Promises of more schools in the far-outlying rural villages of Ga-Segonyana by 2025, look like another pipedream given the provincial government’s failure to act on its so-called priority areas.
This was confirmed during an oversight inspection to the construction site of Magojaneng Primary School last week, accompanied by local DA councillor, Koketso Paul.
According to the Education Department’s Annual Performance Plan for 2023/2024, the total project cost for the construction of Magojaneng Primary School is R85.654 million. The project further has a start date of 15 January 2023 with an expected completion date scheduled for 8 July 2024.
Construction, however, ground to a halt four months ago. Half-built structures that have already cost government millions of rands, are being left to the mercy of the elements. This is a shame, as more learning facilities are desperately needed in the John Taole Gaetsewe district, where an influx in learning numbers was previously reported.
Government funded learner transport is also not available for learners in Magojaneng, who need to attend schools in surrounding villages. Struggling parents, who cannot keep up with taxi fares, despair for their children’s education, as it is increasingly evident that the school will not be operational any time soon.
According to a recent announcement by a local ANC councillor, the project has come to a standstill due to non-payment of the contractor. Similar scenarios have occurred at the construction sites of the schools in Bankhara and Promise Land.
Further delays may necessitate an extension of the building contract or even the hiring of a new contractor to complete the schools. It may also necessitate the replacement of certain building materials, with ever-rising building inflation also giving rise to additional costs.
The Auditor-General previously found that while the programme responsible for Infrastructure Development at the department of Education spent 102% of its budget, they only completed 20% of their targets. In addition, only 28 out of a targeted 69 scheduled maintenance projects at schools were completed, which shows that poor infrastructure management deprives children of the best educational environment across the province.
If this is how provincial government treats projects that have been identified as priorities for the district development model, then it is clear that the ANC-government is not serious about education or even its own projects.
The DA will follow up with the departments of education and roads and public works on the fate of the schools.
Children from all corners of the Northern Cape deserve access to a quality education. This will only be realized with a vote for a DA-anchored government in 2024.