Top government officials recently handed over the 100^th school built under the Accelerated School Infrastructure Development Initiative (ASIDI).

The school, Dorington Matsepe Primary, is situated in the small township of Constatia, outside Kroonstaad.

The handing over of this particular school marks a significant milestone in the life of the progamme.

“Our efforts are starting to pay off. We are slowly but surely reaching the land mark we have set for ourselves. I can assure you that by next year we would have reached the target we have set for ourselves,” said Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga.

“We want to keep the momentum and ensure that we keep this pace. These facilities are not just for schools but everything we do; it’s for the benefit of the communities.

“The school hall and library is open for use by the community so it is an asset to the community and it’s more than just a school,” added Motshekga.

When ASIDI was unveiled four years ago, a target of delivering 527 schools over the roll-out period of the programme was set and so far its success has been remarkable.

Provinces such as the Eastern Cape, Limpopo and the Western Cape were earmarked to benefit immensely from the programme.

The ASIDI programme was also introduced to help government aggressively address some of the historic imbalances in the delivery of schools with proper infrastructure such as, libraries, laboratories and basic sanitation.

Proper schools vital for performance

Minister Motshekga said proper school infrastructure has been proven to be vital for increased performance by both learners and teachers adding that this has been detected in provinces like the Eastern Cape since the roll-out of the ASIDI schools.

Since its launch, the ASIDI programme has delivered at least 84 schools to that province. About 12 schools were built in the Western Cape followed by four in Mpumalanga and Free State, two in Limpopo and one in the Northern Cape.

All ASIDI schools come standard with specialist classrooms such as science and computer labs, nutrition and Grade R centres, libraries and administration blocks complete with a dedicated staff room, principal’s offices, sick bay and reception.