Note to editors: Please find attached English soundbite by Michael Waters MPL.
Gauteng Schools of Specialisation (SOS), offering high-tech subjects such as aviation, finance, renewable energy, alternative energy, innovation, nuclear science and technology, and maritime sciences, are not connected to the Gauteng Broadband Network (GBN). Without a permanent internet connection, it is unclear what exactly is being taught at these schools that differentiates them from ordinary public schools.
One thing is clear: education in this province is in a crisis, and that Schools of Specialisation are sending out their own “SOS” to be saved. This comes on the back of an 82% slashing of budgets for SOS.
In a shocking admission to a Democratic Alliance (DA) question in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL), the MEC for Education, Matome Chiloane, admitted that not one SOS is connected to the Gauteng Broadband Network (GBN). In addition, none of the schools is permanently connected to the internet.
Premier Panyaza Lesufi launched the SOS to great fanfare when he was the Gauteng MEC of Education, claiming that these schools would equip learners with critical skills, ensuring they are prepared for both higher education and the workforce.
The DA Gauteng reiterates its call for the current government to admits its failure to connect schools to the GBN and approach the private sector for assistance. If we continue at the current snail’s pace in connecting schools, it will take another 34 years. Gauteng learners deserve better.
The National Minister of Communications, Solly Malatsi, has issued regulations that allow departments to go around SITA, provided:
1. They submit a viable business case, demonstrating better cost or speed.
2. SITA has ten working days to respond and match or beat the department’s case.
3. If SITA fails or falls short, departments can source services privately.
The MEC must immediately look into how these regulations can be enforced to assist SOS.
A DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government would immediately submit a business case highlighting the desperate need for internet connectivity across all Gauteng Public Schools by the end of 2025, and that only the private sector would be able to meet this challenge.