POLOKWANE – The MEC for Education, Ishmael Kgetjepe, said infrastructure at schools is an enabler to teaching and learning and should never be undermined and neglected.
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“Issues relating to libraries and laboratories are also critical in this aspect,” he said, adding the demand for school infrastructure across the province is well documented as per the norms and standards for school infrastructure.
“This is a matter we address every financial year to ensure quality education at our schools. The reality is it is impossible to satisfy all the infrastructure demands placed on the education system in one financial year but we are happy since the 2014/15 financial year, the department has spent every cent allocated for school infrastructure.”
Kgetjepe said in the last financial year, the department targeted 247 schools with the provision of sanitation facilities.
Projects at 213 schools have already reached practical completion stage and have been handed over to the schools for use by both teachers and learners alike. The remaining 34 schools are nearing completion and will be handed over to schools before the end of June 2018.
“All in all, by the time all the 247 projects will have been completed, we shall have provided learners and teachers with 3 138 toilet seats benefitting approximately 33 000 learners. We have also provided water to 62 schools and the delay in other schools, especially in Mopani, is attributed to drought in various parts of the province, where the water table has significantly dropped. We hope to have completed these projects by the end of July, benefitting an average of 88 000 learners across the province. In addition, more than 221 classrooms have been built, including 10 multi-purpose classrooms and five laboratories,” Kgetjepe said.
During the 2017/18 financial year, the Education Infrastructure Grant (EIG) made available R810,5 million. This was increased during the adjustment budget to R852,3 million with rollovers from the previous financial year. With many of the infrastructure programme running at full steam, the infrastructure delivery programme experienced extreme budgetary pressures, with 96% of the budget spent by the end of the third quarter.
“This had an adverse effect on the implementing agents and their contractors as implementation had to be slowed down in order to prevent over-expenditure of the budget. We are thankful for Treasury who made an additional R150 million available for the department’s capital projects during the second adjustment budget. An additional R106 million made available through the equitable share has alleviated some of the budgetary pressures for infrastructure delivery,” Kgetjepe said.
He added he was happy the EIG budget allocation to the department has been increased to R1,013 billion this financial year.
The department is implementing the delivery of infrastructure mainly through its implementing agents, which are the Department of Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure (LDPWR&I) and its implementing agent the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), the Independent Development Trust (IDT), the Mvula Trust, the Limpopo Economic Development Agency (Leda) and the Council for Science and Industrial Research (CSIR) who assist the department with future planning and with keeping the condition assessment of education facilities up to date.
“Although the increased capacity within the infrastructure unit resulted in improved service delivery, a large vacancy rate remains. This resulted in continued compliance challenges with regard to financial and project management.”
The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has assisted the department with the recruitment process, with more than 25 infrastructure posts advertised in February 2018. This includes the posts of the Chief Director: Physical Resources as well as the post for Technical Advisor. Along with the placement process currently underway, the department is confident the human resource capacity within the infrastructure unit will have increased significantly by the end of the 2018/19 financial year.
