Construction of new schools in Polokwane prioritised
The next financial year starts on April 1, and an undisclosed budget has already been allocated to the department, by the national department of Basic Education, to commence with infrastructure development.
POLOKWANE – The Department of Education has confirmed that the construction of more schools in the city has been prioritised for the 2023/24 financial year.
Last Thursday, Education MEC Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya and Polokwane Mayor John Mpe held an enclosed meeting to discuss the possibility to increase the number of schools in the city to meet the ratio of a growing population.
Read more: Frustration grows as learners in city still await placement at schools
Departmental media liaison officer, Mike Maringa confirmed that the meeting was held to relay their plans for the 2023/24 financial year, so that the municipality prepares adequately the provision of water, electricity, road infrastructure and other related logistics.
Maringa could not confirm the number of schools expected to be built or their geographic locations, as it would be formally announced during the State of the Province Address by Premier Chupu Mathabatha within the coming weeks.
The next financial year starts on April 1, and an undisclosed budget has already been allocated to the department, by the national department of Basic Education, to commence with infrastructure development.
Meanwhile, during a media briefing held by Mpe over the state of water provision in the city, a day before his meeting with Lerule-Ramakhanya; he related his wish to Polokwane Observer about increasing the number of schools by at least two.
“We previously announced that we wished to assist in the facilitation of more schools. We are designated to discuss land use, planning, budget timeously for water and electricity services among others are well adjusted,” he said.
The department has been in the spotlight since January 10 as learners await space in local schools – mainly because of feeder zone issues.
A feeder zone is the area from which a school accepts its core intake. Some parents even took to the streets to express their dissatisfaction over the non-placement of learners, saying they had a right to take their children to a school which they saw fit.
This, after the department communicated that the only available schools where their children could still be placed were Westenburg Secondary School and Good Hope Primary School.
Even so, the city’s public schools have made it apparent that classes are overpopulated, placing pressure on the department to prioritise infrastructure development.
