Scholar Transport must be returned to Education Department
December 11th, 2019
The Eastern Cape Scholar Transport programme should be removed from the Department of Transport and placed back under the Department of Education as a matter of urgency. The Transport portfolio committee report tabled last week revealed that the Department had failed to account for R55.5 million for Scholar Transport, as there were inadequate supporting documents to substantiate the expenses incurred. It cannot be that millions of rands go unspent, while …
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Unemployed youth could help overburdened teachers
December 6th, 2019 Unemployed youth, that are appropriately qualified in Maths, Science and Languages could assist with a tutoring programme in the Eastern Cape, along the same lines as in the Western Cape. These tutors would provide much needed assistance by helping schools battling with teacher shortages and overcrowded classrooms. These youths could provide valuable additional tutorage to learners in the Eastern Cape, thus improving on overall learner performance and reducing drop outs. …
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Criminal elements in Education Department must be rooted out
December 5th, 2019 The Democratic Alliance welcomes the precautionary suspension of the Education Department’s Chief Financial Officer, Jason O’Hara, following allegations of administrative misconduct. However, the Education Portfolio Committee can no longer be kept in the dark on this matter. O’Hara’s suspension follows the arrest of an Education Official last week, who is alleged to have stolen money from the School Nutrition Programme. The DA understands that the suspension is by no means …
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Education Department continues to mislead Legislature with impunity
November 7th, 2019 The Education Department seems intent on misleading the Legislature and avoid being held to account, by submitting blatant untruths in response to parliamentary questions. Today it has become apparent that the Department has once again submitted untruths to the House. Earlier this year I was contacted by a disgruntled parent pleading for assistance in obtaining her son’s National Senior Certificate (NSC) which has been outstanding since he wrote his NSC …
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Education Department infrastructure backlog is failing Eastern Cape Learners
November 4th, 2019
The Department of Education is clearly failing to address infrastructure backlogs and in so doing, is failing to provide learners with conducive places of learning. This was blatantly apparent during an oversight conducted at the Lutateni Senior Secondary school, in the Alfred Nzo municipality, which I visited last week along with constituency leader, Baxolile Nodada, MP. The school, which was established by the community in 1987, has severe infrastructure challenges, …
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Education MEC misleads parliament about Grade R learners’ plight
October 31st, 2019 Grade R learners at the Sonwabile Primary school in Ncera Village, in the Buffalo City Metro, have been denied their right to education for an entire term, because the department failed to repair the roof of their classroom. However, when questioned about this through a parliamentary question, Education MEC, Fundile Gade, denied that this was the case, saying no classes had been missed. Today, 31 October 2019, I, together with …
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Eastern Cape had R2,1bllion in outstanding invoices in 2018/19
October 25th, 2019 The Eastern Cape was the second worst preforming province in terms of outstanding invoices older than 30 days in the 2018/19 financial year, owing suppliers in excess of R2,1 billion. Statistics recently released by the Auditor General showed that the Eastern Cape had the second highest outstanding invoice total in the country, behind Gauteng which owed suppliers just under R2,6-billion. This is a sad indictment on a province which has …
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Education Department must ensure credibility of matric results
October 21st, 2019 The Democratic Alliance extends its best wishes to the Grade 12 pupils from the Eastern Cape registered as candidates for the National Senior Certificate, who have begun writing their final exams this week. As the matric exam season gets underway, it is imperative that the Eastern Cape Department of Education makes sure that there are contingency plans in place to deal with possible further loadshedding, as was experienced across the …
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DA lays new charges against Chris Hani Municipal Manager as raw sewage flows into rivers
October 16th, 2019
The Democratic Alliance has laid criminal charges against the Chris Hani District Municipality’s Municipal Manager, after a recent oversight to the Wastewater Treatment Works in Elliot revealed that the municipality was wilfully directing raw, untreated sewage into nearby rivers. Today, 16 October 2019, I visited the Wastewater Treatment Plant, which was first inspected by my colleague Sanele Maqaga, MPL. To my horror, not only was raw effluent flowing from numerous …
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No fee schools forced to turn to parents as Education Department fails to meet needs
October 15th, 2019
More and more no-fee schools are being forced to impose fees on parents under the guise of compulsory donations for additional funding, because the Department of Education is failing to provide them with the necessary resources to cater for the learners they must accommodate. This was highlighted today, 15 October 2019, when I, along with local councillor Pumelele Magazi, visited Gobinamba High School in Tsomo, following a request from parents …
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