The DA in Limpopo calls on the Education MEC, Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya, to urgently intervene and stop payments from schools for a leadership summit in the Waterberg District.
This follows reports that a senior official of the Limpopo Department of Education sent out an invitation to principals and circuit managers requiring schools to pay R4950 for a leadership summit at Zebula Golf Estate from the 5-7th of February. Schools in the province are seriously underfunded and need the little financial resources that are available for their core business of ensuring a conducive learning environment for our learners.
The DA will also write to the Education Portfolio Committee Chairperson, Nkakareng Rakgoale, requesting that the department submit a report outlining:
- The purpose and agenda of this leadership summit
- How much was spent on this leadership summit
- The rationale for requiring schools, especially no fee schools to pay R4950
- Number of schools and Educators that attended the summit
- If schools were required to utilise Norms and Standards or Learning and Teaching Support Material (LTSM) funding for this summit
- Whether there have similar summits in other districts of the province and the costs attached.
Limpopo’s Education department should be addressing key challenges such as insufficient support for learners, poor infrastructure, overcrowding and inappropriate sanitation instead of utilising money on leadership summits at expensive venues.
Lerule-Ramakhanya must ensure that no schools, especially no fee schools, are made to pay for this leadership summit and if the summit is to go ahead it should be paid for entirely by the department.
The DA is committed to ensuring the department utilises resources in an efficient manner and prioritises delivering quality education to our learners.