Almost 11 000 schools in the country are without a single flushing toilet and 383 schools do not have access to running water.
The Eastern Cape led in the number of schools without flushing toilets at 3 785, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 3 700 and 2 533 in Limpopo.
Northern Cape had the least number of schools without flushing toilets with 62 and 85 in the Western Cape.
However, Western Cape Education (WCED) spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said assessments by their infrastructure team indicate that all schools in the province have flushing toilets and meet the minimum norms and standards.
Only three provinces were reported to have all their schools with running water – Gauteng, Western Cape and Northern Cape.
This was revealed by Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube in a written reply to parliamentary questions from Build One SA (Bosa) leader Mmusi Maimane.
Gwarube also said there were 652 schools with pit latrines, with 170 being in KwaZulu-Natal followed by 405 in Eastern Cape, 40 in Mpumalanga and 37 in Limpopo.
“Some schools have proper toilets with pit latrines on site. Schools with no running water have been provided with water tankers.
“There are no schools without electricity,” she said.
According to the department, 346 schools were provided with sanitation facilities through the Sanitation Appropriate for Education initiative and four schools were provided with water facilities through the initiative.
Equal Education (EE) researcher Kimberley Khumalo said the number of schools with non-flushing toilets was high but does not necessarily mean that they have plain pit toilets.
She said the number of schools with plain pit toilets has decreased over the 11 years since the school infrastructure law was introduced; however, this progress has been far too slow and in many instances difficult to track.
She said provincial education departments (PEDs) report through several reporting mechanisms and they also often also make Promotion of Access to Information Act (Paia) requests as part of monitoring progress in the education sector.
“The EE has, however, identified various challenges that compromise our ability to accurately measure progress and importantly, the ability of the Department of Basic Education to identify schools. Oftentimes, data provided by national and provincial departments contradicts each other, and sometimes the available data is incomplete or inconsistent,” said Khumalo.
In a June 2024 Paia request by EE, it states there are 4 195 schools with pit toilets in the country while the Education Facilities Management System (EFMS) report revealed that by July 2014 there were 1 770 schools with pit toilets.
“It has been more than a decade since the school infrastructure law was promulgated.
“Yet, thousands of schools across the country still do not meet the basic requirements of a dignified learning environment.
“We are also aware of the effect that austerity measures continue to have on the sector. Budget cuts continue to deprive learners of their right to education.”
Bosa acting spokesperson Roger Solomons said the party remained concerned at the stark disparities in school infrastructure across the country.
“This shocking reality is a fundamental violation of the dignity of learners and stands as an undeniable indicator of South Africa’s grossly unequal education system. While some schools boast AstroTurf sports fields and state-of-the-art science labs, hundreds of thousands of learners are subjected daily to appalling conditions in schools without the most basic facilities.
“This division is a direct result of ongoing government neglect and perpetuates cycles of inequality, robbing students in under-resourced communities of their right to a safe and conducive learning environment,” said Solomons. The party called for a timeline for dealing with school infrastructure challenges and an immediate allocation of resources.
Cape Times