Call on department to act on school needs
MEMBERS of parliament in the Eastern Cape provincial legislature conducted oversight visits to schools this week. Nonceba Kontsiwe, Sanele Magaqa and Nomvuzo Mlombile-Cingo visited schools in the Chris Hani District Municipality.
Committee chairwoman Nomvuzo Mlombile-Cingo said the aim was to assess not only the school readiness in terms of learning and teaching, but also to check if things were in order in terms of scholar transport, school nutrition, stationery and teacher allocation.
Ndyebo Ntsaluba Senior Secondary, a school of 451 pupils, was one of the schools visited.
School principal Mziwamadoda Mkentane listed a number of issues, including the shortage of textbooks, stationery and furniture for the teachers, saying, “We don’t have a proper school. As a result, I turned my car into an office. Other temporary schools established in the same year were replaced a long time ago. We are wasting time moving pupils around and they get mixed when they don’t belong to the same class. The situation is hostile because we don’t have ablution facilities either.”
Mlombile-Cingo said the MPs were delighted that, despite all odds, the school achieved 85.7% in the 2017 matric results and was rated as the best-performing school in Chris Hani West.
Upper Gqoqorha Senior Primary was the second school visited. MPs also found there were no toilets, fence or security guards which posed a risk and health issues.
School principal Andile Dumse said the money allocated for nutrition was not enough this year because of high food prices, but, “The main challenge is the toilets. They were built in 1968 and as a result pupils are relieving themselves outside behind the toilets and the teachers have to guard them, especially those in lower grades.”
Mlombile-Cingo acknowledged the issues facing rural schools and promised to report to the members of the executive council in Bhisho.
“We have found that in Cala RDP houses are being used as classrooms which is an embarrassment. However, we are impressed with schools such as Ndyebo Ntsaluba where they have performed very well despite all odds.
“Their structure is not good. It was built by the community and the government has not built for them in many years. We will follow up with the secretary-general and MEC so that things that can be done soon.”
Asked why the department of education had failed the schools, she replied, “We are worried because people are supposed to visit schools regularly, but they are not doing this. We can only visit schools twice a year, therefore we are not aware of everything. There is enough money but mismanagement is the problem.”
She referred to the fact that fences had been built around schools in the Chris Hani district and said they should not have been prioritised.
“Priorities are toilets and a shortage of classes. We will give feedback in July.”