15 May 2007
North West Public Works MEC, Howard Yawa, says the provincial government is
determined to reduce the classroom backlog, eradicate the "learner under trees"
phenomenon and the platooning system in schools across the province. MEC Yawa
was speaking at an event to officially hand-over the R7,8 million newly-built
Greenspark Primary School to the provincial MEC for Education Johannes
Tselapedi for official opening earlier today, 15 May 2007, in Greenspark
Township outside Fochville in Merafong.
The new school building brings much relief to the learners who have been
attending their classes in makeshift classrooms since the establishment of the
school, 20 years ago. It boasts 12 classrooms, two blocks of toilets, an
administration block, special function room, three Head of Department's offices
and a special room.
MEC Yawa said since 2005 his department had managed to complete 12 schools
under its school building programme on behalf of the education department. He
said the department was currently engaged in the construction of seven schools
while the construction of a further five schools were approaching the final
stages of planning and design. He added that the department would be going on
tender for three other schools before the end of the month (May) for execution
in the 2007/08 financial year.
"Surely this is a cause for celebration for the government, the parents, the
teachers, the learners, the community and the people of Merafong as a whole,"
said the MEC. In his acceptance address, MEC Tselapedi said the provincial
government was humbled by the fact that the Greenspark community had waited for
two decades to get a proper school building. "It is not correct that fellow
South Africans should suffer for so long when education is a right and not a
privilege," MEC Tselapedi said.
Meanwhile, the construction of the school did not only bring relief to the
learners but also created 84 temporary jobs for the local people, of whom 32
were youth while 10 were women.
Further information, contact:
Lesiba Moses Kgwele
Departmental spokesperson
Tel: (018) 387 2447
Cell: 083 629 1987
Issued by: Department of Public Works, North West Provincial
Government
15 May 2007
