Gauteng MEC for Education, Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation Lebogang Maile has admitted that Dulcie September Primary School is among the province’s most urgent cases requiring intervention.

Speaking during a media briefing held at Lyndhurst Primary School on May 17, Maile addressed ongoing concerns relating to water, electricity, and infrastructure challenges facing schools across Gauteng, while specifically highlighting the crisis at Dulcie September Primary.

“Dulcie September is very important. It is one of those schools where there has to be intervention,” said Maile.

Read more: Dulcie September learners miss further weeks of schooling

The MEC revealed that private sector assistance had been brought in due to limited government resources, with company Valumax already assisting with repairs at the school.

“Yes, we have been to Dulcie September. Not me personally. The department. We have sent a team, and Dulcie September. There are about 11 classes that are being fixed now by a company called Valumax. We just agreed on the request I made to fix those classes, and they are also fixing toilets.”

However, Maile admitted that much more still needs to be done at the school, stating that the institution ultimately requires a completely new facility. “In fact, they need a new school,” he said, adding that the problems experienced at Dulcie September are part of a much bigger infrastructure crisis affecting schools across Gauteng.

According to Maile, the province needs at least 200 new schools, a project estimated to cost about R35b, funding that the department currently does not have. “We have a budget of R70b. R52b goes to salaries of educators, R11b goes to schools, and R4b is for infrastructure. So that money is not there,” he said.

Also read: Parents stand firm as Dulcie September School standoff continues

The MEC said the department is now looking at short-, medium-, and long-term interventions to address school infrastructure challenges across the province. “So a school like Dulcie September is one of the emergencies that has to be attended to.”

He further acknowledged that infrastructure problems are widespread throughout Gauteng’s education system. “There is no school that has no problems. All the 2 111 schools have problems,” he said.

Maile defended the department’s approach, stating that schools should be prioritised based on the severity of their conditions rather than reacting emotionally to public pressure.

“You need to work systematically and not run around like a headless chicken. You must understand what the problem in each school is and what is the extent of the problem,” he said.

Meanwhile, frustration continues to grow among parents at Dulcie September Primary, where learners remain at home amid safety concerns.

Parents have maintained that they will not send their children back to school until conditions improve, arguing that the current environment is unsafe for learning.

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