Motshekga must act on 200 000 Eastern Cape learners without desks
21 August 2014
The DA will request a meeting with the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, to discuss the critical shortage of desks for learners in the Eastern Cape. Minister Motshekga must act in terms of Section 100(1) of the Constitution and instruct the Eastern Cape Basic Education MEC to table a comprehensive plan of action to ensure that the remaining 200 000 learners in the Eastern Cape are provided with the necessary school furniture.
A court order, issued in 2012, instructed the Eastern Cape Education Department to conduct a full audit of the state of furniture in the province's schools, and present a comprehensive plan to ensure every school child was provided with the furniture they needed by 30 June 2013. The Legal Resources Centre (LRC), which acted for the Centre for Child Law (CCL) and several Transkei schools in the furniture case, estimated that 200 000 were affected by the lack of furniture.
Furthermore, President Jacob Zuma in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) this year, highlighted the importance of education and the need to provide the necessary resources for learners. President Zuma in his SONA speech also committed to providing a desk for every learner in the Eastern Cape by mid-August this year.
Reports are now suggesting that government has missed its own deadline for delivering desks to every pupil in the Eastern Cape. The Department is arguably also in contempt of court for failing to provide the promised desks.
It is now time for Minister Motshekga to enforce her executive authority. She must act swiftly in terms of Section 100(1) of the Constitution and issue "a directive to the provincial executive, describing the extent of the failure to fulfil its obligations and stating any steps required to meet its obligations".
Every learner should have a fair chance at accessing quality education. This cannot be done if we do not provide the basic infrastructure needed for learning.
The time has come for Minister Motshekga to take action on this issue.
Statement issued by Desiree van der Walt MP, DA Shadow Deputy of Basic Education, August 21 2014
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