Ugu schools’ functionality under scrutiny
A report will be compiled detailing challenges and recommendations of the schools that were visited by members of the KZN Legislature.
Infrastructure and academic challenges are some of the issues members of the KZN Legislature found in the Ugu district during a two-day School Functionality and Monitoring Programme last week.
The members first visited Ntaba Primary and Jolwayo Secondary School under Umuziwabantu Municipality before taking the programme to Umzumbe Municipality.
In Ugu, the delegation was led by Social Development MEC Mbali Shinga and Sports, Arts, and Culture MEC Mntomuhle Khawula.
The speaker of the KZN Legislature, Nontembeko Boyce, said 48 schools were visited throughout the province.
She said the objective was to identify and address functionality challenges in the schooling system and to provide support in addressing the challenges facing, specifically, poor-performing schools.
Boyce said the programme was aimed at ensuring the smooth running of schools, identifying obstacles, and registering recommendations on how best challenges could be resolved.
“It includes analysis of the final results of schools to be visited, issues of safety and security, relations between schools and surrounding communities, norms and standards, and any other matter impacting the smooth running of schools. A report will be compiled detailing challenges and recommendations, and ultimately, the Portfolio Committee on Education will conduct its oversight to ensure that schools and the department implement these recommendations,” she said.
KZN Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane said after listening to various presentations from the management of schools, they realised that the relationship between the schools and the Department of Health would need to be strengthened so that the learners’ needs can be better attended to.
Meanwhile, the mayor of Umuziwabantu Municipality, Siboniso Zungu, expressed excitement over the programme, saying that there was a need for collaboration between the municipality, the KZN Legislature and other stakeholders to provide quality education to all learners.
Boyce said over the years, the monitoring programme has evolved, broadening its scope and effectiveness.
She said it now incorporates several elements, such as school performance, governance and management, parental involvement, scholar transport, school nutrition, health and social development services, infrastructure development and addressing various social ills.
“It also ropes in officials from various government departments, particularly the social cluster that includes the education, health, and social development departments,” she said.
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