a school to be built.
The day also marked the sod turning ceremony where Richards Bay Coal Terminal committed an initial R600 000 towards the first phase of building the school.
“Today I see a dream becoming a reality. I am delighted that the Department of Education has recognized the important role played by our school by giving us land to build the school. I am also grateful to Richards Bay Coal Terminal for opening its doors to us and offering the funding towards the building of the school,” said Nomakhaya Swana, founder and school manager.
Swana School and Assessment Centre was started as a non-profit organization catering for children in the following areas, Richards Bay, Empangeni, Esikhawini, Kwa-Dlangezwa and other surrounding areas, it has now grown and currently has 20 children enrolled at the school and just over 30 on the waiting list. The school also functions as an assessment centre for the Zululand area
The school has received an overwhelming support from the KZN Department of Education and the community at large. The school has a consulting Pediatrician, Speech Therapist, Dietitian, Psychologist and 3 teachers at the moment. The school has received an overwhelming support from the KZN Department of Education and the community at large. The school has a consulting Pediatrician, Speech Therapist, Dietitian, Psychologist and 3 teachers at the moment.
Once the school has been built, Miss Swana is confident that Swana School and assessment centre will be able to accommodate more children.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Miss Nomakhaya Swana
Founder and School Manager
Swana School and Assessment Centre Trust
Tel: 035 772 1035
Cell: 082 342 1119