A young Grade 1 learner at Kliptown Primary School finds a precarious seat atop a makeshift bucket inside a classroom that tells a story of neglect.
Image: Picture: Itumeleng English/ Independent Newspapers
On this Human Rights Day, the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng reflects on the profound betrayal of the fundamental rights of the children of this province by the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE).
The South African Constitution promises everyone a right to education and human dignity. Yet in Gauteng, thousands of children languish in limbo due to late and chaotic school placement systems. Our children also have to deal with exposure to toxic asbestos classrooms, overcrowded and unfurnished classrooms, and unsafe scholar transport.
Gauteng schools are plagued with issues of crumbling infrastructure, yet empty promises persist while backlogs of R31 billion continue to fester. At Danville Secondary School in Pretoria West, Tshwane, learners share a single water tap and use mobile toilets due to missing sewage connections.
At Maxeke Secondary School in Evaton, Emfuleni, learners face daily hazards due to collapsing structures, power outages, open pit latrines, and unreliable water supply. These are but two examples of many instances where the department has failed in its primary mandate of providing a conducive learning environment for the delivery of quality education.
Inadequate vetting of scholar transport drivers and the proliferation of unroadworthy vehicles, due to enforcement gaps, have left children vulnerable before they even reach the classroom.
The DA has long criticised the GDE for failing to enforce proper checks on drivers' permits and fitness certificates to protect children from deadly crashes. Our concerns have been validated by a recent scholar transport pre-testing inspection by the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport at the Jabulani testing station in Soweto, which revealed that 94% of the tested scholar transport vehicles were non-compliant.
Compounding these challenges is the poorly conceived 64% budget cuts hitting Quintile 5 schools, and the inadequate vetting of teachers, placing our learners under the watch of individuals convicted of sexual offences.
The MEC should heed the DA's call: eradicate asbestos schools, properly resource schools, and enforce the law before more lives are lost and another year is wasted on empty promises.
Only a DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government can save the education system from the brink of collapse by building more schools, ensuring proper planning and management of finances, and enforcing laws to protect our learners. Yes, we can, and our track record speaks for itself.
Sergio Isa Does Santos MPL, DA Gauteng Education Shadow MEC