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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Built Environ.
Sec. Construction Management
Volume 10 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fbuil.2024.1319902
This article is part of the Research Topic Infrastructure Project Management View all 4 articles

Defying Decay: A Strategy to Enforce Infrastructure Standards in Rural Schools within the Eastern Cape, South Africa

Provisionally accepted
Buyisiwe Ndungane Buyisiwe Ndungane Gerrit Crafford Gerrit Crafford *Tirivavi Moyo Tirivavi Moyo
  • Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The Eastern Cape Department of Education (ECDoE) in South Africa struggles with significant infrastructure challenges in rural schools, including inadequate funding, poor maintenance, and a shortage of essential facilities. These issues hinder the provision of quality education and violate the Minimum Uniform Norms and Standards for Public School Infrastructure (MUNS-PSI) regulations, necessitating effective strategies to ensure safe and conducive learning environments. This research aimed to investigate the infrastructure challenges of rural schools in the Eastern Cape and develop strategies to improve adherence to MUNS-PSI regulations. An interpretivist philosophy and inductive approach were used, focusing on a case study strategy. The research employed a monomethod qualitative approach, collecting data through semi-structured interviews with ten school managers and senior managers within the Chris Hani East District infrastructure delivery section. Conducted within a cross-sectional time horizon, purposive sampling was used to select participants, and thematic analysis was applied to the data. Findings revealed that the ECDoE lacks credible plans, sound systems, and effective leadership, resulting in poor governance and non-service delivery. Key challenges include the absence of a retention plan and a shortage of technological expertise. The study suggests forming a cross-functional group led by the head of the Department of Education to manage school infrastructure effectively. Training officials on technical skills related to the built environment and implementing the Infrastructure Delivery Management System were recommended. This research provides actionable strategies to improve adherence to MUNS-PSI regulations, enhancing the educational infrastructure and quality of education in the Eastern Cape.

    Keywords: infrastructure, Infrastructure standards, Maintenance, Rural schools, Eastern cape

    Received: 11 Oct 2023; Accepted: 15 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Ndungane, Crafford and Moyo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Gerrit Crafford, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, 6031, South Africa

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