The Limpopo education department will need R2-billion to build nearly 41000 toilets at schools across the province.
Yesterday, education MEC Ishmael Kgetjepe and Premier Stan Mathabatha, including MECs from various departments, attended a feedback session detailing findings made during oversight visits by the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) last week.
The NCOP delegation produced a draft report which contained their observations and findings at various schools and hospitals in the province. Issues raised in the report included infrastructure problems, the merging of smaller schools, and sanitation. However, a separate document handed out during the session reflected startling figures, including that the department had a sanitation backlog of over 40000 toilets at 3100 schools in the province.
In some instances, schools needed additional toilets while others only had pit latrines. The document, which was apparently drafted after a meeting between the department and an NCOP delegation in Polokwane recently, also shows that six schools either lacked toilets completely or had to use facilities outside the school yard.
About 45 schools were also said to be either without adequate water or had to buy water, while 16 schools lacked electricity. In his response to the NCOP report, Kgetjepe said the department was faced with a massive infrastructure backlog which will not be resolved by the end of the current financial year.
Kgetjepe said some projects were left lingering after they were halted during the period when the provincial government was under administration. He, however, insisted that they were now in a position to resume with the projects.
Security at schools was also among issues highlighted as it was found that some schools had been targeted by criminals.
Kgetjepe said the fact that there were now computers and food on school grounds had contributed to an increase in the number of burglaries, adding that the department could not afford to hire security guards for every school.
He said the province needed to move swiftly in merging smaller schools to manage the distribution of resources. He also said the provincial department was forced to unnecessarily pay for more principals because some communities were against the merging of schools based on sentimental reasons.
Provincial treasury MEC Rob Tooley said the cost of managing education in Limpopo was higher than, for example, Gauteng, although they were getting the same budget. "We require more funding for our schools to perform," Tooley said.
mahopoz@sowetan.co.za
R2bn needed for school toilets
The Limpopo education department will need R2-billion to build nearly 41000 toilets at schools across the province.
Yesterday, education MEC Ishmael Kgetjepe and Premier Stan Mathabatha, including MECs from various departments, attended a feedback session detailing findings made during oversight visits by the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) last week.
The NCOP delegation produced a draft report which contained their observations and findings at various schools and hospitals in the province. Issues raised in the report included infrastructure problems, the merging of smaller schools, and sanitation. However, a separate document handed out during the session reflected startling figures, including that the department had a sanitation backlog of over 40000 toilets at 3100 schools in the province.
In some instances, schools needed additional toilets while others only had pit latrines. The document, which was apparently drafted after a meeting between the department and an NCOP delegation in Polokwane recently, also shows that six schools either lacked toilets completely or had to use facilities outside the school yard.
About 45 schools were also said to be either without adequate water or had to buy water, while 16 schools lacked electricity. In his response to the NCOP report, Kgetjepe said the department was faced with a massive infrastructure backlog which will not be resolved by the end of the current financial year.
Kgetjepe said some projects were left lingering after they were halted during the period when the provincial government was under administration. He, however, insisted that they were now in a position to resume with the projects.
Security at schools was also among issues highlighted as it was found that some schools had been targeted by criminals.
Kgetjepe said the fact that there were now computers and food on school grounds had contributed to an increase in the number of burglaries, adding that the department could not afford to hire security guards for every school.
He said the province needed to move swiftly in merging smaller schools to manage the distribution of resources. He also said the provincial department was forced to unnecessarily pay for more principals because some communities were against the merging of schools based on sentimental reasons.
Provincial treasury MEC Rob Tooley said the cost of managing education in Limpopo was higher than, for example, Gauteng, although they were getting the same budget. "We require more funding for our schools to perform," Tooley said.
mahopoz@sowetan.co.za
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