Nketa Primary faces toilets challenges

Nketa Primary School is said to be having toilet challenges according to the Bulawayo City Council's Director of Health Services Zanele Hwalima who said that Nketa was one of the twenty nine (29) Primary Schools administered by the City of Bulawayo that has toilet challenges.

According to latest council minutes the Department was in receipt of a letter from the school complaining about the use of toilets in the institution.
"The Director recalled that Nketa Primary School had been seconded to be used as a National Identification Registration centre since April 2005. The equipment to carry out this exercise was fitted in one of the classrooms in the school," reads the minutes. "The pupils of the school faced challenges on the use of toilets. The pupils shared the toilets with the general public."

The minutes states that the enrollment of the school stood at 1283 and the school toilets totaled to thirty tow (32) holes which translated to one (1) hole to forty (40) pupils (1:40).

"The school's enrollment by gender against the holes was as follows: Girls 623 with 18 holes  which means one holes serves 35 pupils," reads the minutes. "There 660  boys with 14 toilet  holes meaning one holes serves 47 pupils. On a daily basis, over three hundred (300) adults visited the school for their national identification and birth certificate registration."

The minutes states that these adults used the pupils' toilets to relieve themselves and this was of great concern.

"The toilet flush systems broke down more often than was expected due to over usage. The workshop personnel from Mzilikazi had also raised a concern over the issue. The school found it difficult to control the public on the use of the toilets," reads the minutes. "To minimise on the health hazard threats, the school used its single groundsman to clean the toilets at least thrice a day. This had proved to be very costly as the groundsman spent more time cleaning the pupils' toilets at the detriment of other duties that should be carried out in the school."

The minutes states that furthermore, pupils had been exposed to unpleasant things from time to time in the toilets.

"Repairs for the flush systems continued to escalate. The school also feared for the security of the pupils in the toilets as it had no means of monitoring the people who visited these toilets," reads the minutes. "However, it was pertinent to mention that to date the school had not experienced any child disappearance although the issue of security was of paramount importance.There was a shortage of classrooms in the school and the school certainly needed that classroom for its programmes."

The council agreed that alternatives to alleviate the situation could be considered: If there could be a public toilet nearby e.g. revive the old ones at the Nketa 6 terminus as it was not far from the school.

"To provide one more groundsman for cleaning toilets at least every two hours,  Provide security to man the pupils when they use the toilets and move registration centre to Nketa Housing Office," reads the minutes. "The Committee considered the matter and Councillor N. Sibanda felt that School Development Associations (S.D.As) should be asked to look after the school and its day to day operations. Councillor E. Rafamoyo felt that in view of the problems encountered National Identification Registration should be moved from Nketa Primary School to Nketa Housing Office."

The minutes states that Nketa Terminus toilets should also be refurbished.

"In response the Director of Housing and Community services explained that the problem started when Council agreed to have Nketa Primary School used as a National Identification Registration," reads the minutes. "The Acting Town Clerk considered it not cost effective to provide Council Security guards for to manage the toilets. The SDC could handle the matter."

The council resolved that the National Identification Registration be move from Nketa Primary School to Nketa and housing Office and the Public Toilets at Nketa 6 Terminus be rescusitated as appropriate.