The Eastern Cape Education Department has established partnerships with key stakeholders including Eskom to ensure that all schools are electrified. This is part of the department’s digitalisation programme in the province.
The issue is that the infrastructure backlog and a lack of skilled teachers to carry the task through remains a challenge.
The department is now hoping the Provincial Treasury will make education its priority when Finance MEC Oscar Mabuyane delivers his Budget Speech.
South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) in the province wants the department to move with speed in addressing infrastructure backlogs.
The union’s Provincial Secretary, Chris Mdingi says, “Some lives have been lost. Some injuries have been sustained because of those dehumanising conditions of debilitating structures. So, for us, as Sadtu, we really become saddened when you mention infrastructure and at some point, you would recall monies were returned to Treasury, but we are not there anymore. All we are saying, ‘let the money be utilised efficiently and hold anyone who has received a tender accountable’”.
Meanwhile, the department says although the infrastructure backlog stands at 70%, it’s making strides to move towards the 4th industrial revolution.
“The teachers were taken through to know how to use them. So, as we roll them out. We will always capacitate whoever is the user to ensure that teachers and principals are capacitated to use all these electronic gadgets to the best of their ability and to the best of the department, in order to achieve what we want to realize,” explains Education MEC, Mlungisi Mvoko.
