Earlier this year, I announced a bold new plan to address our school infrastructure backlogs in the province.
This plan seeks to provide suitable school accommodation for all the children of the Western Cape in as cost effective way as possible. The provision of appropriate school infrastructure is an essential element in providing quality education to all the learners of the Western Cape.
Over the current medium term expenditure framework (MTEF), the Western Cape Education Department will build 25 new schools, replace 20 schools that are built with inappropriate materials or severe disrepair, build over 300 new classrooms and over 100 grade R classrooms, as well as, install additional mobile classrooms at schools where overcrowding is most severe.
Any savings made during the rollout of this programme, in the construction phase, will be channelled back into the infrastructure plan.
This would help ensure that, wherever possible, we can exceed the targets we have set. In September 2011 we will announce further details of more schools that will benefit in the next phase of the infrastructure plan.
In addition to current overcrowding and future growth patterns, the Western Cape Education Department considered a number of influences on its infrastructure provision. This included migration patterns from rural areas and across the province, the Western Cape Department of Education's norms and standards for infrastructure, changes in building methodologies and technologies, development of housing and other infrastructure and existing and planned learner transport schemes, lease agreements and hostel accommodation.
In developing the final plan, the Western Cape Education Department considered five construction options. These options included; building new classrooms at schools to alleviate learner growth and overcrowding, building new schools where needed, replacing inappropriate classrooms and schools that are made from inappropriate materials and finally, looking at maintenance and repair.
After extensive consultation with Public Works, analysis and review, I am pleased to announce the final details of that plan.
New schools
There are six schools in the province that are currently under construction and aimed for completion in the 2010/11 period.
These schools are:
- Tafelberg Elsen
- Bongolethu Primary School
- Cloetesville Primary School
- Wallacedene Secondary School
- Bardale High School
- Klapmuts Primary
In the current MTEF, the Western Cape Education Department has budgeted for the building of 25 new schools in the province. Seven schools are in the beginning stages of construction for completion in 2012.
These include:
- Blue Downs Primary School
- Delft N2 Gateway Secondary School, one
- Delft N2 Gateway Secondary School, two
- Delft N2 Gateway Primary School, one
- Delft N2 Gateway Primary School, two
- Westlake Primary School
- Wallacedene Primary School
An additional thirteen schools have been identified for completion in 2012. Land has already been identified at each of these schools and we have asked Public Works to begin the necessary planning procedures.
These schools include:
- Citrusdal High School
- Khayelitsha High School
- Wellington Primary School
- Parklands High School
- Melkbosstrand High School\
- Khanya Primary School
- Heidevallei Primary School
- Naphakade High School
- Northpine High School
- Fisantekraal High School
- Barclay House in Claremont
- Hout Bay Primary School
- Grabouw High School
The department is still negotiating the securing of six additional sites for schools. The names and areas will be announced once this process is finalised. This will include two primary schools and four high schools.
Replacement schools
Over the current MTEF, the Western Cape Education Department will replace 20 schools that are built with inappropriate materials or are in severe disrepair.
We will be specifically targeting poorer communities who, as a result of historical neglect, often have had to contend with schools that are in a poor condition. Some of the schools already have brick and mortar structures on their premises, therefore; only a partial replacement of four to 15 classrooms needs to take place. Other schools will require more work, with between 16 to 36 classrooms being replaced.
In determining these schools, the Western Cape Education Department considered the size of the schools as well as the age of the structures. There are ten schools that we have identified where work will begin immediately.
These schools are:
- Lukhanyo Primary School (Overberg)
- MM Mateza Primary School (Eden)
- Karitas School (west coast)
- Thembalethu (Eden)
- Stawelklip Primary School (west coast)
- Cloetesville Primary School (Cape Winelands)
- Bongolethu Primary School (south)
- Zwelihile Primary School (Overberg)
- Nomzano Primary School (east)
- Klapmuts Primary School (Winelands)
We will be monitoring their progress in the coming months.
Additional classrooms at existing schools
The WCED will build approximately 322 new classrooms at schools in the province. This initiative will serve two purposes: firstly; to alleviate overcrowding in the critical foundation phase of schooling (grades one to three) and secondly; to expand access to schools with good capacity.
Eighty two schools will benefit from the first element of the plan. The indentified schools will receive between one and three classrooms. The
82 schools have been selected based on the number of classrooms at the school, weighed against the learner-teacher ratio.
The second aspect of the classroom expansion plan is entirely voluntary and will be done in negotiation with school governing bodies (SGBs). Once implemented, a number of our schools will no longer have to turn away, as they currently do, 100s of learners due to lack of space to accommodate them.
This is an excellent example of a partnership between the department and our schools to fulfil our mutual objectives of giving a safe and secure learning environment for all our learners. It has also offset some of the need to build new schools.
Additional mobile classrooms:
The issue of overcrowding at some of our provinces schools is a reality. An effective and immediate approach to alleviate overcrowding at our schools is to install mobile classrooms.
Our audit reveals that there is a need to strategically allocate 124 additional mobile classrooms at our schools to ensure short-term relief from overcrowding.
Single mobile units have already been delivered to 76 of our schools. These units were put in place during the Easter school holidays. Schools that require more than one mobile unit will receive their allocation by the end of the second term.
Maintenance and repair:
We do also recognise that some of our schools are in desperate need of maintenance, be it leaking roofs or proper sanitation and we will therefore spend over R330 million on maintenance in the next three years.
Conclusion:
This is ambitious and comprehensive plan. We have used careful analysis and research to determine where new schools are most needed, where infrastructure is at its oldest and in need of replacement, and where overcrowding is at its most severe.
The plan provides for a number of short and long term interventions. Once successfully implemented, it will help alleviate school overcrowding and improve the overall state of our school infrastructure across the province, thus contributing to improving the quality of education in this province.
Media enquiries:
Bronagh Casey
Cell: 072 7241 422
Tel: 021 467 2377
