Century-Flagstaff Comprehensive High School Still Awaits Reconstruction After R195 Million Promise. In the quiet village of Dibona, near Flagstaff in the Eastern Cape, the Century-Flagstaff Comprehensive High School stands as a painful symbol of broken promises and government neglect. Built more than a century ago by community members in 1924, the school was set to be completely rebuilt as part of a R195 million development project announced in 2013. Over a decade later, the school remains in a state of disrepair, its learners and staff left in limbo.
In 2013, the Eastern Cape Department of Education, in conjunction with the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC), identified Century- Flagstaff Comprehensive High School and two other aging schools as beneficiaries of a R195-million reconstruction initiative.
According to the ECDC’s 2015/16 report,Century- Flagstaff’s project was to include eight new classrooms, a science lab, media centre, administration block, dining hall, teachers’ workroom, guardhouse, and 19 modern ablution facilities. The report optimistically stated that the new school would be ready for its 1,105 learners in the following academic year.
The Future of Education in Century Flagstaff
On the issue of the incomplete flush toilets installed in 2023, Mboxela said water supply constraints were to blame. “The project was stopped because the municipality had no running water,” she stated.
More than a decade after the announcement of the R195 million plan,Century- Flagstaff Comprehensive High School still lacks the infrastructure promised. As the school year progresses, students continue to learn in overcrowded, unsafe, and unhygienic conditions. The situation raises serious concerns about equity in education and the government’s accountability to rural communities like those in Flagstaff.
For the families and learners of Dibona and the greater Flagstaff area, hope remains—but patience is wearing thin. Until concrete action is taken,Century- Flagstaff Comprehensive High School will remain a symbol of neglect and a testament to the failure of service delivery in South Africa’s public education system.
Source- EWN
