Grocott's Mail
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Tuesday, June 17
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Grocott's Mail
    • NEWS
      • Courts & Crime
      • Features
      • Politics
      • People
      • Health & Well-being
    • SPORT
      • News
      • Results
      • Sports Diary
      • Club Contacts
      • Columns
      • Sport Galleries
      • Sport Videos
    • OPINION
      • Election Connection
      • Makana Voices
      • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
      • Newtown… Old Eyes
      • Incisive View
      • Your Say
    • ARTSLIFE
      • Cue
        • Cue Archives
      • Makana Sharp!
      • Visual Art
      • Literature
      • Food
      • Festivals
      • Community Arts
      • Going Places
    • OUR TOWN
      • What’s on
      • Spiritual
      • Emergency & Well-being
      • Covid-19
      • Safety
      • Civic
      • Municipality
      • Weather
      • Properties
        • Grahamstown Properties
      • Your Town, Our Town
    • OUTSIDE
      • Enviro News
      • Gardening
      • Farming
      • Science
      • Conservation
      • Motoring
      • Pets/Animals
    • ECONOMIX
      • Business News
      • Entrepreneurship
      • Personal Finance
    • EDUCATION
      • Education NEWS
      • Education OUR TOWN
      • Education INFO
    • EDITORIAL
    Grocott's Mail
    You are at:Home»OUR TOWN»Civic»School infrastructure now an emergency
    Civic

    School infrastructure now an emergency

    Grocott's Mail ContributorsBy Grocott's Mail ContributorsApril 6, 2018No Comments3 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

    The rights of many learners to education and human dignity is being violated because of the lack of sanitation facilities, writes Siyabulela Fobosi.

    While South Africa is seen as having some of the highest rates of universal access to primary education, with Gross enrolment rates in primary schools having increased from 88,1% in 2002 to 94,2% in 2015 (StatsSA, 2016), public schools continue to face infrastructure challenges.

    For example, in January 2018 the Department of Basic Education in its National Education Infrastructure Management System (NEIMS) reported that out of the 5 400 schools in the Eastern Cape, 1 945 schools used pit latrines, 154 schools had no electricity.

    The death of Lumko Mkhethwa is a case in point of poor infrastructures in some schools. The 5-year-old fell into a pit latrine at Luna Primary School in Bizana, in the Eastern Cape. The use of pit latrines in schools has negative implications on the healthy learning environment for the learners. Poor sanitation, and lack of access to basic services also affect the health of learners. The rights of many learners to education and human dignity is being violated because of the lack of sanitation facilities.

    This condition demonstrates that access to quality of education remains very poor mostly in the historically deprived areas of the Eastern Cape; some of the schools do not even meet the basic learning infrastructure requirements such as access to laboratories, libraries, internet connections and proper toilets.

    The existence of pit latrines in schools constitutes an affront to equitable access to education and resources. As such, the Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM) makes the following recommendations to the Department of Basic Education:

    • In accordance with the National Norms and Standards for School Infrastructure, all schools should meet the basic learning infrastructure requirements such as access to electricity, laboratories, libraries and proper toilets in order to ensure the right of learners to education.
    • Accordingly, the Department of Basic Education should commit to upgrading each school’s infrastructure to meet optimum standards.
    • The Department should consider learner safety when planning infrastructure, so as to avoid cases of the death of learners in pit latrines.
    • There should be more focus on promoting access to healthy learning environment for all learners.
    • It is high time that the Department of Basic Education (assisted by Treasury) address challenges in school infrastructure provisioning.

     

    • Siyabulela Fobosi is an Education Researcher at the Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM), School of Journalism & Media Studies, Rhodes University. Email S.Fobosi@ru.ac.za  
      Twitter: @PSAM_AFRICA  
      www.psam.org.za
    Previous ArticleMakana’s Kop procession launches Mda’s vision
    Next Article Bible Monument commemoration lives again
    Grocott's Mail Contributors

      Grocott's Mail Contributors includes content submitted by members of the public, and public and private institutions and organisations - regular and occasional, expert and citizen, opinion and analysis.

      Comments are closed.

      Code of Ethics and Conduct
      GROCOTT’S SUBSCRIPTION
      RMR
      Listen to RMR


      Humans of Makhanda

      Humans of Makhanda

      Weather    |     About     |     Advertise     |     Subscribe     |     Contact     |     Support Grocott’s Mail

      © 2025 Maintained by School of Journalism & Media Studies.

      Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.