Provincial Department Must Fill Administrative Posts to Support Functioning of Rural Schools

The Select Committee on Education, Sciences and Creative Industries has called on the Eastern Cape Provincial Department of Education to ensure that schools have administrative staff especially clerks, security, and kitchen staff.

The Chairperson of the committee, Mr Makhi Feni, said it was apparent that teachers are caught between doing administrative work and teaching. He said that approach compromises the teaching time, and the teacher performance.

“For rural schools to be fully functional the correct tasks should be undertaken by those employed for such a purpose. The schools lack proper kitchens where learners’ food is prepared,” said Mr Feni.

Mr Feni said how the Eastern Cape Department of Education functions should be prioritised throughout as young children need specific care. “How we care for them should be empowering and should set the young ones for life. Where this function is performed in the schools there could be a lot of improvements.”

Mr Feni said it was not enough to merely acknowledge that administrative posts were vacant as if it is normal.

The committee conducted a walkabout in schools around Hamburg, Amathole West District during its week-long visit (20-24 October 2025) to the Eastern Cape to assess, among others, school infrastructure. The committee was alerted of dropping learner numbers and parents preferring to send their children to schools in the urban areas.

“We are not impressed with the infrastructure challenges at some of the schools, as well as the internet connection, ablution facilities, and school fencing.”

Per Kind Favour of APO

Africa Fact: Bling culture existed in this region. At the time of our last visit, the Horniman Museum in London had exhibits of headrests with the caption: “Headrests have been used in Africa since the time of the Egyptian pharaohs. Remains of some headrests, once covered in gold foil, have been found in the ruins of Great Zimbabwe and burial sites like Mapungubwe dating to the twelfth century after Christ.”