Quality learning and teaching time have been lost at the Frikkie Meyer Primary School in Sedibeng because the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development (GDID) has once again failed to complete a project on time.
This R34 million project was meant to be completed within 12 months, but 18 months later it is nowhere near completion.
This project is running over deadline because GDID and the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) did not do a proper assessment of the scope of work that was required for the refurbishment and renovation of the Frikkie Meyer primary school.
As a result of this poor planning learners sitting in temporary classrooms are subjected to extreme heat resulting in nose bleeds in summer and extremely cold weather conditions in winter. This is posing a serious health risk for both learners and teachers.
A project that was supposed to be completed already now has several classrooms being gutted and still standing without roofs and floors because of a lack of proper assessments before the contracts were awarded.
The school hall is currently being used as a staff room, and for administration purposes, while the administration block is also not completed. A place where children should be educated and be allowed to run, and play has seen children breaking their legs because the premises is a dangerous building site.
The quality of education of this school has also been severely compromised by the building activity that has seen this school being declared an underperforming school.
It is a disgrace that the MEC for Education, Panyaza Lesufi and the MEC for Infrastructure Development, Tasneem Motara are not stepping in to address the lack of commitment from project managers to complete critical infrastructure projects on time.
It cannot be business as usual and GDID cannot continue to blame contractors when they are not on-site to make sure that building sites are safely secured with a workable project plan. The DA will demand a project plan for this school with clear time frames that can ensure a safe and desirable environment for children in this community.