'Free education' and we're stuck with mud schools

01 March 2018 - 06:52
By Prega Govender
NOT-SO-GREAT OUTDOORS Pupils at Makangwane Secondary in Limpopo are studying under trees because their school building is falling apart.
Image: Masi Losi NOT-SO-GREAT OUTDOORS Pupils at Makangwane Secondary in Limpopo are studying under trees because their school building is falling apart.

The government’s funding of free higher education has been blamed for the “scandalous” slashes that have been made to school infrastructure budgets.

Among the cuts is the education infrastructure grant‚ which is used for the maintenance of schools as well as the building of new schools across the country and which has been sliced by R10.9-billion – from R42.6-billion to R31.7-billion.

Unions say the budget-bashing move means pupils will continue to “be exposed to the appalling conditions that they have endured for quite a number of years”.

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