Question NW1211 to the Minister of Basic Education
24 June 2020 - NW1211
Van Der Walt, Ms D to ask the Minister of Basic Education
(1) What are the details of the school furniture requirements in terms of desks and chairs that (a) were supplied by her department in each province in the (i) 2019 and (ii) 2020 academic years and (b) will be supplied by her department in each province in the 2021 academic year; (2) whether school furniture is funded by her department; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details; (3) what steps has her department taken to ensure that all learners have desks and chairs that enable them to achieve the outcomes as set out in the curriculum?
Reply:
1. Reports received from the Provincial Education Departments indicate that school furniture has been planned and delivered as follows;
|
PED |
2018/2019 |
2019/2020 |
2020/2021 |
|
|||
|
Furniture |
Number of Schools |
Furniture |
Number of Schools |
Furniture |
Number of Schools |
|
|
|
EC |
220099 |
1415 |
237250 |
1415 |
56 829 |
241 |
|
|
FS |
43035 |
244 |
42560 |
185 |
82 102 |
245 |
|
|
GP |
168829 |
447 |
175260 |
763 |
414 997 |
1031 |
|
|
KZN |
48643 |
657 |
7023 |
64 |
248 129 |
1334 |
|
|
LP |
43593 |
175 |
120 |
1 |
211 640 |
1141 |
|
|
MP |
17448 |
100 |
25312 |
732 |
80 446 |
732 |
|
|
NC |
4899 |
362 |
731 |
111 |
78 437 |
459 |
|
|
NW |
27154 |
196 |
82309 |
384 |
181 097 |
544 |
|
|
WC |
184160 |
527 |
77396 |
642 |
81 182 |
645 |
|
|
Total |
757860 |
4123 |
647961 |
4297 |
6372 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
* The 3 Year School Furniture Tender in Limpopo for the 2019/20 Financial Year was advertised, Service Providers appointed but had to be cancelled and withdrawn due to legal challenges. The new 3 year tender was advertised and closed in March 2020. |
2. School furniture is not funded by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) but by the Provincial Education Department’s Equitable Share. Newly built and replacement schools’ furniture is funded through the Education Infrastructure Grant (EIG) whilst ASIDI Schools’ furniture is funded by the Schools Infrastructure Backlogs Grant (SIGB).
3. The Department of Basic Education has entered into the Memorandums of Agreements with the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) as well as the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) for the manufacture, delivery, maintenance and repair of school furniture in an effort to ensure that all learners have desks and chairs. The DEFF has just donated 54 000 wooden components of learner desks during covid19 to assist the sector to deal with school furniture backlogs. The DBE is also constantly in partnership with the private sector which saw the Embassy of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) purchasing and donating learner furniture to 12 needy schools in Gauteng province in 2019/20 financial year.
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