The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) will today release a full report regarding sanitation issues at schools in the province.
According to GDE spokesperson Phumla Sekhonyane, the Gauteng MEC for Education, Panyaza Lesufi identified school infrastructure as one of the key priorities for the department.
In his budget speech the MEC announced that the department identified 580 schools across the province which had challenges with sanitation. Contractors were appointed to do work in all of these schools and a budget of R115 million was set aside for this purpose.
Sekhonyane confirmed that “Repairs have been completed in 400 of the 580 schools identified for repairs. The MEC has seriously reprimanded the managers who dropped the ball on this crucial mandate and a new team with centre project managers was appointed to remedy the delay. The MEC remains firm that sanitation deadlines remain non negotiable.”
The GDE is expecting repairs in the remaining 150 schools to be completed by the end of September.
Sekhonyane added “The dedicated efforts put by the MEC in ensuring that learners learn in schools with functional toilets is a clear indication of the commitment of this government in restoring the dignity of learners.
“As a permanent solution, the department has developed guidelines to schools (all the users) to assist them in managing and maintaining toilets more effectively. The department is also assisting schools to use their maintenance allocations (as part of their funding allocations) more efficiently and effectively to deal with preventative and day-to-day maintenance.”
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