Tebogo Monama

Tebogo Monama

The last time 18-year-old Sibusiso Lamula saw the inside of a classroom was when he was in Grade 2.

Sibusiso was hit by a car in 1997 while on his way home from Wailers Farm Combined School in the Vaal. He was only seven years old.

The accident left him paralysed. He was in a coma for three months at Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital due to serious head injuries.

In August 2006 the Road Accident Fund (RAF) awarded him R1,2million for his injuries.

Now his mother wants him to learn. She says the money is going to help pay for his schooling.

Phumzile Lamula said it had been hard to find a suitable school for Sibusiso.

"We have tried to get a school for him, but most of them are expensive. When we got cheaper schools his condition worsened."

But it will be hard for Sibusiso to go back to Grade 2 as he is much older than the grade's pupils.

"I would like Sibusiso to go to school so that he can be independent. Right now, the only thing I can do is to help him with motor activity so that his muscles work.

"I would like him to acquire a skill that will help him survive," Lamula said.

Nanagolo Leopeng, of the Education Department, said Sibusiso would have to be assessed by an educational psychologist.