Schools Infrastructure Programme to be completed end of next financial year

Government will complete all outstanding projects under the Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Delivery Initiative (ASIDI) programme by the end of the next financial year, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Friday.

Delivering his State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Parliament, President Ramaphosa said ASIDI continues to deliver modern facilities to schools in rural and underprivileged urban areas across the country.

Since 2009, government has progressively worked towards eliminating mud schools and inappropriate school structures, replacing them with state-of-the-art buildings, especially in historically neglected areas.

Through ASIDI, government has completed at least 187 new state-of-the-art schools in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and other provinces.

Government has also provided dignified sanitation, water and electricity to hundreds more schools.

Meanwhile, President Ramaphosa said government will continue to invest in expanding access to quality basic education and improving the outcomes of public schools.

He said the Funza Lushaka Bursary Programme plans to award 39 500 bursaries for Initial Teacher Education over the next three years.

“In an historic first, from the beginning of this year, all public schools have begun offering an African language. Also significant is the implementation of the first National Senior Certificate examination on South African Sign Language, which will be offered to deaf learners at the end of 2018,” the President announced. – SAnews.gov.za