Pre-school pupils taught in bat-infested classroom

Chadibe North Primary School in the Central district is reportedly overwhelmed by bats which have occupied most of the school classrooms, causing a terrible stench due to their droppings which in turn may cause various diseases.

The deputy school head Mantho Mokgethi informed a kgotla meeting organised by area councillor Godfrey Legau last week Friday that an overwhelming number of bats have occupied a classroom used by pre-school students. She said the classroom has a strong stench caused by the droppings of the bats which she said poses a health hazard to the young learners.

Another teacher Moses Motshadi added that if they had a choice, they would relocate the affected students elsewhere. “Honourable councillor you must be aware that last year during a fierce rainstorm which affected most of the Northern villages, one block of classrooms was destroyed by the strong winds leaving it roofless. We cannot teach the children in the open since the heat is also unbearable. In a nutshell, the school is facing a severe shortage of classrooms,” Motshadi explained.

Mokgethi also informed the community that the school has surpassed its status because of the large number of students from 800 to 974 learners which now makes it a Group 1 Category School.

“We also have an ablution block which was constructed a long time back but has never been used due to some faults in it. Our teachers who are 30 in number are currently facing a severe shortage of accommodation since there are only 22 houses some of which are not habitable,” Mokgethi said.

In response Legau said that the council is aware of their problems but has been constrained from fixing the classrooms by the delay in insurance claim papers which have taken too long to be processed. As for the bats, he explained that almost all government buildings in the village were affected by bats leaving civic leaders at sixes and sevens over the sudden increase of bats in their area.

He promised the school authorities that he would consult the council with a view to find a permanent solution especially that the bats could infect human beings exposed to their droppings.

According to Health - beat, an online publication of Illinois Department of Public Health, bats are associated with a few diseases which affect people, such as rabies and histoplasmosis. Other health hazards associated with bats include ticks, mites and other parasites which come about as a results of their droppings.