Cape Town - Two years from now, so-called “mud schools” will be a thing of the past, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga vowed on Tuesday.
“By 2015, in terms of mud schools, we should be done,” she told reporters at Parliament.
Last year, her department had replaced 50 mud schools - a term used to describe mainly rural schools in a bad state of disrepair, and also referred to by the education department as “inappropriate” structures.
Motshekga said there were a total of 496 such structures.
“This financial year, we plan to (repair) another 200.”
Responding to a question, she said her department was looking at “consolidating” those schools with less than 500 pupils, so it would not be necessary to replace all 496 schools.
On rural pupils who were being taught under trees because of a lack of classrooms and other facilities, she said a report was being compiled in this regard.
She could not immediately say when this problem would be resolved. - Sapa