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+--- Thread: Sadtu welcomes building of new schools (/Thread-Sadtu-welcomes-building-of-new-schools)
Sadtu welcomes building of new schools - Newsroom - 14-02-2014
The South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) has welcomed President Jacob Zuma’s announcement that more schools are to be built to replace mud schools and those made from unsuitable structures.
In his sixth State of the Nation Address on Thursday evening, Zuma said new schools were being built in partnership with the Basic Education Department and the private sector through the Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Delivery (ASIDI).
To date, 370 new schools have been delivered throughout the country.
Sadtu General Secretary Mugwena Maluleke told SAnews that more schools were needed especially in the rural areas.
“We welcome the announcement by the President that more schools are to be built. We are pleased that there is now progress being made,†he said.
Mugwena said more focus should be placed on provinces like Limpopo as this was where more schools were needed.
He said it was difficult to teach children under trees and was something that should not be happening in a democratic country.
The ASIDI programme forms part of government’s Strategic Infrastructure Projects – under SIP 13, which involves the rebuilding of schools. It also addresses basic services backlogs and the provision of water and electricity at schools.
The programme is in full swing in the Eastern Cape were towards the end of last year, a new school was being handed over at least every week.
Touching on other developments in education during his address last night, Zuma said eight million children were now exempted from paying school fees and nine million children were getting food at school under the National School Nutrition Programme.
Zuma said government had been investing in teacher training and would be re-opening teacher training colleges to meet the demand of learners.
He added that the number of children attending Grade R had more than doubled, moving from about 300 thousand to more than 700 thousand between 2003 and 2011. – SAnews.gov.za