Question NW909 to the Minister of Basic Education

Reply:

a) The table below indicates the number of schools which did not comply with the three year target for Norms and Standards.

PROVINCE	Schools without Sanitation	Schools without electricity	Schools without Water	Inappropriate material
Eastern Cape	25	105	0	205
Free State	0	0	0	15
Gauteng	0	0	0	26
KwaZulu-Natal	0	115	0	3
Limpopo	0	0	0	0
Mpumalanga	0	0	0	0
North West	0	0	0	0
Northern Cape	0	0	0	24
Western Cape	0	0	0	0
Total	25	220	0	273

• Eastern Cape still has twenty five (25) schools without sanitation. However, these are at different stages of implementation.
• All schools have been provided with some form of electricity, either through grid connection, solar, generator or other means of electricity provision. The sector is however, continuously affected by instances of theft and vandalism of solar panels and cables, which renders schools previously provided, to be without service; and
• There is still 273 schools built entirely of inappropriate materials and the Department is in the process of soliciting additional funding to address the backlogs.

(b) (i) List of schools is attached in Annexures A and B.

(ii) (aa), (aaa), (bbb), (ccc), (ddd), and (bb)

Reasons that led to delays and hence non-compliance with the targets set in the Norms and Standards for School Infrastructure are as follows:

• Procurement: There were delays in procurement of Implementing Agents;
• Rationalisation of schools: The key challenges for not meeting the targets are that some of the schools which have been identified are earmarked for school rationalisation as they either have a small number of learners or they are small and unviable. This process has had a delaying effect on the achievement of provision of basic services. The process of rationalisation of schools, involves closing and merging of small and unviable schools;
• Capacity: another challenge is the capacity of Implementing Agents, which results in delays for completing the projects;
• Land Issues: There are challenges in resolving land related issues (example: ownership, zoning) which are delaying the implementation of scheduled projects;
• Funding: There is lack of sufficient funding and the Department is currently soliciting additional funding to address these; and
• Final Accounts: Delays in final account and projects close-out challenges, where the projects are completed but the practical completion certificates are not yet issued to the Department.