Browsing by Author "Britz, Liezl Dawn"

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    An assessment of the perceived effectiveness and efficiency of the school maintenance strategy in the Western Cape
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2021-12) Britz, Liezl Dawn; Burger, A. P. Johan; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. School of Public Leadership.
    ENGLISH SUMMARY : In recent years the condition of social infrastructure has been reported on various media platforms. The condition of social infrastructure in some sectors has reached a point where it compromises the health and safety of those using it. More so, it compromises the government’s service delivery programmes. There is great concern in the Western Cape about the condition of school infrastructure. The demand for new schools as a result of the annual growth of learner numbers has forced the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) to make invidious decisions that resulted in the neglect of the maintenance of school infrastructure in favour of providing new schools. The rate of submissions for emergency maintenance by schools is demonstrative of the fact that certain elements of school buildings have reached and surpassed their lifespan. Many of the older schools need replacement, but this cannot happen because of budget constraints. The purpose of this research is to assess the perceived effectiveness and efficiency of the WCED’s maintenance strategy. In doing so, a qualitative research approach was adopted. Various WCED documents containing information on infrastructure projects, viz. Annual Performance Plans (APP), Annual Reports (AR) and User-Asset Management Plans (U-AMPs) for the financial years 2013/14 till 2018/19 were analysed in an attempt to assess the WCED’s approach to ensuring the perceived effectiveness and efficiency of school maintenance. This research is qualitative in nature and a sample of five case studies have been assessed. The selected case studies represent the three categorises of maintenance, viz. scheduled, emergency and day-to-day maintenance. The critical role of School Governing Bodies (SGBs) in the maintenance of school facilities has also been identified as important factor. The assessment of maintenance projects at the five schools was done through well-planned structured interviews. Interviews were conducted with the management and members of the SGBs of the five schools. The structured interviews shed light on the implementation of scheduled maintenance projects at schools, where the following three variables were interrogated: cost, quality and time on each project. Structured interviews were also conducted with senior officials in the Departments of Education, Transport and Public Works (DTPW) and Provincial Treasury (PT). An assessment of the WCED’s U-AMPs, APPs, and ARs for the period 2014/15 till 2018/19 revealed that the department does not have a sufficient budget to properly manage all school Stellenbosch assets. The demand to accommodate learners outstrips the Department’s ability to maintain school buildings as required. The gap in maintaining school buildings has grown phenomenally over the last 5 to 7 years. The WCED’s desire to focus on lifecycle maintenance remains a dream because of its limited budget. The analysis of the formal documentation, coupled with the interpretation of the interviews indicated the need for more recent condition assessments of school buildings, consultation with the principals of schools regarding the scope of scheduled maintenance projects, empowerment to improve the capacity of SGBs to be better placed to contribute to the maintenance of schools, an assessment of the capacity of the implementing agent and contractors and for the WCED to find strategies for assisting SGBs with the maintenance of school buildings. In the attempt to make a significant dent in the maintenance backlog, the WCED must first attempt to obtain the most recent condition assessments of buildings. Having assessed all the relevant information, the Department needs to consider the following factors: improve condition assessments of all schools, analyse emergency maintenance cases to identify priority areas for scheduled maintenance and consider the appointment of an external evaluator to advise on the planning and delivery of school infrastructure.