MEC claims a "school a week" will be opened in Gauteng

Gauteng MEC for Education Panyaza Lesufi says the province will open a new school a week between now and the end of this year. Image: Twitter

Speaking at the launch of a new high school in Soweto, Lesufi said in total 17 schools will be opened in a bid to ensure that every child in the province can go to school in the area where they live.

"We want every child to get a good education in a good school," he said.

He added that his department was determined to ensure that every learner in the province was able to compete at an international standards.

Lesufi and Gauteng Premier David Makhura were opening the newly built Freedom Park Secondary School in Devland, in Soweto.

The new school, which will accommodate about 1,000 learners from the area, will open during the fourth quarter of the year.

The state-of-the-art school boasts 25 classrooms, three laboratories, a computer room and a library along with a sports facility building, soccer or rugby ground, canteen and courts for netball, tennis and basketball.

Lesufi appealed to the local community to take good care of the school.

Mandla Sithole, a parent who came to witness the handing over of the new school, told SAnews he was grateful for the school as it will reduce the long distances learners have to travel from neighbouring townships to get to school.

Makhura told the community members gathered at the event that the school reaffirmed government's commitment to provide state of the art infrastructure to communities which have been previously under serviced.

"We are still going to build more schools, houses and hospitals," he said.