Schools still without water, sanitation

WHILE SOME Gauteng pupils have access to the latest technology in the classroom, some are still trailing behind and have no access to basic necessities like water and sanitation.

According to the Gauteng Education Department, there are four schools in the province that do not have running water, and are supplied using water trucks.

One of these schools is Goza Primary School in Freedom Park.

The school has been relying on JoJo tanks that can hold up to 20 000 litres of water, the amount the school needs daily to operate.

Department spokesperson Oupa Bodibe said two schools in the province had improper sanitation and the department was providing the service through portable toilets.

“The department has received some complaints pertaining to poor sanitation and water shortages. The challenges experienced are mainly the result of insufficient maintenance due to budget limitations.

“However, the department has conducted assessments on the schools, and has already started to do the necessary repairs as an interim measure while working on long-term solutions,” Bodibe said.

He added that all schools in Gauteng had access to water infrastructure.

“However, there are instances where the infrastructure is provided but the service is not regularly available, and in these instances, the service is delivered by the department,” Bodibe said.

According to a National Education Infrastructure Management System Standards Report last year, 81 schools in the province had an unreliable water supply and 105 had an unreliable electricity supply.

DA education spokesman Khume Ramulifho said Bekekayo Intermediate School in Bapsfontein had been without water for the past six months.

“Pupils have no choice but to relieve themselves in the school yard as the toilets cannot be flushed,” he said.

Ramulifho said the lack of proper water and sanitation put pupils’ health at risk.