/ MEDIA STATEMENT / The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has written to the Eastern Cape Education Department and requested an immediate plan of action to urgently address the near-total collapse of the Enoch Sontonga Secondary School in the King William’s Town area.

Yesterday, 4 February 2020, I conducted an oversight inspection at the school as part of the DA’s School Readiness Programme. This followed an outcry for assistance from parents and learners due to the unconducive learning environment at the school (pictures attached).

Overcrowding is an issue and learners are forced to sit three to four learners in a desk made for only two people. The school currently has over 780 learners with its maximum capacity being 600.

Much of the overcrowding is caused by the nearby Mpumelelo High School no longer offering mathematics as a subject due to teacher restrictions. Learners from this area are therefore enrolling at Enoch Sontonga to study mathematics.

Enoch Sontonga Secondary School has submitted a request to the department for extra furniture and stationery, but to date, no response has been received.

Another key issue at Enoch Sontonga is the dilapidated, unsafe and unhygienic sanitation facilities. The pit-toilets, six for boys and 10 for girls, are very unsanitary. Access to water and sanitation is a basic human right and our children cannot be deprived of this.

Safety is a problem as there is a lack of fencing and the school infrastructure also seems to be sinking into the ground.

I have written to the department’s Buffalo City District Director, Ms Nomzuselelo Fikeni, to ascertain what the plan of action is in order to improve the circumstances at the school. (letter attached)

I will be submitting a parliamentary question to the Eastern Cape MEC for Education, Fundile Gade, regarding the state of this school. I will also submit questions in the legislature requesting information on how many high schools in the province do not offer mathematics as a subject from gr. 10 onwards.

It is time for the government in the Eastern Cape to put the education of our learners first. The DA will continue to fight for all learners who are being denied their basic human rights and their right to a quality basic education.

Under a DA government, all children will have access to quality and dignified education, so as to build a life and future of their choosing. #NoChildLeftBehind

Issued by The DA