Some schools worry about which classroom furniture they’ll use for a new academic year and how they’ll arrange it. But too many others wonder whether they’ll even have any in the first place. Fortunately for students in South Africa, the European Union has donated R100 million (about $9.4 million US) to build 27 new schools in 3 different provinces, according to the Sowetan. All of the schools “boast new buildings, furniture, water, sanitation, electricity and palisade fencing.” The new institutions should provide welcome relief and better educational conditions for many students who previously may have studied “under trees... [or] in mud or shack classrooms.”

As with many other one-time measures, the new school buildings represent a positive first step in addressing South Africa’s growing need for functional facilities. But according to official Aaron Motsoaledi, Limpopo province alone has nearly 120 “dilapidated” school buildings, while only 9 new ones are presently under construction. The country can only hope that benefactors and the government will follow the EU’s lead and invest in education, but sweeping change will likely take place at a slower pace than educators would like. It all goes to show that students, parents, teachers and administrators in the US and other more fortunate countries around the globe should never take their school desks, chairs, tables and other classroom furniture for granted.

(Photo via Morguefile)