DEAR Editor,-
Conditions at KwaZulu-Natal’s rural schools visited during last week’s provincial legislature functionality programme, show no correlation with a supposedly improved 2017 matric pass rate for the province. The visits, which focused primarily on better-performing schools also exposed the ANC-led provincial parliament for cherry-picking in order to present a glowing picture of education – even if it means a fake or skewed perception of reality.
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This same selective approach also appears to be taking place within some schools, with a massive discrepancy between enrolled pupils and those who actually wrote gr 12 last year. This reeks of culling. The DA found signs of this abhorrent practice at AbaQulusi High and Mgambule High School in Umzumbe, where only about half of all matric pupils actually wrote their exams. This figure does not include modularised pupils.
It appears that this exercise is predominantly happening in rural schools and lower quintile schools, which means that it is again the province’s poor and rural pupils who are suffering and who are not even getting the opportunity to write matric. The DA is committed to getting answers around this. These pupils are being denied the opportunity to improve their lives.
At Gugulesizwe Secondary in Amandawe (outside Scottburgh) the DA found a school currently overwhelmed with gr 12 pupils wanting to enrol to repeat the year.
This after a 21 percent drop in the matric pass rate last year. The Ugu District education manager has already been forced to go to the school to calm the situation.
Other ongoing issues that the DA will raise at the first education provincial portfolio committee for 2018 later this month include reports of undelivered stationery and textbooks, the more than 2 800 unqualified and under-qualified maths, science and African languages teachers mostly in rural areas, ongoing issues with the National School Nutrition Programme service providers and vandalism as a result of poor security at schools. Other problems encountered include delays in fixing damage at schools as a result of storms, in spite of the department receiving funds for this purpose and ongoing challenges relating to sanitation, electricity and water.
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The DA expects KZN Education MEC Mthandeni Dlungwane to sit up and take notice of the problems we raise. We need an MEC who is involved in education rather than ongoing ANC internal factionalism and if he cannot give all his attention to his portfolio, he should resign. The future of KZN’s pupils can no longer be held to ransom by an uncaring ANC.
Dr Rishigen Viranna, MPL
DA KZN Spokesperson on Education
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