School Infrastructure Acceleration: Eliminating Inappropriate Structures
Theme: School infrastructure
Assessment
Responsible: Department of Basic Education / Provincial Education Departments / CIDB
Feasibility Assessment
Remaining ASIDI infrastructure is fiscally funded within EIG. The constraint is project management and procurement, not appropriation. Direct DBEDBE — Department of Basic Education: The national department responsible for schooling from Grade R to Grade 12 — curriculum, teacher policy, and infrastructure norms. Delivery sits largely with the nine provincial education departments, which is why basic-education reforms on this site usually name both as responsible. management of outstanding schools is administratively achievable. 3-year completion is an aggressive but realistic target.
Description
The Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Delivery Initiative (ASIDI), launched in 2011 under the Artisan Development Programme and managed by the DBE through the Education Infrastructure Grant (EIG), was designed to replace all schools built from inappropriate materials (mud, asbestos, wood) and to address the most critical backlogs in sanitation, water, and electricity provision. As of 2024, approximately 800 inappropriate structures remain across Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Limpopo—down from an original list of 3,116—despite R5.6 billion in EIG allocations since 2011. The slow progress (averaging 150–200 schools replaced per year) reflects: procurement failures within provincial education departments, disputes over school sites (particularly in rural areas with traditional authority land), the community disruption of school relocation during construction, and contractor performance failures. The reform proposes: direct DBE management of remaining ASIDI schools (bypassing under-performing provincial implementing agents), a dedicated contractor performance management unit, and an accelerated 3-year completion target. The PC on Basic Education's BRRRs 2020–2024 document annual slippage on ASIDI targets despite available budget.
Referenced in OECD Economic Surveys: South Africa
OECD SA Survey (2017, 2020, 2022, 2025). The 2025 survey calls for boosting public investment especially in electricity, water and rail.
800 schools built from mud, asbestos, and corrugated iron remain in use in 2024—13 years and R5.6 billion after ASIDI's launch. The problem is not funding; it is project management and political will. — DBE ASIDI Progress Report, 2024
Parliamentary record
20 meetingsCommittee sittings this reform was drawn from, most recent first. Each row opens the meeting on this site; the PMG link goes to the source record.
Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment
6 August 2026South African National Parks, iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority & SAFCOLQ3 and 4 2025/26 Performance; with Deputy Minister
Higher Education and Training
3 June 2026Underutilised infrastructure transfer delays: Higher Education, DPWI, DBE interaction
Basic Education
31 March 2026KZN & NW PEDs Annual Performance Plans, implementation of AGSA recommendations & anti-bullying strategies; with the Minister and Deputy Minister
How to cite
Wilse-Samson, L. (2026). School Infrastructure Acceleration: Eliminating Inappropriate Structures. SA Policy Space. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://sa-policy-space.vercel.app/ideas/school-infrastructure-acceleration-eliminating-inappropriate-structures?snapshot=2026-08-24
Status History
tracked since Mar 2026- Recorded as Partially implemented when status tracking began — held since at least Mar 2026.Mar 2026
Data as of 2026-08-24 · latest PMG meeting 2026-08-21