Prioritising delivery to schools
HONESTY is the greatest tool we have in achieving the goals we set every day. The discussions around norms and standards in our schools has been mired in discussions that seek to present half-truths to the general public.
As we move closer to the date set to report on these standards and whether the Department of Basic Education is on target, let’s allow the department to present facts and figures without any prejudice.
Remember back in 2013, we published the Regulations Relating to Minimum Uniform Norms and Standards for Public Schools Infrastructure.
We committed to our people that we would do everything in our power and effort to change the lives of pupils who for years were neglected by a system that spent less on them as compared to other race groups.
When considering these regulations, we were aware of the immense task we had ahead, but at the same time, we knew we could not allow the status quo to continue where schools did not have access to water, electricity or sanitation.
This government – whose mandate is to serve everyone – will continue to work hard to change the state of education in this country.
We have set ourselves very ambitious targets that include the provision of water, sanitation and electricity to all schools, as well as the eradication of inappropriate structures, such as mud schools, asbestos schools and “plankie” schools.
We, however, acknowledge the backlogs and challenges that have had a negative impact on our ability to meet the goals we set ourselves.
We do know that honesty will keep us grounded and will enable us to work hard to continuously provide quality school infrastructure that is in line with the norms and standards objectives.
According to Section 4 (3) (a) (b) of the Norms and Standards, all schools built entirely from materials such as asbestos, metal and wood, as well as all those schools that do not have access to any form of power supply, water supply or sanitation, must be prioritised and the standards complied with within a period of three years from the date of publication of the regulations.
The Norms and Standards for the three-year target require that we prioritise all schools which do not have some form of sanitation facilities.
That is why we will continue to engage community organisations and other stakeholders who continue to highlight the inefficiencies in our system.
Their work will never stop us from focusing on the set objectives.
Here are facts and figures we can present to date, which reveal the true state of sanitary provision in our schools:
As at October 2014, about 474 schools without some form of sanitation were identified. By the end of September this year, about 408 schools had been provided with sanitation and we are continuing to roll-out and deliver on the progress made.
It is important to note that out of the nine provinces, seven have achieved the three-year target.
Despite this record, two provinces will however, not achieve the set targets. But their plans and projects are at different stages of implementation to address the shortfall.
Providing clean water to our schools has also posed a challenge, but since 2014 when we identified about 604 schools without water supply, we have worked hard to address the backlog. As of September this year, about 523 of those schools had been provided with water.
Over and above the three-year target, provinces have also moved towards the seven-year target in this regard.
Of the 170 new schools built around the country, more than 100 were built in the Eastern Cape.
These figures tell a story of progress and this department’s continued determination to provide proper education facilities, especially in the Eastern Cape, which has had challenges of mud schools.
We have a duty as this government not to be seeking glory when some of our pupils still await service delivery.
Ours is to tirelessly work to make our constitution come alive through the provision of quality education.
Let us join hands and work towards quality education anchored on worldclass infrastructure.
Angie Motshekga is the minister of basic education