Department of Basic Education notes Bhisho High Court norms and standards ruling

The Department of Basic Education has noted the judgment regarding the norms and standards for the provision of school infrastructure handed down at the Bhisho High Court this morning.

The judgment comes at a time when the department was at the final stages of concluding amendments to the regulation on the norms and standards for school infrastructure provision. We will study the judgment with a view to incorporating the court ruling into the changes currently underway.

It is important to report that progress has been made in the provision of school infrastructure. The conclusion of the rationalisation and mergers exercise, in fact means that the initial target of 510 schools to be built under the ASIDI programme has since been revised to 367 with the programme having completed 205 schools to date.

In March 2018 the department briefed the Portfolio Committee on progress made within infrastructure across the country, indicating that many projects were at construction phase but that some implementing agents were letting the department down resulting in cancellation of contracts and reallocation of work to other companies. 5 225 maintenance projects were under way around the country and the Eastern Cape had by March 2018 already exhausted its maintenance budget. In addition the department introduced a 12% minimum budget for each province to be dedicated to maintenance, this step was taken to compel provinces to set aside funding for maintenance because some provinces were not budgeting for it.

The Minister of Basic Education will share the judgment of the High Court with all MECs who were cited in the court matter to discuss a way forward.

Source: Government of South Africa