Question NW3749 to the Minister of Basic Education
17 November 2023 - NW3749
Thembekwayo, Dr S to ask the Minister of Basic Education
Whether her department has a framework and/or programme in place to monitor the state of special needs schools in the Republic; if not, why not; if so, what (a) urgent monitoring measures has her department put in place at Ikhwezi Lokusa Special School in Mthatha, Eastern Cape, which has no access to running water, broken toilets and adequate school infrastructure and (b) time frames have been set to effect the improvements to the infrastructure of the specified school?
Reply:
Yes, the Department of Basic Education has mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating education in terms of Section 8 of the National Education Policy Act 27 of 1996;
a) In response to the situation at Ikhwezi Lokusa Special School, the Director-General has established a Task Team to conduct an investigation and provide recommendations in terms of remedial actions; and
b) the work on the infrastructure at the school is underway, although this must be understood in terms of the fact that the school is governed in terms of Section 14 of the South African Schools Act 84 of 1996.