State of Toilets in South Africa's Public Schools

At half of all schools there are classrooms with a hole in the ceiling or the floor, and 20% of schools have at least five broken windows.

  imageby: SHELLEY CHRISTIANS

The latest audit by the Equal Education movement of 200 of the 2,000 township schools in the province revealed that 30% of schools had one toilet for every 100 pupils.
By comparison, 65 men share a single toilet at the overcrowded Johannesburg Medium A prison, according to the wits Justice Project.
The school audit conducted between March and April found:

• One out of every five toilets is locked or broken;
• Nearly 70% of pupils do not have access to soap;
• More than 40% of pupils do not have access to toilet paper; and
• More than a quarter of schools have a single maintenance person for more than 400 pupils.

It found that there were roughly 50 pupils per class at about half the schools.
The survey, released yesterday, presents findings of research conducted by hundreds of pupils, teachers, parents and grandparents about issues such as sanitation, overcrowding, laboratories, sports fields, water and electricity, safety and security, and provisions for children with special needs.
About 80% of schools have a shortage of proper desks or chairs.
At half of all schools there are classrooms with a hole in the ceiling or the floor, and 20% of schools have at least five broken windows.

The report comes against the backdrop of Equal Education's efforts to get Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga to ensure standardised infrastructure for schools.
Basic Education spokesman Elijah Mhlanga said the department had conducted its own infrastructure audit and knew what needed to be done.
"The department is working on a daily basis to deliver infrastructure to all our schools, including sanitation, water, electricity, libraries and other facilities," said Mhlanga.
But the principal of a high school in Tembisa, east of Johannesburg, told The Times this week how challenging it was to teach science without a laboratory.

"We have to make something out of whatever we have. But it doesn't make sense for us as a school to offer science [when] we have no access to a lab," said the principal, who asked not to be named because he had not been sanctioned to comment.
University of Pretoria education psychologist Kobus Maree said the lack of resources and basic infrastructure affected not only the performance of teachers and pupils, but their behaviour too.

"It is heartbreaking for this to be happening 21 years into democracy. These shortages only perpetuate the existing socioeconomic divide," he said.
According to the Equal Education report, about half of high schools do not have a proper laboratory and necessary equipment.
There are also too few libraries and sports fields. About one in seven schools has no access to a sports field, while at least 70% of schools do not have a functional library.

University of the Free State rector Jonathan Jansen said, though the government had "good intentions", political commitment was the problem, not resources.
"The basic provisioning of safe and secure places in which children learn has to be the foremost priority of provincial departments of government.
"You cannot do much with complex curricula or dedicated teachers or motivated pupils when working and learning conditions are so dismal," said Jansen.

Solid infrastructure communicated a message of care for the most vulnerable and a message of professionalism for those who taught, he said.
Equal Education demands in its report that Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi increases the number of toilets, improves maintenance and access to the supply of toilet paper, soap and sanitary pads in schools.

It gives a deadline of June 16 for Gauteng-appropriate standards to deal with critical shortages of desks, chairs and technology, and overcrowding.
Gauteng education spokesman Phumla Sekhonyane said the department was finalising plans to comply with the minimum norms and standards for school toilets.
"A team of professionals is currently finalising a quality-assurance assessment of 578 schools and will draft medium- to long-term recommendations."

Equal Education spokesman Nombulelo Nyathela said the Eastern Cape was "by far one of the worst provinces" in terms of school infrastructure, though similar problems could be found in rural areas of other provinces.

Source- Times