Government’s commitment towards eradicating mud school structures across all nine provinces has gained momentum in areas that were mostly affected, including the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape Provinces. As part of the Thuma Mina Campaign, President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered three state-of-the-art schools to various communities in the KwaZulu-Natal Province on 17 April 2019. 

Built as part of the Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Delivery Initiative (ASIDI), the three schools: Enhlanhleni, Lembe and Ingweni Phaphama Primary schools, will serve as hubs of excellence as they are equipped with laboratories, media centres, administration blocks, as well as nutrition centres for learners. The ASIDI project was established by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) in 2011 to address the school infrastructure backlog in rural provinces and under-privileged urban areas. Initially, the project was aimed at replacing 510 inappropriate school structures. ASIDI has successfully replaced more than 216 schools in the country to date, and a further 100 ASIDI schools are currently under construction.

In his address, President Cyril Ramaphosa said: “As part of ASIDI, we are changing the landscape of school communities across the country. There are more than 100 schools currently under construction. Over the last two decades, we have constructed approximately 39, 000 additional classrooms and over 1, 200 new schools in South Africa. It is significant that in building and renovating these three primary schools, Government has partnered with Adopt-a-School Foundation, a non-profit organisation that developed an innovative approach to Whole School Development”.

The President stated that the partnership will promote efficiency in the adopted schools whilst ensuring that quality learning and teaching prevail at all cost. “Primary schools are the foundation upon which our future is built. We are handing over these primary schools so that you can use them to nurture the talents of our children and equip them with the knowledge and skills for a changing world”.