Education
With regard to his Department’s plan to deliver an additional 26 000 places in the 2023 academic year:
- What is the number of (a) new schools, (b) additional classrooms and (c) mobile classrooms that were built in (i) 2019, (ii) 2020, (iii) 2021 and (iv) 2022 to date;
- (a) how realistic is this target and (b) what measures are in place to ensure that this target is achieved;
- with regard to his engagements with construction companies to work during the December holidays to ensure the delivery of the set target, (a) which companies have been engaged and (b) what was their feedback;
- whether trade unions have been engaged to get their buy-in; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
- whether the Department will be incurring extra costs due to overtime pay; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
- whether this has been budgeted for; if so, what are the relevant details?
- My Department has informed me of the following:
(1) (a) New schools:
|
Financial Year |
Number of new schools |
|
2019/20 |
9 |
|
2020/21 |
4 |
|
2021/22 |
5 |
|
2022/23 |
15* |
*Currently in progress
- Additional classrooms (excluding new schools):
|
Financial Year |
Number of Classrooms |
|
2019/20 |
70 |
|
2020/21 |
90 |
|
2021/22 |
14 |
|
2022/23 |
302 |
- Mobile classrooms (excluding New Schools)
|
Financial Year |
Number of classrooms |
|
2019/20 |
209 |
|
2020/21 |
58 |
|
2021/22 |
170 |
|
2022/23 |
293 |
(2) (a) The number of new classrooms to be delivered vastly exceeds the delivery of classrooms in previous years and has been made possible due to an R830 million increase in the infrastructure budget in 2022/23, and greater flexibility in implementing our infrastructure programme.
We have already completed 164 classrooms planned for next year, and a further 510 are scheduled for completion by January 2023, with the final 168 by March 2023.
We have briefed the Standing Committee on Education openly on the considerable risks, such as social unrest, availability of building materials and transport, and adverse weather conditions.
(b) The Rapid School Build programme is enabled by a strengthened delivery model that improves the efficiency in land use planning and better project preparation between government departments to achieve faster development approvals. Together with the assistance of various stakeholders and focused support from municipalities we are overcoming some of challenges that we have previously faced in designing and constructing new schools. As part of a strengthened programme of delivery tracking, regular oversight and problem resolution meetings are held with (a) government stakeholders and (b) the City of Cape Town.
(3) (a) Grinaker-LTA (Pty) Ltd; H&I Civil and Building (Pty) Ltd; GVK Siya Zama Building Contractors Cape (Pty) Ltd; and WBHO Construction (Pty) Ltd.
- All four of the above companies have committed in writing to working towards meeting the delivery targets for the 2023 school year, indicating that apart from the public holidays there would be no restrictions with regard to working through the “builders holiday” i.e. the period when the business typically shuts down.
(4) Communication on the Rapid School Build programme’s approach, targets and action plans will be done as the programme proceeds via the existing bi-laterals that the Head of Department has with teacher and public service unions.
Demands for work during the year end period will not impact conditions of employment for public service or educator staff.
The terms of the framework contract outline staff rates, work hours and practices that are in line with local South African labour laws. Local contracting arrangements are subjected to oversight and scrutiny but remain the primary responsibility of the management contractors.
(5) No, the Department does not expect to field overtime costs for staff.
(6) Not applicable.
