School infrastructure has been a long-standing challenge for the Education Sector, as education activists have been advocating for changes to better the lives of school learners. The Education Department has announced that it has extended the deadline for submission for amendments affecting school infrastructure.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga had published a Government Gazette with proposed amendments to the Regulations Relation to the Minimum Union Norms and Standards for Public School Infrastructure Issues in terms of Section 5A (1)(a) of the South African Schools Act, 1996.
Civil society group on schooling matters, Equal Education (EE) said the proposed changes to Basic Education’s norms and standards for public school infrastructure are drastic and unacceptable.
Equal Education’s Hopolang Selebalo shared that the organisation has been working to improve basic education for young South Africans for over a decade, and that it is long overdue for the South African government to “do more” and step up.
The Department of Basic Education has announced that it has given people an opportunity to participate and have an input on proposed amendments in the sector. The deadline to make submissions has been extended until 31 July 2022.
In a statement, the department said:
The purpose of releasing the Gazette is to give the public, including stakeholders, an opportunity to participate in the drafting of the regulations and to make substantive input which will be considered in drafting the final regulations.
The Education Department has uploaded, as per general practice, the document with the proposals on the website www.education.gov.za for public comment.
According to DBE spokesperson, Elijah Mhlanga, the department is committed to a constructive public participation process.
It is said that the proposed amendments have come about following consultation with the Minister of Finance and the Council of Education Ministers (CEM) earlier this year.
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