Lack of libraries cripples schools in E Cape

Only 554 of 5 270 schools in the Eastern Cape have libraries.

This means only one in every 10 schools has a library in the province.

Of those, 338 are primary schools and 216 are secondary schools.

This bleak picture was painted by education MEC Mandla Makupula in a written reply to DA MPL Edmund van Vuuren at the Bhisho legislature earlier this month.

The lack of libraries could be one of the direct reasons the Eastern Cape has for seven consecutive years been at the bottom of the class when it comes to the matric pass results.

Van Vuuren wanted to know how many schools did not have libraries and how much money was needed for schools to have libraries. Van Vuuren also wanted to know if there were resources availed to the schools that did not have libraries.

Makupula said there were a number of reasons that “many schools” did not have libraries.

“The first is that the priority for infrastructure provision is classrooms and ablution facilities.

“Provision of libraries is part of the planned norms and standards for 2023.”

This is despite scores of schools still being without proper structures, while the provincial department had to return a more than R500-million infrastructure grant to the national government.

Van Vuuren said the absence of libraries had a catastrophic impact on pupils’ development and played a huge role in the poor educational outcomes in the province.

“The poor education system that this province experiences is one of the key drivers of structural poverty that is killing our pupils’ future prospects,” Van Vuuren said.

Van Vuuren said in a rural community where a school has no electricity, sanitation or even running water, not having a school library meant no additional sources of information other than that provided by the teacher.