Recent reports about school infrastructure have added yet another layer to some contradictions that exist in the Eastern Cape.
On the one hand, we have a shortage of classrooms and other basic amenities, and on the other, we have school buildings that are abandoned and left at the mercy of vandals.
In March, education minister Siviwe Gwarube while briefing the National Council of Provinces revealed that more than 1,000 schools in the Eastern Cape were so dilapidated and dangerous that they were no longer fit for purpose.
We have reported on overcrowded classrooms, mud structures in some areas, leaking roofs and, worse, that pit latrines are still in use at some schools.
Education MEC Fundile Gade, providing feedback on his department’s progress in May, admitted it would take nearly four decades to meet basic infrastructure standards at all schools in the province.
It boggles the mind when such dire shortages are juxtaposed with the wastefulness that has come in the wake of the school rationalisation programme.
Guidelines are there on what happens once an unviable school closes: the facility should not be left unoccupied for more than six months; when and why should structures be demolished; or handed over to public works.
However, the province falls flat at implementation of these guidelines.
On Monday, we reported on how Benjamin Mahlasela Senior Secondary in Makhanda has been vandalised.
It was closed in 2013 and there is no clarity on who is currently responsible for the school, with the department of public works and Makana municipality issuing contradictory statements.
Benjamin Mahlasela is but one of the 1,200 schools in the province that have been abandoned and vandalised after rationalisation.
Dare we ask, why have these facilities not been repurposed? As a province, we are beset by the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment.
We have reported on mothers killing their children and taking their own lives due to poverty. Thousands of people remain jobless and the numbers will increase as more companies shut down.
Surely the facilities at schools affected by rationalisation could be used for vocational skills training which could go a long way in addressing unemployment.
Similarly, the open fields in the fenced facilities could be used to grow vegetables for the benefit of the communities.
We urge those in the corridors of power to give the rationalised schools the attention they deserve.
It cannot be that millions of rand that went into the construction of these facilities will just go down the drain.
Communities must equally come to the party. They must take ownership of the facilities and make sure they are not vandalised.
Daily Dispatch