A South African Human Rights Commission report is painting a bleak picture of infrastructure challenges at some schools in North West.
The commission’s inquiry into school infrastructure, found that the provincial department of education, has failed to ensure the provision of safe and adequate infrastructure at many schools in the province.
The report also highlighted the continued use of asbestos structures which are not well-maintained, the continued use of pit latrines at some schools and water and electricity supply challenges, amongst others. The final report was released last month.
An inquiry prompted by complaints received from several parties regarding infrastructure challenges at some schools. The findings indicated serious inadequacies in school infrastructure in the province. These include dilapidated classrooms with collapsed ceilings and roofs, leaking roofs, and cracked walls and floors.
“Commission found that indeed learners’ rights were violated by the continued challenges of infrastructure at schools, and the specific rights which we found they were violated included the rights to basic education enshrined in section 29(1)(a) of the constitution, the right to human dignity enshrined in section 10 of the constitution, the right to bodily safety and security enshrined in section 12(1)(e) as well as the rights of children,” says Shirley Mlombo, NW SAHRC Manager.
Parents are also worried about the state of affairs in schools.
“There is no water in the school, the school is filthy, toilets have blocked,” a parent explains.
“The department of education has promised to renovate the classrooms, during December holidays,” another parent elaborates.
Other role players believe the infrastructure problems are being dealt with at a snail’s pace.
“There is a need for the department to move with quick speed. This report was tabled and to date there has been no serious progress in addressing that kind of a challenge,” says Teach Kgonothi, National Association of School Governing Bodies Spokesperson.
SADTU has meanwhile lashed out at the department of education in the province, accusing it of lacking a plan to address infrastructure challenges.
“The department is not necessarily having a proper plan to address issues of infrastructure. And that is why in some instances you realise that some of the funds are even returned to Treasury. It shows that there is no plan, even under the circumstances that we are experiencing with regard to infrastructural backlogs that we are having,” says Els Themba, SADTU NW Secretary.
The department has acknowledged that there are infrastructure issues at some schools but says it is being addressed.
“We are working tirelessly as the department to address the backlog of infrastructure across the province. The department has already spent close to R500 million on renovating other schools across the province. And the backlogs that we are addressing again, we are looking at overcrowding in our schools. We do have overcrowding in some of our schools in the province, and in those schools, we are making sure that we are building extra classes,” says Mphata Molokwane, NW Education Department Spokesperson.
The department has set aside over R1. 2 billion for infrastructure development in the current financial year (2023/2024). In 2018, it failed to spend its infrastructure grants. The money was eventually transferred to its Eastern Cape counterpart, a blunder the department has vowed never to repeat.
