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The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called on the Department of Education (DoE) to implement real-time monitoring of schools’ municipal accounts. This comes after two schools in Dikgatlong municipality were immersed into darkness after failing to pay their dues.

The electricity of Vaalrivier High School and its hostel in Barkly-West, as well as Dikgatlong High School in Delportshoop, was cut on Wednesday. Aside from losing out on school time, hostel learners had to wash with cold water while food preparation and learner safety was also affected. This placed an unfair burden on learners who are already under strain from load-shedding.

Each school owed approximately R20 000. The schools paid the amounts yesterday and electricity was restored this morning. The DA acknowledges the quick intervention by the DoE, as confirmed during my engagements with the HOD, Moira Marais-Martins. However, there can be no justification for disempowering learners.

The cutting of power to schools is not an isolated incident. In June, at least seven schools in the Ubuntu municipality had their electricity cut due to outstanding debt owed by provincial government. Disruptions to schools need to be avoided at all costs.

In his budget speech in June, Education MEC Zolile Monakali stated that emergency reserves of R15 million had been set aside to assist schools with arrear municipal accounts. Moira Marais-Martins has indicated that an additional R10 million has been availed by national to help the increasing number of embattled schools that cannot keep up with payments due to cost-of-living increases.

This raises the alarm that an even bigger crisis is developing.

The DA has called on the department to take preventative action through keeping tabs on the monthly payment of municipal accounts by schools. Given the failure of schools to alert the department when a crisis is pending, and the failure of municipalities to issues warnings of disconnections, this further necessitates an inter-governmental solution. I will therefore request the Premier to help initiate a response via his Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) unit.

It is up to government to ensure that the right to basic education is upheld and not sacrificed at the expense of these learners.

Issued by Delmaine Christians, MP - Member of the NCOP