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Department of Basic Education, Minister Angie Motshekga visited various school around Ivory Park on 1 November as part of her outreach programme to engage with educators.
Through the programme, she hopes to hear what sort of problems the schools are faced with. On the day, Motshekga along with officials from the Gauteng Department of Education, visited JB Matabane Secondary School, Old Mayibuye Primary School and ended the school visits at Eqinisweni Secondary School before going to Kanana Community Hall to engage with community members.
Motshekga added that the visit was part of her programme whereby she visits schools in communities to check on the status of education and to also hear what the concerns and issues the officials and committees were faced with, but in return to also take the opportunity to update the committees about the progress of work in their sectors.
“What also prompted this visit was that a few young people whom some are part of Cosas (Congress of South African Students) Youth League came to me asking that I should visit
Eqinisweni Secondary School as they were concerned about the drugs and vandalism at the school,” Motshekga explained.
“Eqinisweni is one of our best schools on this side of Midrand, if anything happens to go wrong here it will impact the entire zone, which is a concern. When schools close we know computers and other facilities get stolen.”
During the minister’s stop in Eqinisweni, many teachers and committee members had the opportunity to engage and raise issues with her. Some of the issues highlighted were ill-discipline of learners, failing learners and overcrowding in classes.
Motsekga responded to the issue of overcrowding and said she would communicate with the province because the province is responsible for infrastructure. “They have sent the infrastructure team here and we will work with them on how we can address the challenge.”
The minister also stressed that in their administration, their current focus was primary schools. “We need to have a sense of how they are performing because I think if we can consolidate at the primary school level we won’t have some of the problems that we are having in high schools.”
Eqinisweni Secondary Schools principal, Jabulani Kunene, expressed his opinion on the minister’s visit, “The visit of the minister is very important. Remember, as people that are implementing the work on the ground, we face many challenges but we become more confident and motivated if people from the above office come and check.
Kunene concluded, “They can now hear what we are experiencing directly from us, not only hearing but also seeing what challenges we face – so that, at the end of the day when they are in their offices, they know precisely what is happening on the ground.”
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