The Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, is today expected to provide an update on the progress made by the department in providing school infrastructure. Motshekga is expected to outline plans to deal with the lack of proper sanitation and overcrowding of classrooms, among others.
According to the Northern Cape Education spokesperson, Geoffrey van der Merwe, a lot of attention needs to be paid to infrastructural needs at schools to ensure progressive learning. Van der Merwe alludes that more infrastructural developments are needed at special schools. He says the Northern Cape is currently running a couple of schools’ infrastructural programmes and hopes the minister’s plans will make a great contribution.
“The provision of school infrastructure remains a key priority for the achievement of the provincial basic education objectives” said Van der Merwe. He says the construction of three schools in the province has thus far been concluded at a cost of R224 million.
“Two new hostel schools will open during the current financial year in the John Taolo Gaetswe District Municipality. The planning of five other schools has been concluded. This is a further investment of over R332 million for the 2016/17 medium term expenditure budget” he said.
Van der Merwe mentions all Northern Cape schools thus far have access to basic services for the delivery of quality education. He says the department is currently working on upgrading infrastructural development at schools. A total of 49 schools in the province will be upgraded in the 2016/17 financial year. A number of 43 schools are currently receiving water provided by boreholes.
Katleho Morapela/ Courant News
