Damning report on State schools
150 students are crammed into one classroom in President Jacob Zuma's home town, Nkandla
WHILE the country is fighting an uphill battle to improve basic education, about 3,500 public schools in South Africa have no electricity while 2,402 have no water supply.
This is according to a school infrastructure report published in May by the Department of Basic Education (DBE).
Out of the country's 24,793 public schools, 913 have no toilets.
These figures refer to schools that never had these facilities at all, as well as schools where infrastructure was destroyed or not properly maintained.
In KwaZulu-Natal, which along with Eastern Cape is the worst-off province when it comes to infrastructure, 150 students are crammed into one classroom in President Jacob Zuma's home town, Nkandla, while another school was forced to close its doors because of poor infrastructure.
Shoba High in Hlobane, northern KwaZulu-Natal, was forced to shut its doors because of a low admission rate due to poor facilities.
Parents said their children did not want to go to a school that was just "one room in the middle of a bush".
The school, hidden in the crops growing alongside the main road to Hlobane, was practically unknown to locals.
Spokesperson for the Department of Basic Education, Granville Whittle, said the infrastructure backlog will be addressed through the department's Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Delivery Initiative.
The initiative aims to eradicate the 395 mud schools in the country, which are all in Eastern Cape, and provide all schools with water, electricity and sanitation by 2014.
The National Treasury has allocated R700 million to the department for the 2011-2012 financial year to fund Asidi, said Whittle.
spaceboi
While he sits around the cookie jar. Same with the school near the "youth leader" with asbestos. F@ckin disgusting, They should be ashamed of themselves!!!Report Abuse
Thandile
VIVA ANC. This new democracy of us is a wonderful thing. I hope their parents vote again for the ANC in the next elections. "Together we can deliver " !!!!Report Abuse
Kef
If the was nothing broken around Zuma's home town or near Malema's home people will still complain. They will say this guys focus only on the area they live or come from in terms of service delivery. My point is people always find fault with everything. Right now he could be busy fixing ur home town instead of focusing on his.Report Abuse
PKAY
How can you prioritise something that does matter to you? this just shows the value that our government attaches to education, and that is none.Report Abuse
Princess2Adora
Dis is craze wen we had a Xhosa President evrythng was abt how bad transki was nd now our President is Zulu evrythng goes wrong in Kwa-zulu Natal!!!!!!!!!Y cnt dey jst fix things
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ApelMankotsana
@kef.Very very good point. Last week people were complaining that Julius Malema is not taking care of a school around his area. Our argument was that Malema is not the MEC for Education. Today, people are again acussing JZ of neglecting a school around his area. The problem is when politicians improve the lives of their own community, we accuse them of nepotism, when they dont, we still accuse them. So.....
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Sinudeity
ApelMankotsana / Kef - Nah, you guys are missing the point and trying to sidetrack the argument.South Africa spends hundreds of billions of rands on education. We spend more money, then the next top 3 African countries combined. Yet were still the dumbest country in Africa.
We had Jacob spend R60 million on adding a helicopter pad, and a clinic onto his premises. But the school remains one classroom.
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maditaba
@ApelMankotsana @Kef. Mmetla shapo la tlala, o betla a lebishitse gabo.Report Abuse