Alarming Decline in School Infrastructure Development in South Africa

South Africa’s education sector faces a crippling slowdown in infrastructure development. The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has dramatically underachieved its targets for the 2024 financial year, managing to build only one new state school against a revised target of six. This was disclosed by the DBE during a recent parliamentary committee meeting focused on school infrastructure.

The stark reality of this figure becomes apparent when compared to accomplishments in the 2014/15 financial year, during which the DBE completed numerous projects, including 32 schools in Eastern Cape and 24 in Gauteng. The decline highlights systemic issues and budget cuts that have severely impacted the department's ability to deliver essential educational infrastructure.

The Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Delivery Initiative (ASIDI), launched in 2011, aimed at bridging critical infrastructure gaps, has notably faltered. Funding shortfalls and contracting delays are primary culprits, exacerbated by a significant R179.8 million cut in the School Infrastructure Backlog Grant (SIBG). These issues underline the DBE’s struggles with efficient fund management and project delivery.

Provincial departments have shown varied performance; while Western Cape led with 39 completed projects in the last year, other provinces like Limpopo and North West saw no new constructions. The merging of the Education Infrastructure Grant (EIG) and the SIBG, as announced by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, aims to streamline funding allocation and improve efficiency by shifting the management of funds to provincial governments.

Despite these restructuring efforts, experts express concern over the DBE's and some provincial departments' historical underperformance. Limited capacity and systemic inefficiencies plague several regions, particularly those which are rural and under-resourced. Overcrowding, reliance on inappropriate classroom materials, and persistent use of pit latrines underscore the dire state of educational facilities in many areas.

Without significant improvements in state and provincial capacities and a restructuring of funding management, South Africa risks failing to meet its 2030 infrastructure goals. Furthermore, adjustments to the school infrastructure law have removed previously set deadlines, signaling a worrying lessening of urgency in addressing these critical issues.

The 2024 infrastructure performance is both disappointing and alarming, demanding rigorous evaluation and a renewed commitment to ensuring equitable access to quality education infrastructure across all provinces.