Chairperson, I thank the hon member for asking this question.
Yes, there is a government programme for the eradication of mud schools and other inappropriate structures. This programme was identified as a national priority in the President's 2008 state of the nation address.
The national Department of Public Works does not administer the budget for the programme. However, a budget of R2,7 billion was initially allocated to the Department of Education over the 2009-11 MTEF period as additional funding for infrastructure development, with a particular focus on the eradication of unsafe, undesirable and mud structures through the EPWP. The Independent Development Trust, IDT, board of trustees approved a contribution of R150 million in 2007 for the eradication of mud schools.
The IDT has managed the implementation of this programme, which includes 39 projects across eight provinces. Of these, 26 projects, 16 schools and 10 toilet projects have been handed over to the education departments of the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Free State and North West.
To date, over 5 600 learners from pre-primary to Grade 12 have benefited from the programme, through the construction of 126 classrooms, 27 specialist rooms, computer centres, libraries, laboratories, multipurpose centres, early childhood development centres and 256 toilets.
The Eastern Cape department of education is also implementing a mud schools eradication programme that is not funded from the R2,7 billion programme and the IDT has been appointed as implementing agent for 45 projects. To date, 38 classrooms, 9 specialist rooms and 59 toilets have been completed. The total allocation to the IDT for this programme was R510 million.
To enhance the learning environment, the IDT is providing additional facilities beyond the normal construction scope, including computer laboratories in seven schools, furniture in 13 schools, waste water treatment to allow water recycling for irrigation in four schools, and solar power to three schools.
The implementation of the IDT-funded programme, including the additional facilities, will be completed during the 2009-10 financial year. The IDT has been appointed as implementing agent for five provincial programmes, of which four have confirmed budgetary allocations for this financial year. The total of that is R188,5 million out of a total national allocation of R800 million.
The IDT is currently implementing 53 projects, of which five have been handed over to the Department of Education, and of which 18 are currently under construction. A total of 19 classrooms, specialist rooms and 49 toilets have been completed to date.
The needs of each school vary considerably, with some schools requiring full reconstruction and others only the addition or replacement of certain buildings. Also, school sizes vary considerably, as do material costs due to location. Budget allocation is therefore based on a pre-assessment of each individual school's needs. I thank you.