Schools may sell old desks, says department

Public schools in Limpopo Province are allowed to dispose of their old school furniture in any manner they want, even if it means selling the desks for scrap metal.

This worrying reality was confirmed by the Limpopo Department of Education’s spokesperson, Mr Sam Makondo, last week. Makondo responded to a request for comment after he was sent a photo of a bakkie loaded with old school desks. The driver took the load to a Louis Trichardt-based scrap-metal dealer.

Two weeks ago, a reader sent through the photo of the bakkie with the school desks, which he had taken on the road between Elim and Louis Trichardt. According to the reader, that was the second time in a week that he ended up driving behind the bakkie that was en route to the scrap-metal dealer.

What worried him, he said, was the fact that the steel frameworks of the desks seemed to be in perfectly good shape. Given the shortage of school furniture, he thought it would be better to repair and use these desks.

According to Makonde, each school has its own management policy on its infrastructure and loose property. This prescribes the maintenance, buying and disposing of assets. The department’s norms and standards must, however, be respected.

“The department disposes of old furniture through transfers to other stakeholders and open government auctions,” said Mr Makondo. He said a need for analysis existed at each school and this process involved inspectors based at district offices and the school management.

Mr Makondo said the school management submitted their furniture requests at the district office and those needs were verified at the district level.

According to the Financial Regulations, Framework and Standard Chart of Accounts for public schools, assets must only be disposed of if they cannot be repaired or used for their intended purposes. “Schools may not dispose of assets without approval from the Provincial Department of Education. An effort should be made to share of surplus and unused assets to a place where there is a need such as other schools, institutions and charitable bodies, etc,” reads the regulation.

The principal has to see to it that the asset-disposal procedures are followed, income is received and the appropriate account entries are made.

Date:22 June 2019

By: Phathutshedzo Luvhengo

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