About the publicationDilapidated public school infrastructure can be found across the country, but the problem is particularly acute in the Eastern Cape where the majority of the so called 'mud schools' are located. On 04 February 2011, following court action on the issue of mud schools, the Legal Resources Centre, acting on behalf of 7 schools and the Centre for Child Law, concluded a landmark settlement with the National Department of Basic Education in which the Department committed to spend R8.2-billion from 1 April 2011 to 1 March 2014 to eradicate mud schools and improve infrastructure of schools throughout South Africa.The Centre for Child Law commissioned Cornerstone Economic Research, to track school infrastructure spending and delivery. The aim of the research was to assess what progress has been made in addressing the issues that brought about the litigation. This study, amongst other things, makes the concerning finding that the Department has woefully underspent the allocated school infrastructure funding for two years running. The target for the number of schools to be built in 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 was 49. However, only 10 schools had been completed at the end of the first year.About the authors:Carmen Abdoll has experience in public sector finance management, budget analysis, and various tax policy issues, including issues related to value-added tax, excise duties and all sub-national taxes. She has also worked on various projects related to the structure of the intergovernmental fiscal system in South Africa. Carmen has a particular interest in policy and services impacting on the lives of orphan children.Conrad Barberton is a development economist, policy researcher and trainer. He has experience in the design of intergovernmental fiscal processes, public sector finance management, budget presentation design and analysis, the costing of policies, strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation, and the design of governance accountability systems.Table of ContentsPREFACEACKNOWLEDGMENTSEXECUTIVE SUMMARYA LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS1. IntroductionPart one: Status of school infrastructure2. Responsibility for school infrastructure planning3. Sources of information on school infrastructure3.1 Number of public ordinary schools3.2 Number of classrooms in public ordinary schools4. Backlogs in school infrastructure4.1 Planning to address backlogs in school infrastructure4.2 Backlogs in schools and classrooms4.3 Inappropriate school structures (so-called mud schools)4.4 Backlogs in basic services4.5 Backlogs in maintenancePart two: National and provincial funding of school infrastructure5. Determinants in the demand for school infrastructure6. National government allocations to school infrastructure6.1 Education Infrastructure Grant6.2 School Infrastructure Backlogs Grant7. Provincial allocations to school infrastructure7.1 Total spending by provinces on school infrastructure7.2 Provinces’ allocations of own funding to school infrastructurePart three: Performance in the delivery of school infrastructure8. Performance of the School Infrastructure Backlogs Grant8.1 Planning related to the grant8.2 Spending and delivery progress of the SIBG8.3 Likely timeframes for eradicating inappropriate school structures9. Performance of the Education Infrastructure Grant9.1 Planning related to the grant9.2 Spending and delivery progress of the EIG10. Concluding points

This book is included in DOAB.