R50m to build new schools
Zibonele Ntuli
31 May 2004
The Department of Education will spend an estimated R50-million this financial year to build 95 new schools in a bid to eradicate the classroom backlog.
Briefing the media in Parliament, Education Minister Naledi Pandor said in 2003 there were 494 cases of schools without any classrooms, defined as "schools under the trees".
This year, however, the number had decreased to 152, 144 of which are in the Limpopo province.
"Although this is a declining phenomenon, it is important to note that rural to urban migration patterns put the education system under pressure," said Pandor.
She said the education system was under pressure due to the influx of people in an area, creating a demand for schools.
"This has required the use of innovative responses such as mobile classrooms, which are extensively used in some urban areas," she said.
She said her department would broaden the scope of the programme by targeting schools that
had inadequate facilities.
"Our records show that there are 1 781 schools in such conditions. This translates to some 12 123 classrooms that are required to accommodate 400 000 pupils," she said.
Pandor also pointed out that about R200-million is required to address the lack of proper sanitation in schools, adding that her department will work with the Water Affairs and Forestry department in dealing with the issue.
On youth and unemployment, Pandor said recent statistics indicate that up to 60 percent of the unemployed were youths between the ages of 19 and 35.
For this reason, she said the department would work to ensure adequate funding of the technical colleges and proper alignment of the courses offered with the requirements of the economy.
"Colleges need to be funded and developed in a manner that will allow them to provide both skills upgrade programmes as well as leading edge programmes that answer to the challenge of supplying the critical
scarce skills needs of South Africa."
Source: BuaNews
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