Angie’s time-frames not urgent enough, says NGO

EIGHT-year-old Simthobele Thomas will probably complete Grade 12 without ever seeing a computer or science laboratory

Thomas, who begins Grade 3 next year at Tuwa Primary School in Bell Village near Peddie, has never seen a computer.

He is one of 114 pupils who attend lessons in a mud structure and share their playground with goats.

They relieve themselves in pit latrines and share one school tap.

This is one of the many mud school structures still in use in the Eastern Cape – all to be replaced within three years, according to regulations set out by Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga in the minimum norms and standards for public school infrastructure.

However Simthobele may have to wait another 10 years before seeing the inside of a laboratory.

The norms and standards for public schools were gazetted on Friday. In a statement released by the ministry, provisions to the time-frames, which were slammed by lobby groups in the draft regulations, include:

•  All schools built entirely from mud, as well as those schools built entirely from materials such as asbestos, metal and wood, must be replaced within three years;

 All schools without power, water or sanitation must be provided with them in three years;

 Norms and standards relating to provision of classrooms, power, water, sanitation, electronic connectivity and perimeter security must be implemented in seven years;

 Specific focus must be placed on the norms and standards relating to libraries and laboratories for science, technology and life sciences and these norms and standards must be implemented within 10 years; and

 All the other norms and standards contained in the regulations must be planned, prioritised and phased in before December 31 2030.

Zukiswa Kota, researcher at the Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM), said she had noted an improvement in the regulations compared to the draft.

She added, however, that areas that still needed focus included accountability chains and the lack of explicit guidelines to force all provinces to comply with the norms.

“We as PSAM also feel that there is an insufficient sense of urgency with regard to replacing temporary structures and providing proper sanitation,” Kota said.

“There are still many schools in our province that urgently need proper sanitation and proper school structures.

“The time-frames contained in these regulations are inadequate.”

PSAM is one of the lobby groups from across the country that made submissions on the draft regulations that the ministry had gazetted for public comment in September.

Lobby group Section 27 said they could not comment on the matter as they were still formulating a response.

Equal Education chairwoman Yoliswa Dwane was yesterday locked in meetings.

Education expert Dr Ken Alston said he doubted the minister would meet the standards or stick to the time-frames she had set out.

“The other issue is that the quality of these schools would have to be checked out and that this doesn’t just become a rush job to hand over the schools in order to meet the deadlines.

“And for me, I think that in order to turn the education crisis in the country around there needs to be a combination of providing the schools, providing the proper infrastructure and providing staff training for the teachers,” Alston said. — zisandan@dispatch.co.za