Note to editors: Please find photos of the visit here and here and a video here
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is deeply disappointed at the state of schools in the province. This follows an unannounced oversight visit to illegally built schools in the province, by DA Gauteng Premier Candidate, Solly Msimanga MPL, and DA Gauteng Spokesperson on Education, Sergio Dos Santos MPL.
We undertook the visit following reports that some schools in Tshwane were built without the knowledge of, or approval of the municipality. The truth of the matter is that these schools exist outside of the law, and as such, neither parent nor learner can be assured of safety. The Department of Education do as they please, the Amandasig Secondary school’s existence is evidence of that.
While technically illegal, these schools shine the spotlight on those actually responsible for the state of schooling in the province – the Gauteng Department of Basic Education (GDoBE). From Roodepoort, to Mabopane, the reports all start the same, there are neither enough, nor sufficient access to schools.
Learners from Soshanguve, Mabopane and Winterveld make their way, on a daily basis, to container classrooms at Theresa Park High – more than 30km away. This, while the brick-and-mortar classrooms in their own areas are left to rot. How is this conducive, or productive for learner and parent alike?
More distressing, however, is that the Department of Basic Education wilfully ignore the rules they themselves set. The National Minimum Norms and Standards for Schools Infrastructure strictly outlines that:
- Schools should be built within a 3km radius of the community that they serve
- School sites will not be located immediately adjacent to cemeteries, business centers, railway stations, taxi ranks, sewage treatment plants, and hostels and next to busy roads unless adequate preventative measures are undertaken to ensure the safety of the learners. The location of the schools should ensure easy accessibility to roads, sewage lines, basic services etc.
Today, we saw schools being built on land zoned for agriculture. This does not comply with the standards they set for themselves, the bylaws of the municipality, or the expectation we have of the GDoBE.
The situation at hand is as follows, parents pay more money for scholar transport, government spends millions on the very same transport, and learners are unable to attend the schools the very same taxis drive by daily. How does that make sense?
We will be requesting an urgent investigation into the state of schools in the province, if the rate at which we lose students in the schooling system was not enough, the question as to who is benefitting most from these lucrative contracts will be.