DA urges Gauteng Department of Education to speed up building of new schools

13 January 2023

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng has conducted oversight visits to inspect school readiness in Tshwane. The delegation was led by Caucus Leader Solly Msimanga, Shadow MEC Khume Ramulifho, Constituency Head Adriana Randal, Cllr Aru Meyer and Cllr Sipho Mtakai.

The DA’s visit included Laerskool Danie Malan, Hoerskool Pretoria North, Gerrit Maritz Hoerskool and Laerskool Theresa Park.

These schools are in high demand areas where parents are looking for space. Schools that are at capacity such as Laerskool Danie Malan are prepared to expand and have satellite campuses to accommodate more learners. This was also confirmed by Hoerskool Gerrit Maritz which has agreed to take in more learners as they will be building four additional classrooms.

The DA is cautioning political parties to refrain from interrupting schools but to provide support to all schools to ensure that learning and teaching take place in a conducive environment.

The DA is urging the MEC to prioritise building new schools in high demand areas. The department must use data from its online system to plan and allocate resources.

The DA will continue to monitor the school readiness and placement of learners. We urge Gauteng Department of Education to move with speed to conclude this process.

Issued by Khume Ramulifho, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education, 13 January 2023