Concerns over poor school infrastructure in E Cape

The Department of Basic Education has been criticised for ongoing failures to address deteriorating infrastructure in public schools. This comes after the department presented an update on the state of school facilities to the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education in Parliament yesterday.

According to the department, 390 schools across the country have been classified as being in very poor condition. Of these, 220 are located in the Eastern Cape.

Equal Education’s Deputy Secretary-General, Itumeleng Motlhabane says the issues extend beyond sanitation.

“A lot of schools are in dilapidated classrooms that are struggling with roofs. In the Eastern Cape we’ve had disasters and there’s many schools that have come before the department looking for emergency funds,” said Motlhabane.

She adds, “That means that in these schools they can only use a particular portion of the school and they cannot use other classrooms, which result in overcrowding. The Eastern Cape has the most schools that are not fenced and so that means that security is compromised inside these schools. And lastly, we also have a big problem around water and electricity facilities.”

The department is yet to announce any new plans to urgently address the infrastructure backlog.