On 13 January 2023, ActionSA issued a statement lamenting the sad state of affairs at Eastern Cape schools.
We highlighted the fact that the Eastern Cape government forfeited R205 million meant for the construction & maintenance of schools is a tragedy. That money formed part of the R1.64 billion education infrastructure grant for the Province for the 21/22 National Fiscal Year.
The construction of proper school buildings that started in 2017, with an approved budget of R58m was abandoned in 2018, with non-payment of appointed contractors cited as the primary reason for the discontinuation of construction work.
Merely three days after Premier Oscar Mabuyane’s State of the Province Address, ActionSA has learnt that the Province will forfeit a further R100 million from the grant that was meant for the maintenance of school infrastructure in the Province as it was not spent within the 2022/23 National Fiscal Year.
Instead, those funds will be redirected to two of the country’s best-resourced provinces of Gauteng and the Western Cape.
It is important to note that most schools in Eastern Cape do not meet the minimum infrastructure standards for South Africa’s public schools as prescribed by the South African Schools Act 84 of 1996.
The minimum norms and standards for public school infrastructure includes basics such as decent toilets, sufficient electricity & water supply, access to the internet, libraries, sports facilities, and laboratories. The Eastern Cape has over 5 200 schools, 3 000 of which are without adequate sanitation and with over 1 000 schools still using pit latrine toilets.
It is evident that the Eastern Cape Education Department’s lack of proper financial management and planning is of no concern to the Premier Mabuyane, despite its adverse effect on the quality of education enjoyed by the Province’s pupils.
ActionSA in the Province reiterates that the right to basic education is enshrined in our country’s Constitution and that includes the right for learners to access textbooks, transport, adequate teaching and infrastructure.
Eastern Cape Forfeits R100m Meant for School Infrastructure
On 13 January 2023, ActionSA issued a statement lamenting the sad state of affairs at Eastern Cape schools.
We highlighted the fact that the Eastern Cape government forfeited R205 million meant for the construction & maintenance of schools is a tragedy. That money formed part of the R1.64 billion education infrastructure grant for the Province for the 21/22 National Fiscal Year.
The construction of proper school buildings that started in 2017, with an approved budget of R58m was abandoned in 2018, with non-payment of appointed contractors cited as the primary reason for the discontinuation of construction work.
Merely three days after Premier Oscar Mabuyane’s State of the Province Address, ActionSA has learnt that the Province will forfeit a further R100 million from the grant that was meant for the maintenance of school infrastructure in the Province as it was not spent within the 2022/23 National Fiscal Year.
Instead, those funds will be redirected to two of the country’s best-resourced provinces of Gauteng and the Western Cape.
It is important to note that most schools in Eastern Cape do not meet the minimum infrastructure standards for South Africa’s public schools as prescribed by the South African Schools Act 84 of 1996.
The minimum norms and standards for public school infrastructure includes basics such as decent toilets, sufficient electricity & water supply, access to the internet, libraries, sports facilities, and laboratories. The Eastern Cape has over 5 200 schools, 3 000 of which are without adequate sanitation and with over 1 000 schools still using pit latrine toilets.
It is evident that the Eastern Cape Education Department’s lack of proper financial management and planning is of no concern to the Premier Mabuyane, despite its adverse effect on the quality of education enjoyed by the Province’s pupils.
ActionSA in the Province reiterates that the right to basic education is enshrined in our country’s Constitution and that includes the right for learners to access textbooks, transport, adequate teaching and infrastructure.