Education
- (a) How many school buildings are there in the province and (b) how many (i) junior primary, (ii) primary and (ii) secondary (or high) schools are operating in the province;
- (a) how many of school buildings are not currently operating as schools and/or are vacant, (b) where are these closed or vacant school buildings, (c) how many schools have been declared unsafe or in need of repairs and (d) where are these schools?
(1) (a) According to the Department’s User-Asset Management Plan (U-AMP document, 2012022) there are 1 544 schools in the Province inclusive of 14 miscellaneous facilities such as Art and Music centres, 72 Special Schools, 1 450 Public Ordinary Schools and 8 state-owned ECD centres.
(b) (i) The WCED does not have a school type “junior primary”. Preparatory schools are included in primary school numbers;
(ii) The WCED has 1 067 primary schools (Public Ordinary, including intermediate schools) operating (open) as at 5 March 2021; and
(iii) The WCED has 382 secondary schools (Public Ordinary, including combined schools) operating (open) as at 5 March 2021.
(2) (a) and (b)
We do not have vacant school buildings. If a school closes, the property is handed back to the Department of Transport and Public Works as it is the custodian of the provincial assets.
(c) and (d)
Of the 1522 schools in the Province, many schools have maintenance backlogs and need urgent repairs to critical infrastructure components such as roofs, electrical, plumbing and structural. There are also 78 schools constructed of materials that have been declared inappropriate in terms of the national Norms and Standards regulations. 22 of these schools are in need of repair but have not been declared unsafe.
Any emergency repairs required at these schools is attended to urgently to avoid deterioration and failure of infrastructure.
