KwaZulu-Natal Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka. | Supplied
Durban — Various organisations in KwaZulu-Natal have called on the Department of Basic Education to address key issues ahead of the National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams which begin in less than two weeks.
This was after the Democratic Alliance (DA) raised serious concerns over the readiness of several schools in KwaZulu-Natal ahead of the upcoming matric exams, which are set to begin in two weeks.
In a statement released by the party, a recent inspection by the DA’s State of Readiness Tour (SORT) uncovered shocking conditions at some of the province’s worst-performing schools, particularly in the uMlazi District.
Sakhile Mngadi, MPL and DA KZN spokesperson on education said some schools face significant challenges that threaten student success.
The inspections included Witteklip Secondary School, which only achieved a 47% pass rate last year. The DA delegation discovered that a lack of parental involvement was a major factor.
In one case, only two parents attended a meeting out of 138 matric students and Chatsworth Secondary School, which has a 55% NSC pass rate, also featured prominently in the DA’s findings.
Despite a R3.5 million renovation in 2017, the school has been plagued by theft and vandalism from local gangs. Mngadi said the situation has deteriorated to the point where large parts of the school, including classrooms, were unusable due to a lack of electricity and severe damage. Only 7% of learners are paying their school fees, contributing to the ongoing crisis.
Secretary General of Congress of South African Students (Cosas), Unesongo Matikinca said the organisation had various school visits around the entire country and as such has been able to identify the challenges mentioned in Mngadi’s media statement. He said these were critical challenges that needed the quickest and swift intervention from the education department.
The department needs to have a properly administered program of employment of teachers at schools and that employment of teachers needs to be carefully guided by departmental heads who can account on behalf of each school and on the employment policy of schools in the country, Matikinca said.
“We have said that there needs to be a better system of funding schools, the sending of bulky amounts of money to schools haphazardly has to stop. Instead, the department must employ financial services workers at each school who will allocate funds to schools according to the prerequisites of the Department and taking into consideration what the funds are for, who needs them and what is the capacity of such people who need such funds.
“Misallocation of funds will not end by just a move of the lips, there needs to be immediate action and correct administrative action to put a complete end to corruption at schools,” Matikinca said.
He further said it has however seemed too much a flaw to the organisation that the DA identified these problems and in its power as a member of the government “will want to address them at a micro level as a way to shine the light on its short-term and unworthy ideas supposedly intended to save the majority of pupils under the Basic Department of Education.”
Vee Gani of KZN Parents’ Association said failing infrastructure and budget cuts were contributing factors to the slow decline in good results.
He added at Chatsworth High, for example, there are three informal settlements surrounding the school and that could contribute to high levels of vandalism, and lack of electricity when wiring and pipes are stolen.
“How does one expect to get good results if the environment is not conducive to learning? Parents are unemployed and school fees are not available to maintain or pay staff. Also, the government needs to hire the right personnel. Parents need to play their part and get involved and protect their schools. The government is duty bound to protect their property and provide a safe environment for pupils and teachers to be safe,” Gani said.
KZN Education spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi said MEC Sipho Hlomuka will hold a state of readiness media briefing on Wednesday to answer these questions.
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