Major school revamps on the cards

Published Jul 5, 2015

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Cape Town - The Western Cape Education Department has until November next year to eradicate schools made of inappropriate materials such as asbestos, metal and wood, but it confirmed this was unachievable.

This is one of the requirements of the regulations relating to minimum uniform norms and standards for public school infrastructure, according to the national Department of Basic Education.

The provincial government confirmed at least 207 of its schools operate in inappropriate structures.

The regulations were published in November 2013, but the national department only released provincial implementation plans recently, following a lengthy campaign by rights organisation Equal Education.

According to the Western Cape plans, 72 of the schools built from inappropriate materials have been prioritised for completion within the 2015/2016 budget, leaving the province with a more than 50 percent backlog.

In addition to replacing schools built from inappropriate materials, the province has to also provide 746 toilets in 96 schools by November next year.

Western Cape Education Department spokeswoman Jessica Shelver said although the department was committed to providing quality infrastructure to provincial schools, the budget and timeframes for the regulations were not achievable.

Shelver said the department was already implementing programmes aimed at addressing backlogs.

“We will continue to invest in this plan but not at the expense of other priority projects that significantly assist our poorer pupils, such as learner transport, school feeding, additional teachers and reading materials,” she said.

According to the regulations, by next year all inappropriate material schools are to be eradicated and all schools are to be provided with proper sanitation, water and electricity. Provincial departments have seven years, from 2013, to provide classrooms based on a ratio of 40 pupils per classroom, and to provide perimeter fencing.

Provincial education departments have 10 years, from 2013, to provide each school with sports facilities, a library and a science laboratory.

In its implementation plans, the provincial department highlighted it did not have a backlog on water and electricity as all schools already had these services.

However, there is a backlog of 149 classrooms, 746 toilets and 352 laboratories. Almost 500 provincial schools do not have appropriate access for the disabled.

In its plans, the province has excluded schools on leased property and those scheduled for rationalisation or mergers.

Chris Hart, provincial chief executive of the National Professional Teachers Organisation of South Africa, said compared to other provinces, the Western Cape was doing better, but warned against complacency.

Hart said there were still children learning in dilapidated classrooms with inadequate ablution facilities. He said they had received complaints about infrastructure problems in townships and rural areas and had referred these to the department.

The South African Democratic Teachers Union provincial secretary Jonavon Rustin said pupils in poor areas were bearing the brunt of inequalities of the past.

He said an ideal school was one that had the basics, including a library, laboratory, computer or media laboratory and sports facilities.

“But unfortunately, a school in the township is still not the same as the one in the suburbs,” he said.

Shelver said the province faced the challenge of high numbers of pupils moving from other provinces, which increased the need to build new schools.

Burglary and vandalism of schools, as well as unexpected emergency maintenance due to weather conditions or fires, were adding on the province’s burden.

Weekend Argus

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