Learners attending schools in remote and rural parts of South Africa have long been faced with the harsh reality of enduring poor school infrastructure and overcrowded classrooms.
National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa Vice-President, Tinus Du Preez has pointed out that new schools that are built are not up to standard.
In some schools in the Eastern Cape, there are schools that are newly bought but the toilets are still not functional and there is no water supply.
It is for this reason that learner-focused civic societies have been advocating for this matter to be treated with urgency by the Department of Basic Education (DBE).
In a statement, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has confirmed:
The Education Department has plans to address this challenge through the Sanitation Appropriate For Education Initiative, including the Accelerated School Infrastructure Delivery Initiative (ASIDI).
Under the ASIDI programme, as the department, we have identified 331 schools made entirely of inappropriate materials”
The department has also committed to replacing 315 of these schools by February 2023, with the balance to be completed in 2023/24.
The ASIDI programme’s main objective is to eradicate the Basic Safety Norms backlog in schools without water, sanitation and electricity.
Additionally, it also aims to replace those schools constructed from inappropriate material (mud, plankie, asbestos) to contribute towards levels of optimum learning and teaching, explained the Education Department.
The department’s target in 2022/2023 was to complete a total of 38 new schools and by December 2022, 16 of such schools had already reached Practical Completion.
During this period, the Education Department intended on constructing a total of 1,094 additional classrooms and this target was exceeded with 1,154 new classrooms.
Overcrowding continues to be a major challenge in public schools across the country but the Education Department also makes use of the Schools Infrastructure Backlog Grant purse to fund the ASIDI portfolio.
Currently, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga and the Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana are negotiating the extension of the Grant beyond the 2023/24 financial year.
Good school infrastructure makes it possible for pupils to learn in an environment that will improve attendance and interest of pupils, suggested Du Preez.
