ActionSA in Ekurhuleni Will Continue to Expose Failures at New Birch-Kemp School in Kempton Park
Siyanda Makhubo
ActionSA City of Ekurhuleni Caucus Leader
Yesterday, ActionSA once again visited the new Birch-Kemp School in Kempton Park, which currently only consists of prefabricated structures that are not connected municipal services.
It is clear that the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) did not plan correctly in creating this school as students will have to use temporary toilets as Ekurhuleni scrambles to connect services to this school.
ActionSA has contacted the department of City Planning in Ekurhuleni which has confirmed that there was no communication from the Department of Education as to how and when services will be connected by the municipality.
This is more than an embarrassing blunder, it means that children at the new school will have to utilise temporary, portable toilets without running water for the foreseeable future. Questions remain as to why Ekurhuleni was not provided with correct building plans or requests to connect services.
Despite SANCO’s efforts to intimidate Councillors and journalists, we will continue to expose the failures of the Gauteng Department of Education and its inability to build brick and mortar schools in Gauteng. ActionSA has been clear that political interference is one of the largest stumbling blocks to building an effective education system in South Africa.
As ActionSA we must make it abundantly clear that we support the creation of more schools in Kempton Park. However, the GDE needs to ensure proper planning is implemented so that our students can learn with dignity.
ActionSA will also be engaging with the community on this matter, looking for ways to find a lasting solution to the mess the department has created.
ActionSA in Ekurhuleni Will Continue to Expose Failures at New Birch-Kemp School in Kempton Park
Yesterday, ActionSA once again visited the new Birch-Kemp School in Kempton Park, which currently only consists of prefabricated structures that are not connected municipal services.
It is clear that the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) did not plan correctly in creating this school as students will have to use temporary toilets as Ekurhuleni scrambles to connect services to this school.
ActionSA has contacted the department of City Planning in Ekurhuleni which has confirmed that there was no communication from the Department of Education as to how and when services will be connected by the municipality.
This is more than an embarrassing blunder, it means that children at the new school will have to utilise temporary, portable toilets without running water for the foreseeable future. Questions remain as to why Ekurhuleni was not provided with correct building plans or requests to connect services.
Despite SANCO’s efforts to intimidate Councillors and journalists, we will continue to expose the failures of the Gauteng Department of Education and its inability to build brick and mortar schools in Gauteng. ActionSA has been clear that political interference is one of the largest stumbling blocks to building an effective education system in South Africa.
As ActionSA we must make it abundantly clear that we support the creation of more schools in Kempton Park. However, the GDE needs to ensure proper planning is implemented so that our students can learn with dignity.
ActionSA will also be engaging with the community on this matter, looking for ways to find a lasting solution to the mess the department has created.