BASIC EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AND SECTION27 JOINT STATEMENT ON INFRASTRUCTURE AND SANITATION IN LIMPOPO SCHOOLS
The Deputy Minister of Basic Education, Mr Enver Surty, and his senior officials held a productive and fruitful meeting with SECTION27 in Pretoria yesterday morning. The meeting came about as the result of serious concerns raised by SECTION27 on infrastructure and sanitation in a number of letters to the Department during 2012 and 2013.
The Deputy Minister and SECTION27 expressed a shared vision for the future of South African learners as well as a shared desire to rid the education system of unacceptable conditions relating to sanitation, provision of water as well as infrastructure challenges. Whilst agreeing that there will at times be differences, SECTION27 and the Department of Basic Education have agreed wherever possible to work constructively together to tackle the challenges.
SANITATION
SECTION27 expressed concern over the unsafe and unhygienic toilets in many schools with particular attention to the sanitation challenges in the Limpopo province.
The Deputy Minister reported that the Department was well aware of the challenges they were raising and have already begun to address the sanitation backlogs. The Limpopo Department of Education (LDoE) has embarked on a massive roll out of the provisioning of water and sanitation at three hundred and seventy four (374) schools across the Province. These projects are already at the implementation stage.
Two hundred and sixty two (262) schools are being provided with Enviroloo toilets, the number of toilet blocks per school depends on both the learner and educator numbers in the school (a total of four thousand and two (4002) enviroloo toilet seats are being provided through this programme, benefiting about one hundred and forty one thousand (141 000) learners. The cost of providing sanitation facilities at these schools is about R250 million (R248’124’000.00).
Existing departmental plans include provision for the vitally important education of communities in maintenance and management of toilets.
It was agreed by both parties in the meeting that sanitation is a matter of dignity and while the published school infrastructure norms and standards stipulate that within three years all schools must have provisions for basic needs such as water, electricity and sanitation, the Department of Basic Education will “accelerate and intensify” the delivery of these basic needs.
SCHOOL FURNITURE
In 2012 the Department had reported to SECTION27 that it had conducted an audit of Limpopo schools. The results of the audit showed that over 194000 learners in Limpopo did not have their own desks. The Department undertook to address this issue by 31 March 2013.
The Deputy Minister reported that the Department of Basic Education, through the National Education Collaboration Trust, is working with the Department of Labour, the Department of Correctional Services and the Department of Environmental affairs to manufacture and deliver school furniture to schools around the country. This collaboration has proven extremely successful. To date, 49718 desks have been ordered in Limpopo Province alone and delivery is underway. This initiative is now in its second phase and an additional order has been placed for the next financial year. This is in addition to the provincial budget allocation for school furniture.
STORM DAMAGED SCHOOL INFRASTRUCTURE
The Limpopo Province is plagued by massive storms in the summer months and this has a destructive effect on school infrastructure in many areas of the province. Repairs often take time to address due to the extensive procurement policies of government. SECTION27 expressed its dissatisfaction about the slow pace with which storm damaged infrastructure is being addressed in five schools in particular. However they were assured by the Department that contractors have been appointed to all the schools they brought to the Department’s attention and that construction is going to begin shortly.
Moving forward the Department has developed a ‘Framework agreement for storm damaged schools’ which includes a list of service providers on standby to repair storm-ravaged schools. The funding for these repairs will come from the disaster fund. Where these repairs will take a long period of time, the Department noted the need to look into providing mobile classrooms as an interim measure.
The Department of Basic Education and SECTION27 welcomed the interactive meeting as well as the initiatives from both entities in forwarding the agenda of the South African child and ensuring that every child gets the quality education they are entitled to. It was agreed to improve communication and responsiveness, and further meetings will take place to address some of the specific issues raised by SECTION27.
ENDS
For further information contact:
SECTION27 DBE
Nikki Stein on 082 528 7232 Troy Martens 079 099 30 70
Solanga Milambo on 072 865 7771 Elijah Mhlanga 083 580 8275
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