Basic education to replace pit latrine toilet in schools

Ga-Mashabela(Jane-Furse)

 

The Director General of the Department of Basic Education, Mathanzima Mweli, has visited Mashabela primary school to monitor infrastructure projects and construction of sanitation facilities which is currently underway.

The school is located within Lobethal circuit, under Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality (MLM) in the Sekhukhune region in Ga Mashabela area.

This comes after the Department of Basic Education together with the Provincial Departments made great strides in effort to replace pit latrine with appropriate sanitation facilities for schools in the country.

Up to so far, Mweli visited more than 500 schools construction site since March to accelerate the delivery of the much needed infrastructure.

The department said the monitoring of the projects will ensure appointed constructor complete in time, to specification and on budget.

The department also said, the Sanitation Appropriate for Education (SAFE) initiative was launched in August 2018 to accelerate the provision of sanitation facilities in the identified schools.

“The SAFE initiative is a flagship programme and I have resolved that I will carry out the monitoring function until the last school has a proper toilet. The monitoring has assisted the department to unblock challenges and resolve issues that delayed the building process,” said Mweli.

“We have improved the standard of reporting and the progress is satisfactory. Underperforming implementing agents have been warned that there will be consequences for poor delivery,” he said.

The department said the original numbers of schools which was reported by the provincial departments of education as schools dependent on basic pit toilet was 3 898.

However the department said there were several changes to the original numbers since the start of the programme mostly due to rationalisation of schools and the assessment that confirmed appropriation sanitation.

Elijah Mhlanga, the spokesperson for the department said the current scope of work on SAFE is 2 753 and categorised differently

Mhlanga said a total of 989 schools are addressed under various programme

“130 of the school are covered through donations and partnership of which 69 projects have already progressed to practical completion. 66 of the schools are covered under the ASIDI programme, all which have already progressed to practical completion,” said Mhlanga.

“793 of the schools are covered under the provincial Education, Infrastructure Grant (EIG), of which 69 projects have already progressed to practical completion,” he said.

Mhlanga further articulated that a total of 1 026 schools have been allocated to implement agents.

“392 of the schools were allocated to the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), of which 189 have already progressed top practical completion. 659 schools were allocated to the National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT), of which 12 projects have already progressed to practical completion,” said Mhlanga.

“632 schools were allocated to The Mvula Trust (TMT), of which 1873 projects have already progressed to practical completion and 81 of the schools were recently allocated to the Coega Development Corporation,” he explained

Mhlanga said in Limpopo a total of 387 schools of which 118 projects have already progressed to practical completion.