GQEBERHA- After more than five decades of existence and years of delays, Bethelsdorp High School has entered a new chapter with the official opening of a modern, multimillion-rand facility in Salt Lake in Gqeberha.
Eastern Cape Premier Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane, accompanied by Eastern Caoe Department of Education MEC Fundile Gade, officially handed over the newly built school on Wednesday, 07 October describing the project as an investment in the future of young people in the Bethelsdorp community.
The school, which was built at a cost of just over R100 Million boasts a range of facilities aimed at improving both academic and vocational learning.
These include a research laboratory, information and communication technology (ICT) centre, School Nutrition Programme kitchen, administration block, playing fields, water tanks and perimeter fencing.
The facility has also been electrified and includes an access gate manned by safety officers.
Mabuyane said the new school was designed to cater for learners with different interests and career aspirations. “We are here to open a school.
A brilliant school that will be able to accommodate a lot of areas of interest across the socio-economic background.”
He said the facility would help nurture talent and broaden opportunities for young people, pointing to the engineering and home economics facilities as examples of the range of skills being offered.
“This is a second school in a row. A few months ago we were at David Livingstone and now we are here, and we are definitely trying to make an impact and change the lives of young people and change the life of this entire community,” Mabuyane said.
He described the investment as a direct contribution towards developing young people’s skills and expanding their access to education.
Alongside celebrating the new infrastructure, Mabuyane issued a warning about vandalism, urging the community to protect the facility.
He said government infrastructure across Nelson Mandela Bay had been targeted by vandals, with damage to electricity, sewerage and water infrastructure undermining development gains.
“We appeal to the community here. I know in these days you put up a brilliant infrastructure like this, tomorrow it is vandalised. We condemn this vandalism,” Mabuyane said.
He stressed that the school belonged to the community and called on residents to take ownership of the facility.
“The school belongs to the community,” he said, thanking the Department of Public Works for overseeing the project before it was handed over to the Department of Education.Beyond serving learners, the new school is also expected to become a community resource.
Residents interested in computer literacy, digital skills and other ICT-related activities will be able to access the school’s ICT facilities after school hours.The initiative is intended to support lifelong learning, digital inclusion and skills development, particularly among young people seeking to improve their digital literacy and access information and economic opportunities.
EC Departmrnt of Education MEC Fundile Gade said the completion of the school also reflects lessons learned from the province’s previous approach to infrastructure development.
Gade said the Eastern Cape Department of Education had accumulated a significant school infrastructure backlog from around 2016 and 2017. He said the province had initially taken on a large number of school projects simultaneously, placing pressure on government finances.
“That’s one area that we have learned, out of over-committing the government fiscal,” Gade said.
He said the province subsequently redesigned its school landscape and curriculum approach, leading to the development of what he described as multi-skilled schools combining technical, vocational and occupational learning.
Gade said the approach was aligned with the objectives of the National Development Plan 2030.In addition, he said the delays in completing some projects had also provided an opportunity to rethink the curriculum and ensure that learners were better prepared for different career paths.
“That delay has actually assisted us a bit in terms of academic and curriculum redesigning so that you focus kids on what the nation needs more than just getting kids through the passage of basic education without assisting them through the career paths that they would achieve ultimately,” Gade said.
According to Gade, the province plans to have about 18 such schools in place before the end of the next financial year.
He said work had already started on similar projects in areas including Komani and OR Tambo.Gade said the province was also placing greater emphasis on mathematics and physical science as part of its efforts to strengthen learners’ academic and career pathways.
“We are redesigning the curriculum in the province precisely because we have learned that the people of the province need a qualitative education system,” he said.
The opening of Bethelsdorp High School forms part of the Eastern Cape government’s broader efforts to improve education infrastructure and access to quality education across the province.
Courtesy of IMAGES: OTP
Leave a Reply