Pretoria – Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga says eradicating mud schools and unsafe structures is one of many ways in which government strives to restore human dignity.
Speaking at the official opening of a new school, Nobantu Primary School in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape on Wednesday, Motshekga said government was delivering sanitation and water facilities to schools that had never benefitted from these amenities.
“We will build an additional 200 schools, provide water to 873 and sanitation to 448 schools.
“Above this, we are working hard to provide electricity to 369 schools, meaning that your children will work on computers and connect with other children, anywhere in the world,” Motshekga said.
She said this rate of development, driven by a government at work with the people to build a better life for all, helped to rebuild people’s respect and dignity after centuries of deprivation.
The school forms part of the first batch of 49 mud schools identified and planned for replacement through a Service Delivery Agreement with the Development Bank Southern Africa (DBSA), as part of the Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Development Initiative (ASIDI).
ASIDI aims to eradicate all mud schools and inappropriate structures, as well as refurbish dilapidated and ill equipped schools.
According to Motshekga, government have spent over R800 million on the programme, building and improving schools, and have committed R5.1 billion worth of work in contracts.
“We are working to eradicate mud schools entirely by the end of 2015/16,” she said.
According to the ASIDI National Outputs Plan 2011-2014, there will be an eradication and replacement of 496 mud schools, provision of water and sanitation to 1 257 schools and electricity to 878 schools.
To date, the department has completed 19 schools in the Eastern Cape.
“We’re making rapid progress towards the completion of other schools earlier delayed for several reasons,” Motshekga said. – SAnews.gov.za
