The Bhisho government needs about R2-billion to build more than 4800 classrooms in 1140 schools experiencing severe over-crowding.
Sorting out that backlog in facilities will take up to seven years, education MEC Mandla Makupula has revealed to complete.
He was giving an oral reply last week to a question in the Bhisho legislature from DA MPL Edmund van Vuuren.
Makupula said 4828 class rooms were needed to address overcrowding in some provincial schools, mostly in rural areas of the province.
The estimated costs to build such additional classrooms stood at R2-billion, he said, adding it could take up to seven more years for the provincial govern ment to construct the necessary facilities.
The Dispatch has been report ing for years how, in some schools, learners pupils sit on bricks and beer crates in overcrowded class rooms.
“The process is under way, but in terms of the new norms and standards, classroom shortages are addressed within seven years, depending on funds avail ability,” he said.
During the same sitting, Makupula revealed that there were 1774 schools across the province whose where the infrastructure was crumbling and and in a dilapidated condition due to lack of main tenance. Of these, 1242, were classified as poor and 532 very poor. He said the state would need R834-million for the “very poor” schools and R1.4-billion for the crumbling infrastructure in poor schools.
In the current financial year, his department has budgeted R581-million, of which R342-mil lion was earmarked for the “day- to-day maintenance” of all the af fected schools, a budget he said will come from their norms and standards allocation.
Makupula told the house that said R26-million was budgeted for maintenance and repairs to 1368 schools’ sanita tion facilities, and R231-million towards other maintenance and repairs at 53 identified schools around the province.
“We anticipate having all main tenance and repair backlogs at tended to within the next seven to eight years depending on the available budget,” said the MEC said.
Last week, the Daily Dispatch reported that the national and provin cial education departments faced legal action after allegedly break ing their commitments to refur bish dilapidated “mud schools”.
Centre for Child Law (CCL) and five dilapidated Transkei mud schools have gone back to court, alleging both national and pro vincial departments had reneged on a court-sanctioned agreement.
In August last year, the CCL and the schools – Samson Senior Primary School (SPS) in Libode, Sirhudlwini SPS in Mount Frere, Ncincinikwe Junior Secondary School in Butterworth, Melibuwa SPS in Dutywa and Gqeyane SPS in Tsolo – reached a ground breaking agreement with the de partments to bring quick relief to pupils in hundreds of mud and dilapidated schools across the province.
The agreement, made an order of the Grahamstown High Court, was hailed as a means of kick starting the stalled Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Delivery Initiative (Asidi).
But CCL director Ann Skelton said in court papers that while the five schools were receiving urgent individual relief, the de partments had done little to meet the needs of hundreds of other mud schools as ordered. — asan dan@dispatch.co.za
This left thousands of learners at inappropriately structured schools no closer to receiving a time-bound plan for improved classrooms or safe structures. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
Classrooms will cost Bhisho R2bn
Sorting out that backlog in facilities will take up to seven years, education MEC Mandla Makupula has revealed to complete.
He was giving an oral reply last week to a question in the Bhisho legislature from DA MPL Edmund van Vuuren.
Makupula said 4828 class rooms were needed to address overcrowding in some provincial schools, mostly in rural areas of the province.
The estimated costs to build such additional classrooms stood at R2-billion, he said, adding it could take up to seven more years for the provincial govern ment to construct the necessary facilities.
The Dispatch has been report ing for years how, in some schools, learners pupils sit on bricks and beer crates in overcrowded class rooms.
“The process is under way, but in terms of the new norms and standards, classroom shortages are addressed within seven years, depending on funds avail ability,” he said.
During the same sitting, Makupula revealed that there were 1774 schools across the province whose where the infrastructure was crumbling and and in a dilapidated condition due to lack of main tenance. Of these, 1242, were classified as poor and 532 very poor. He said the state would need R834-million for the “very poor” schools and R1.4-billion for the crumbling infrastructure in poor schools.
In the current financial year, his department has budgeted R581-million, of which R342-mil lion was earmarked for the “day- to-day maintenance” of all the af fected schools, a budget he said will come from their norms and standards allocation.
Makupula told the house that said R26-million was budgeted for maintenance and repairs to 1368 schools’ sanita tion facilities, and R231-million towards other maintenance and repairs at 53 identified schools around the province.
“We anticipate having all main tenance and repair backlogs at tended to within the next seven to eight years depending on the available budget,” said the MEC said.
Last week, the Daily Dispatch reported that the national and provin cial education departments faced legal action after allegedly break ing their commitments to refur bish dilapidated “mud schools”.
Centre for Child Law (CCL) and five dilapidated Transkei mud schools have gone back to court, alleging both national and pro vincial departments had reneged on a court-sanctioned agreement.
In August last year, the CCL and the schools – Samson Senior Primary School (SPS) in Libode, Sirhudlwini SPS in Mount Frere, Ncincinikwe Junior Secondary School in Butterworth, Melibuwa SPS in Dutywa and Gqeyane SPS in Tsolo – reached a ground breaking agreement with the de partments to bring quick relief to pupils in hundreds of mud and dilapidated schools across the province.
The agreement, made an order of the Grahamstown High Court, was hailed as a means of kick starting the stalled Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Delivery Initiative (Asidi).
But CCL director Ann Skelton said in court papers that while the five schools were receiving urgent individual relief, the de partments had done little to meet the needs of hundreds of other mud schools as ordered. — asan dan@dispatch.co.za
This left thousands of learners at inappropriately structured schools no closer to receiving a time-bound plan for improved classrooms or safe structures. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
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