Basic Education Committee urges province to act
The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education has called on the Eastern Cape Department of Education to fix issues which require urgent attention in some rural districts.
The call comes after a week-long oversight visit to the province to inspect the state of school readiness in “worst-performing” districts of Qumbu and Sterkspruit. The Chairperson of the Committee Ms Hope Malgas said the province should not wait for a report on the recently concluded oversight visit but ensure all schools had books, stationery, and learner support materials.
“The province needs to urgently provide scholar transport for those deserving learners who still walked more than 5km to school. The government policy is that learners attending schools beyond a 5km radius ought to be provided with scholar transport,” Ms Malgas said.
She added: “Much emphasis ought to be given to the kind of support provided to schools teaching gateway subjects. But also the moratorium on employing temporary Maths educators produced by Fundza Lushaka should be lifted.”
Education MEC Mandla Makuphula indicated to the Committee that employment of temporary teachers in the province had been put on hold until the process of moving additional educators was complete.
The Committee was informed that Maths learners did not have scientific calculators. Members pleaded with national (department of basic education) officials who accompanied the Committee that the issues be noted and reported on within ten days, and that adequate support is given to maths learners.
Ms Malgas said although infrastructure was acceptable in some Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Delivery Initiative (ASIDI) schools, most schools in the districts still faced challenges related to sanitation, drinking water, functional computer and science laboratories.
“The national department has a responsibility to ensure that learners in the province receive education in conditions that are conducive to learning,” Ms Malgas said. She acknowledged that despite all the challenges some progress was being made in the province. “The department dare not fail the children of the Eastern Cape, lest history judge the officials harshly,” she said. The Committee will finalise its report on the oversight visit in the next few days.
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact:
Sibongile Maputi, Parliamentary Communication Services
Cell: 079 082 2732
Tel: 021 403 8041
E-mail: smaputi@parliament.gov.za
