Close to 60 schools across North West have poor infrastructure, says the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).
Osmond Mngomezulu, the commission’s office manager in the province, said even though it initially received complaints about six schools, its scope was widened when it identified more schools during their assessment.
He said complaints raised included allegations of deteriorating buildings, cracked walls, cracked floors, broken windows, falling ceilings, exposed electrical wires, a shortage of classrooms, overcrowding, asbestos roofing and structures, as well as a lack of access to sufficient water and basic sanitation.
“Learners in those schools with damaged roofing do not attend classes when it rains. Some schools such as Setshwarapelo Primary School in Mokgareng village, Taung, were closed due to infrastructure challenges resulting in learners being transferred to another school pending the delivery of mobile classrooms. We have discovered that some schools have overcrowding and that negatively impacts teaching and learning. Teachers are unable to perform their duties diligently and respond to the individual needs of learners.
“We had consultative engagements with the National Association of School Governing Bodies and Naptosa, which is a teachers’ labour union, where it presented additional schools including those in Madibeng that still use pit latrines,” he said.
The commission summoned the North West department of education to appear before it on March 24.
Department spokesperson Elias Malindi said: “The department outlined how it is going to address issues raised in short- and long-term periods.”
DA MPL Freddy Sonakile, said he escalated the matter to the commission after the department failed to address his concerns. “In 2020, one of our MPLs, Gavin Edwards, did the same after conducting an oversight [visit] at the Promosa Secondary School in Potchefstroom. We followed the same route with Boitumelo Primary School in Bethel, which still has an asbestos building.”
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