10 February 2006
The departments of Transport and Education in the North West have been
engaged in a programme of building 26 new schools in the past year, which has
resulted in the completion of 13 and an envisaged completion of the remaining
13 in July this year.
According to Premier Edna Molewa, another 26 new schools and eight
extensions will commence in the next financial year from the 69 schools and 199
extensions needed. She was speaking at the opening of the Provincial
Legislature delivering her State of the Province Address, where she said out of
418 schools needing new toilets, 90 had been provided for and that out the 731
schools needing renovations, 44 projects would be completed by March this
year.
"In addressing the 25% and 35% backlog on infrastructure provisioning and
maintenance, 20 new schools and 10 extensions to the existing schools would all
have been completed by July 2006," she said.
Premier Molewa added that 11 schools were merged to establish the Moedwill
Comprehensive School which is similar to the Onkgopotse Tiro Comprehensive
School. The school caters for farm workers children, and that plans were afoot
to introduce a mode of transport for children in these schools.
On the implementation of Early Childhood Development (ECD), a comprehensive
plan to integrate the ECD into the public schools programme had been developed.
The focus is in the incorporation of Grade R into public primary schools and
the expansion of the outreach of integrated ECD services.
"A transfer payment has been made to 340 Early Childhood Development
practitioners," said MEC.
Enquiries:
Cornelius Monama
Spokesperson
Tell: (018) 387 3456
Cell: 082 578 4063
Issued by: Office of the Premier, North West Provincial Government
10 February 2006
