Teachers’ union South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) in Bloemfontein has urged the Free State Department of Education to intensify efforts to improve infrastructure in schools if it wants to have quality education.
The union said this during the Education Department’s lekgotla on school infrastructure in Bloemfontein.
The Infrastructure Lekgotla was aimed at developing the department’s strategic infrastructure plan for the next five years. Some of the pressing issues on the programme included upgrading sanitation facilities building schools that are equipped with ICT facilities and capabilities as well as the building of 52 technical schools in the province.
the Department of Public Works and the Development Bank of South Africa for their invaluable and thought-provoking inputs 🔥 #InfrastructureMeetsCurriculum #1stEducationInfrastructureLekgotla #BuildingtheFreeStatewewant pic.twitter.com/lWZG4s8w1v
— MEC Tate Makgoe (@MECTateMakgoe) August 18, 2022
SADTU’s regional chairperson Nthabiseng Phalole says the infrastructure at schools needs to be urgently attended to.
“We are saying that this infrastructure sometimes gives us challenges when it comes to educating. For example, a hungry child cannot learn; a cold child cannot learn, so we really propose that they must make a plan with the infrastructure in our schools.”
Stakeholders at the Infrastructure Lekgotla have expressed the importance of galvanising communities to safeguard school infrastructure. Provincial chairperson for school governing bodies, Isaac Vani, says schools are often vandalised when communities are aggrieved.
“Today we are getting the support that is empowering us in terms of how to take care of the [school] buildings and take care of the infrastructure, as well as the information to train our own communities,” says Vani.
The Infrastructure Lekgotla has also agreed to work with the private sector to help upskill learners.
Head of Programmes at Kagiso Trust Angelina Mdakane says collaboration with the private sector will also help speed up the process of improving school infrastructure.
“We have a lot on our plate, but I think through partnerships this is realisable. All the department needs to do is to work with partners such as Kagiso Trust and KST and discuss how we can make this [fixing school infrastructure] a reality.”
