Tue, 2014-05-27 10:28 — admin
Zambia, May 26, 2014: Thousands of pupils across the country are still learning under dangerous conditions such as collapsing buildings, inadequate sanitation facilities, water and other basic necessities.
This came under the spotlight again when a group of parents in KwaNobuhle township, Uitenhage, closed down the Solomon Mahlangu High School due to the risks posed to pupils by the dilapidated structures.
The parents, led by school governing body chairperson Buyile Nkumanda, descended on the school last week and closed the institution indefinitely.
They demanded that the children be moved to a new school that was built two years ago but left unused. “The problem is with the department. For the past two years, the department kept postponing (the move) and it has become a habit to make false promises,” Nkumanda told The New Age.
Eastern Cape education spokesperson Loyiso Pulumani said the authorities were committed to remedy all infrastructure backlogs in the province.
“We have already demonstrated with the 57 state of the art school complexes that we have finished building in some of our worst affected districts across the Kei River,” Pumulani said.
He denied the department was unable to deliver furniture to the new Solomon Mahlangu High School, citing excessive quotations from suppliers as the problem. Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Kwazulu-Natal and Gauteng remain the areas hardest hit by lack of infrastructure at schools.
Education spokesperson in Limpopo Jack Mokobi pointed to limited resources in dealing with the challenges, claiming need outweighed resources.
“The infrastructure challenges are mainly water and sanitation, schools under trees and dilapidated school buildings in some parts of the province. In terms of water and sanitation, the department is implementing 453 projects in schools,” Mokobi said.
Although it contributes more than 30% of the national GDP, Gauteng still faces a huge backlog in infrastructure provision at its more than 2000 schools, especially those in townships.
Spokesperson Phumla Sekhonyane said the challenges were due to the legacy of poor infrastructure and the annual influx of pupils, which further strained existing resources.
Sekhonyane said the authorities were processing information to compile a plan as required by the regulations regarding minimum norms and standards for public school infrastructure. (Source: Russel Molefe, The New Age)