Eastern Cape schools soldier on amid appalling conditions

In 2013, a delegation of eminent activists, academics, authors and political analysts including Archbishop Thabo Makgoba and author Zakes Mda joined Equal Education on a visit to several schools in the Eastern Cape.

What they found was horrifying.

Nearly 10 years later, GroundUp went back to four of the schools. Here’s what we found.

Lwazi Mantantana was in Grade 12 when Archbishop Makgoba visited Nyangilizwe Senior Secondary School in Mthatha in 2013.

The archbishop was part of a delegation led by Equal Education to highlight poor conditions in Eastern Cape schools.

Today, Mantantana is a teacher at the same school and conditions, if anything, are even worse.

In 2013, the delegation found 23 teachers teaching 730 learners.

Each matric class had 60 learners, principal Vuyani Zembe says, and there was a shortage of textbooks.

GroundUp accompanied the delegation and saw unfinished muddy classrooms, with no windows or doors, and eight toilets in an open field of grass.

Plastic instead of doors hung over some of the openings.

IsiXhosa teacher Pateka Nkonki said staff cleaned the toilets themselves.

The school depended on two rain tanks for water. When there was no water, learners were sent home.

Today, says Mantantana, classes have 80 learners or more. There are 10 pit toilets, with doors falling off.

When the rain tanks are empty, the school has to buy water.

“When Archbishop Makgoba was here I was a grade 12 learner. We were all excited that we would get a new building but we still use the old building.

“There are 13 classrooms shared by 1,173 learners. In total, we have 31 educators. 

“We also have a shortage of textbooks and desks. A single desk is shared by two or three learners.”

Mantantana says despite these challenges, they are doing their best with extra classes to improve their matric results.

“In 2019 our matric pass rate was 59% then dropped to 53% in 2020. Last year it increased to 76%,” he said.

The 2013 delegation included Archbishop Makgoba, Mda, Sidiwe Magona, Njabulo Ndebele, Pierre de Vos, Lindiwe Mokate, Graeme Bloch, Janet Love and Elinor Sisulu.

The aim of the visit was to raise national awareness about the schools infrastructure crisis and the need for quality Minimum Norms and Standards for School Infrastructure.

These regulations were published soon after the visit, in November 2013, and set a minimum school infrastructure standard.

If schools don’t meet the standards then, in theory, communities are able to hold the government accountable.

But in spite of this, nine years since the visit, not much has changed in the schools we visited.

Overcrowding remains a major challenge.

Toilets are disgusting and dilapidated.

There is often a shortage of teachers, cleaners and textbooks. Vandalism makes things worse.

GroundUp