The North West Provincial Legislature Portfolio Committee on Education, Culture, Arts, Sports and Recreation conducted an oversight visit in the Kagisano-Moloko Local Municipality

The North West Provincial Legislature Portfolio Committee on Education, Culture, Arts, Sports and Recreation conducted an oversight visit in the Kagisano-Moloko Local Municipality at the following schools and a service point: Keipatile Primary School in Morokweng, Temoso Special School in Ganyesa, Kgononyane Secondary School in Southey, as well as the Kagisano Molopo Service Point.

The Acting Chairpwrson, Hon. Karabo Magagane, indicated that the aim of the oversight visit was to ensure accountability, transparency, and public participation with various stakeholders. The Legislature further seeks to ensure that budgets allocated to different departments are properly accounted for.

Keipatile Primary School
The Committee was welcomed by the School Principal, Ms Kgalalelo Kehositse, who provided a brief background of the school. She indicated that the school is functioning well, although it faces several challenges related to infrastructure and water supply.

“The classes are overcrowded, particularly in Grade R as the two classes that do not have sufficient furniture and equipment gathers are no proper toilets as the school has had to improvise to accommodate their needs.

“The school has borehole but doesn’t produce water for the toilets. This has resulted in the use of water buckets to flush the toilets,” said Ms Kehositse.
The Principal further indicated that the school has a shortage of learners and educators’ furniture, including chairs and tables. In addition, the school does not have a proper administration block, and there is no perimeter fence around the school.

“In Grade 4, there is a shortage of workbooks and prescribed textbooks. Another challenge raised was that certain subjects are taught in Setswana, yet the school does not have the relevant Setswana textbooks. This forces educators to translate lessons from English into Setswana,” said Ms Kehositse.

Acting Deputy Director for Infrastructure at the Department of Education, Mr. Neo Yose, said the department will assist by ensuring that water supply issues are addressed and he will follow up on the fencing of the school, as a service provider had previously been appointed but the appointment was irregular and subsequently halted. He undertook to establish the status of the appointment of a new service provider.

Mr Yose also said he will submit a request to prioritise Grade R learners to ensure that the school receives additional classrooms.

Temoso Special School
The Committee received a brief background of the school from the Principal, Mr Moetapele Legothe, who said the school is functioning well despite minor challenges.
He requested the Committee to ask the department to increase the budget for the National School Nutrition Programme to enable the school to provide lunch for these learners.
Regarding infrastructure, the Principal said that the school has a shortage of classrooms. He requested at least two additional mobile classrooms to ease pressure on existing facilities. “Classrooms are small, often requiring learners to work outside with equipment. Additional ablution facilities are also required for both learners and educators.
The school does not have a playground for learners, and the school yard is limited in size. Despite this, learners are performing well in sporting activities’ said Mr. Legothe.
Mr Legothe further indicated that there is a shortage of learner furniture. The school requested 50 tables and 50 chairs but received only 15.

The principal also requested assistance with the appointment of a school nurse, psychologist, and school-based social worker, as the school is currently not receiving adequate support from the Department of Social Development. He indicated that the school previously had a nurse who passed away and was not replaced.
The principal further indicated that there are no textbooks specifically designed for the special schoolscurriculum and requested that the Department consider providing appropriate learning materials.

Hon. Karabo Magagane said the Committee will engage with the Department of Education, to request the reconsideration of appointing a nurse for the school and that a psychologist be scheduled to visit the school at least once a week.
Furthermore, Hon. Magagane advised the school principal to approach state-owned entities for possible job opportunities in order to reduce unemployment among learners who have completed their studies.

The Committee further undertook to engage the Department of Social Development to request the provision of a dedicated social worker who will prioritise the school when required.

Kgononyane Secondary School
The Committee met with the school principal, Mr Daniel Makhondo, who briefed members on the current statusand operations of the school.
Mr Makhondo informed the Committee that the school is overcrowded, particularly in the Grade 8 classes. He indicated that, for the school to operate effectively, five mobile classrooms would be required to reduce overcrowding. These mobile classrooms would also need to be equipped with learner furniture, including tables and chairs.

One Grade 8 class currently has a total of 84 learners, with four learners sharing a desk. Some learners are seated on the floor and on top of tables, which negatively affects teaching and learning, as educators are unable to provide adequate attention to all learners. Learners seated on tables also obstruct the view of others.

The principal further indicated that the school is experiencing water challenges. Although the school has a borehole, it has dried up and no water is currently available.
The Acting Deputy Director for Infrastructure committed to delivering mobile classrooms to the school by the end of the month to assist in addressing overcrowding.

Hon. Karabo Magagane requested the Acting Deputy Director for Infrastructure to prioritise water challenges in all schools visited by the Committee. Hon. Magaganenoted that the area is semi-desert in nature and emphasised that boreholes should be drilled deeper to ensure a sustainable water supply.

The Committee also requested the Acting Deputy Director for Infrastructure to review the district priority list to determine whether the visited schools appear on the list and to identify possible interventions.

The Committee will further engage the Department of Education to discuss all identified infrastructure challenges and request urgent intervention where required.

Kagisano Molopo Service Point
The Committee received a briefing from the Sport, Arts and Culture Service Point Manager, Mr Julies Kegakilwe, who said that the purpose of the service point is to accelerate transformation and inclusivity in arts, culture, and sport, as well as library and archival programmes, by empowering communities through sustainable arts, culture, and sport initiatives.
Mr Kegakilwe informed the Committee that, despite funding challenges, the service point is able to reach communities and schools to offer sporting activities, including soccer, athletics, netball, and volleyball. He further indicated that some members participate at both provincial and international levels.

However, the soccer teams (clubs) are unable to participate in various leagues due to a lack of the required documentation needed for league affiliation. Athletes only participate when tournaments are hosted.

The manager further indicated that the service point has been operating for more than 10 years without an internet connection or functional landline. This matter has been reported to the provincial office, and although an official from the IT unit visited the site, the issue remains unresolved.

The Committee resolved to engage the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture and request a progress report regarding the provision of internet connectivity to service points and libraries, including an update on the status of the process.

Hon. Magagane encouraged the service point to establish effective communication platforms to publicise their achievements so that the area becomes more visible. He further suggested that the service point prepare short write-ups and engage local newspapers to publish their successes.

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