Crestway High School’s 42-year-old prefab building will finally be replaced with bricks and mortar and staff are overjoyed at the news.
Western Cape Education Department (WCED) officials handed the site over to construction company Haw and
Inglis Projects on Friday August 3 and building will start at the end of this
month.
The new school will cost about
R69 million to build and should be completed by September next year.
The building will be able to accommodate 1 110 pupils with 30 classrooms, two science labs, one consumer studies classroom, a multi-media centre and one multi-purpose classroom, a sports field, a hall, and administration block.
Principal Vernon Safers said staff and pupils are excited for the future of the school and it will do wonders for morale.
“I am ecstatic. We have always been looking forward to this moment. The building will not only have a positive impact on the community but also what is happening within the school. Staff are struggling and we are under tremendous pressure. There have also been incidents where people would gain access to the school by jumping over the fence and this puts staff and pupils at risk,” said Mr Safers.
There have been several cases of vandalism and break-ins where wiring and school equipment were stolen.
“With the new building and new fence we will be more secured. So teachers are positive about the future of Crestway High School. I hope and pray that long after we’re gone that the school will still remain an institution that will change children’s lives around,”said Mr Safers.
Teacher Cheryl Jacobs said the new school will bring about positivity to the pupils, staff and community.
“I hope the new school will be a beacon of hope for the community. My appeal to the community is that they will respect the community and embrace the new development,” she said.
Lucian Agulhas, the WCED programme manager, said the school had been earmarked for a revamp.
“On a rotational basis we identify schools called ‘plankie schools’ and decide that these schools will be replaced. Crestway was identified as an inappropriate structure that has structural issues, which means the school needed the rebuild,” said Mr Agulhas.
He said the rebuild is part of a holistic plan to uplift the community as local labour will also be used.
The construction will also give pupils an opportunity to learn.
“We’re looking at a programme where pupils will be introduced to different professions taking part in the construction such as engineering and architecture. This will hopefully give them an insight and spark an interest into a career in these professions,” said Mr Agulhas.