The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has taken action to tackle overcrowding in Akasia, Pretoria, by building a satellite school specifically designed to accommodate learners in the area.
To alleviate the pressure caused by Grade 8 admissions, the department constructed the school adjacent to Amandasig Secondary School as an intervention measure.
The provincial department has thus far spent over R 4 million to address capacity issues in the area and to provide about 11 mobile classrooms.
This facility occupied by a total of 271 learners is a temporal solution whilst matters concerning the construction of the brick-and-mortar school are being attended to.
Education MEC Matome Chiloane noted that the construction of the ablution blocks will commence immediately after the completion of the fencing, and a contractor has already been appointed for this purpose.
“As an interim measure, learners utilise the ablution facilities allocated at Amandasig Secondary School,” said Chiloane.
Simultaneously, the Department of Infrastructure Development (GDID) dispatched a team of architects to assess the damage caused by heavy rainfall on December 5, 2022, at Nokuthula School for Learners with Special Educational Needs.
About 12 classrooms are currently not in use at the school, and it is also anticipated that the boarding facilities will be ready for occupation by September 2024.
When all repairs to the infrastructure challenges are completed, and the boarding facility is declared safe for occupation by learners, said Ciloane in a statement.
“We will not be in a position to rush learners to occupy an unsafe environment.
“Our priority as the Department is to provide a quality education that is accessible to all children in the province, and as such, we will work tirelessly to address capacity and infrastructure issues that pose a threat to our priority,” the MEC explained.
By Thembisa Shologu
