Comment by André Gaum, Western Cape Education Minister

Migration from other provinces is placing pressure on education in the Western Cape.

The latest studies undertaken at the universities of Stellenbosch and Cape Town suggest that about 48 000 new migrants settle in the Western Cape every year. Most of these migrants come from the Eastern Cape.

Over the next five years, we estimate that we will need 3 030 classrooms to cater for growing demand for schooling. The province has built about 2 415 classrooms, among other facilities, since the formation of the Western Cape Education Department in 1995.

We are looking at all possible ways of addressing need for new classrooms, from expanding existing schools and building new schools, to erecting prefabricated classrooms and using mobile classrooms.

In some instances, we are platooning classes, where we run separate classes in the same classrooms in the mornings and afternoons.

Population shifts within the Cape Town metropolitan area and the province as a whole also contribute to the complexity of managing our available building stock.

Our planners are working closely with colleagues in other departments to ensure that education is catered for adequately. It is essential that we match plans for housing with plans for new schools and for expanding existing schools.

Meanwhile, our building programme for 2003 is progressing well.

We have just taken partial delivery of a new school in southern Delft, Masimbambisane Secondary, which has 31 classrooms, to provide access to schooling closer to home for learners in this area. Previously, they had to travel long distances to attend a school by the same name in Woodstock.

The new Thembalethu School in George is close to completion, and we will be deciding shortly when exactly to take delivery of these facilities.

The province will complete three new, additional high schools in 2003, each with 36 classrooms, in Khayelitsha and Wesbank; along with three new primary schools, each with 28 classrooms, in Wesbank, Marconi Beam/Phoenix and Crossroads.

We will complete 77 prefabricated classrooms this year, while also deploying 21 mobile classrooms. We will determine the areas where the mobile classrooms are needed most when schools have finally completed their enrolments.

Masimbambisane Secondary, our latest new school in Delft Main Road, Delft, will accommodate about 1 200 learners.

The WCED decided to take partial delivery of the school, so that learners could start their schooling in the new premises as soon as possible.

The learners previously traveled long distances to the former Masimbambisane School by bus. While the new school is not entirely completed, we decided to take delivery of the school now, to avoid disrupting the schooling of the learners later on this term.

The contractor is currently four months ahead of schedule, for which we are grateful. We advertised the project on 1 June 2001 and handed the site to the successful tenderer on 16 February 2002. We took partial delivery on 20 January 2003.

The tender price was R10.5-million. The school has 31 classrooms, five laboratories, a forum, an information technology room, a media resource room, an administration block and ablution facilities.