DA in support of Equal Education march for norms and standards - Annette Lovemore MP DA Shadow Minister of Basic Education The DA stands in solidarity with the many concerned South Africans, who are marching in Cape Town and Pretoria, to demand that the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga publish Minimum Norms and Standards for School Infrastructure as per the South African Schools Act. It is a well-known fact that many of our public schools are lacking in infrastructure and resources, yet Minister Motshekga continues to drag her heels in blatant disregard, denying our children a quality education. When questioned about the norms and standards document, below are a few remarks from the Department of Basic Education: 2009: Norms and standards have been developed. 2010: Norms and standards will be implanted with effect from the 2010 financial year. 2012: Public school infrastructure guidelines are being converted to regulations. In 2012, after being threatened with court action, Minister Motshekga agreed to publish the draft norms and standards for public comment by 15 January 2013. The drafted regulations were utterly inadequate and an insult to our learners. Fast forward to 2013, after failing to comply with the 15 May 2013 deadline to publish a finalised document, Minister Motshekga protested the extended deadline of 15 June 2013 claiming that the time was insufficient. Bearing in mind that that the process of developing infrastructure norms and standards began in 2008, five years ago, we have to ask why is the Minister refusing to comply? Is it sheer incompetence or merely a lack of interest in the education of our children? The Minister needs to acknowledge that for five years, many of our children have had to endure schooling in unsafe environments with no electricity, running water or functional toilets. Many of our learners lack access to critical resources such as science labs, wood workshops and libraries etc. The deteriorating quality of education, poor maths and science marks, and the general failure of many of our public schools can be laid directly at Minister Motshekga’s door. Minister Motshekga must be held accountable. In response to this delay, I wrote a letter (28 May 2013) to the Chairperson of the Basic Education Portfolio Committee, Ms Hope Malgas, requesting that Minister Motshekga table her revised regulations as soon as possible following the extended 15 June 2013 deadline. I also requested that the Minister provide reasons for her delays in publishing norms and standards. The Minister has failed our learners, our teachers and our nation once again. We demand action to be taken against her, and will continue fighting for the rights of our learners.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:12:06 +0000
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