Photo for illustration. (Photo: Nombulelo Damba-Hendrik/ GroundUp)
The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education is concerned that the Department of Basic Education’s data on the condition of schools does not match the reality at grassroots level.
Joy Maimela, committee chairman, says that members of “different political parties regularly receive complaints from communities about school infrastructure”.
A total of 22,381 school sites nationwide have access to water and electricity. Only 32% of schools have laboratories, 57% have libraries and 49% have computer centres, while 9,248 schools have no sports facilities.
The committee also learned that 43,677 additional classrooms are needed to overcome the problem of overcrowded classes, while some 3,523 existing schools have unsuitable buildings.
“Fixing this backlog will require an annual investment of R57 billion, while only R49.9 billion was made available during the medium-term spending framework,” says Maimela.
The committee further pointed out that 13% of the country’s 22,789 schools are in a “very poor” condition.
Maimela says the committee is therefore deeply concerned because the data presented by the department is not a reflection of the reality experienced at grassroots level.
Many schools are frequently described as dilapidated, with visible structural damage and unsafe learning environments.
“The data that you as a department present to the committee is difficult for us to accept as a true reflection, based on our own observations during review visits,” she said.
Archive photo for illustration purposes only. (Photo: Unsplash)
To strengthen accountability, the committee requested comprehensive school-level information on infrastructure projects.
This includes a list of schools previously identified as infrastructure problem cases, the status of projects that have already started and are ongoing, project timelines, as well as any delays and the reasons for them.
The committee says learners who have to use unfinished classrooms without occupancy certificates is worrying and such cases are apparently often indicated as completed in official reports, while this is not accurate.
“It hurts the confidence in the department’s reporting,” said Maimela.