Education lobby groups gear up for battle over school infrastructure

Equal Education says the proposed changes were gazetted for comment on 10 June, but not published anywhere else.

Secretary-general Noncedo Madubedube says Equal Education and the Education Law Centre wrote to Motshekga last week raising their concerns.

"The scariest thing that the minister Angie Motshekga was to make changes to to the school infrastructure law is to totally take out the deadline by when government must get rid of pit latrines and provide basic services to schools such as water, electricity, classrooms, fences and libraries." 

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She says without deadlines that are written into law, learners and teachers could be waiting another 10 or 20 years for their schools to be fixed.

They also have an issue with the deadline set for public comment.

"Without legally binding deadlines, how can learners, teachers and parents how the education department accountable to fulfil their legal and moral duties? 

"The deadline for when feedback on the proposed changes must be submitted to the Department of Education is the 10th of July. This is far too little time for school communities to properly participate in a process that will affect them so drastically."