More needs to be done to improve the lower grades

Every year Eastern Cape politicians and education bosses set matric pass rate targets which are never met. Some believe the targets are somewhat unrealistic because of all the education department’s well documented troubles. As a result, the province has for the past seven consecutive years come last in the matric pass results. Several reasons for this have been identified including poor teaching and learning conditions, poor or no sanitation facilities, a severe teacher shortage and absenteeism.

The reality of the matter is that education leaders are more concerned about matric results and have paid very little attention to lower grades.

Backing this up is the fact that the provincial education department has failed to accommodate 35 primary schools in Dutywa and Butterworth in its budget for the 2018-19 financial year.

The money was meant for the day-today running of the schools, nutrition programmes and infrastructure, but surprisingly, the education department said the money had not been deposited into the schools’ accounts, because their records showed that the schools had been closed and merged with more viable ones.

Because of this incompetence, 2,500 pupils, some from poor homes, who mostly rely on the school feeding scheme for their only meal of the day, have been starving since April.

No one can concentrate on an empty stomach. And because the odds are so grandly stacked against them, this will result in poor Grade 12 results in future.

That is assuming that they will persevere and not drop out and join the unemployment ranks.

The education department has failed every pupil still subjected to poor school infrastructure, poor sanitation and going for weeks or months without a teacher in front of them.

And more recently, MEC Mandla Makupula’s department has also failed pupils attending Vukuhambe Special Needs School in Mdantsane, where support staff were not paid overtime money for years.

Premier Phumulo Masualle has to take action because it cannot be business as usual while pupils are starving in schools because of incompetence. Heads must roll.

Because of this incompetence, 2,500 pupils have been starving since April