All schools fully supplied soon, Masualle promises
Every school in the Eastern Cape will have received stationery, school furniture and sufficient teachers by January 20, premier Phumulo Masualle promised on Tuesday.
Every year the province is faced with the same problems of schools complaining about staff shortages or not receiving the ordered stationery before schools open – as should be the case.
But Masualle, who was briefing the media on the readiness of schools in the province for the 2019 academic year, said on Tuesday that the shortfalls would be a thing of the past.
The premier also said alternative arrangements would be made for pupils at 26 schools in the OR Tambo district that were damaged by a tornado in December.
The tornado ripped open roofs, demolished buildings and caused severe damage to the schools’ infrastructure.
For the first time in seven years, the Eastern Cape – traditionally the laggard province – came eighth nationally with a 70.6% matric pass rate, leaving Limpopo bottom of the class.
Masualle told journalists it was all systems go for most schools, with the exception “of a few which should also be attended [to] between now and January 20”.
He said some schools had not yet received their support material.
Promising to attend to the matter, Masualle said schools without stationery, desks and adequate numbers of teachers would be dealt with before month-end.
In 2018, basic education minister Angie Motshekga singled out the Eastern Cape for lagging behind in providing suitable school infrastructure.
She said the Eastern Cape had 25 schools without proper sanitation, while every other province had managed to tackle this issue.
Admitting to a backlog in infrastructure at schools, Masualle said that it did not determine performance.
“This preoccupation with adequacy of infrastructure – there is no necessary correlation between that and performance, so as much as we need that infrastructure it is not a substitute or a determinant for performance.”