Soweto – Gauteng MEC for Education, Panyaza Lusufi, has announced that from next month his department will open a new school every week, until the end of the year.
Speaking at the launch of a new high school in Soweto, the MEC said in total 17 schools will be opened in a bid to ensure that every child in the province gets education closer to where they stay.
“We want every child to get a good education in a good school,” he said.
He added that his department was determined to ensure that every learner in the province was able to compete at international standards.
MEC Lesufi and Gauteng Premier David Makhura handed over the newly built Freedom Park Secondary School in Devland, in Soweto, on Thursday.
The new school, which will accommodate about 1000 learners from the area, will be open for learning during the fourth quarter of the year.
The state-of-the-art school boasts 25 classrooms, three laboratories, a computer room and a library.
It further features a sports facility building, soccer or rugby ground, canteen and courts for netball, tennis and/or basketball.
MEC Lusufi appealed to the local community to take good care of the school.
Mandla Sithole, a parent who came to witness the handing over of the new school, told SAnews he was grateful for the school as it will reduce the long distances learners have to travel to neighbouring townships to get to school.
“It is a big relief,” he said.
Gauteng Premier David Makhura told the community members gathered at the event that the school reaffirmed government’s commitment to provide state of the art infrastructure to communities which have been previously under serviced.
“We are still going to build more schools, houses and hospitals,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za
