North West Legislature Education Committee happy with the engagement it had with the Department regarding Mphe- Bana Secondary
The North West Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Education and Sports Development, Arts, Culture and Traditional affairs is happy about the commitment the department has made to the committee about addressing challenges at Mphe -Bana Secondary in Koster.
This came after the Committee held a meeting with the department to account on the challenges found during the Committee school visits across the province. The Committee found challenges ranging from overcrowding, shortage of furniture for learners, dysfunctional toilets at Mphe-Bana Secondary School.
Mphe-Bana Secondary is a no-fee secondary school which was initially planned to accommodate 650 learners but currently, the learner enrolment is at 1690 with fourty-eight (48) educators with three (3) vacancies for two (2) deputy principals and one (1) head of department. Learners are ranging from 78 – 133 per class. The school had a shortage of 509 desks and 442 chairs. It also needed 8 mobile classes to accommodate the number of leaners that are in excess.
According to the MEC for the department, Wendy Matsemela, the department has delivered some desks and chairs so far, the rest will be delivered on Friday 5 February 2016. “In the current financial year, the department is building a primary school in Reagile and plans to erect a mobile secondary school in the coming financial year to avert overcrowding challenges in both the secondary and two primary schools in the township. “The department has engaged Koster Combined School to accommodate some of the Grade 10 learners who are mostly affected,” said MEC Matsemela.
Chairperson of the Committee, Hon. Boitumelo Moiloa said the Committee will monitor the department’s commitment to assist the affected schools including Mphe-Bana Secondary.
“The Committee will check whether the rest of the furniture and the mobile classes will be delivered on Friday 05 February as promised by the department at Mphe-Bana Secondary. We will also closely monitor whether other schools in the province are also assisted accordingly. Constitutional imperatives should be adhered to and learners should never be made to suffer in the hands of the department.
“We should have a common approach as the society to solve these challenges,” said Hon. Moiloa.
The Chairperson was not happy that they (the department) could not deliver everything on Monday 1 February 2016 but understood the procurement process took longer than expected.
"However when we go to that school on Monday 8 February 2016, we expect to see all learners seated in their desks and chairs and mobile classes delivered," said Hon. Moiloa.
Enquiries:
Ms Namhla Luhabe
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