The Department of Basic Education (DBE) launched the Safe Schools App yesterday in Pretoria in an effort to eliminate the plight of pit toilets in schools across the country.
The app was donated and developed by one of the biggest cell phone brands in the country.
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube said this new technology allows the public to report existing pit toilets in their areas.
“This will allow citizens to be able to log any pit toilets or unsafe infrastructure in schools that are in their communities.
“This information will be directly fed back to the DBE so we may be able to see in real-time where the issues are, and where pit toilets are,“ said Gwarube.
The Safe Schools App aims to ensure the safety of learners and teachers in the education system, while steadfastly addressing the eradication of pit latrines.
A written Parliamentary response by the minister to Build One South Africa (Bosa) in October stipulated that there are 652 schools with pit latrines on site.
The Eastern Cape ranked the highest with 405 pit toilets on school sites, Kwazulu-Natal followed behind with 170, Mpumalanga accounted for 40 pit toilets and Limpopo had 37.
Gwarube’s response spotlighted the lack of sanitation in schools, as there are 10 938 schools with no flushing toilets.
“It's extremely important because pit toilets and the eradication of them is not just a safety issue, it is about dignity. We want to make sure that our learners and our educators go to schools where there's proper sanitation,” said Gwarube.
The app is a tool that will aid the minister and DBE’s mission to eradicate pit latrines by March 2025. This strategy will improve schools’ learning environment.
“This allows us a dashboard that presents live information, and we can go and have targeted interventions where it is most needed.
“Through this app, we are embracing the principles of transparency and collaboration,” said Gwaurbe.
She further urged the public to play an active role and report existing pit latrines on www.safeschools.gov.za for an effective solution in the education sector.
“It is a wonderful, powerful tool that allows you, the community, to get involved and be part of the solution. Every report that you log brings us closer and closer to making sure that we eradicate pit toilets. We are getting closer to restoring the dignity of every learner in our country,” said Gwarube.
The pit latrine issue has been a thorn in SA’s basic education system over the years leaving learners falling inside and losing their lives.
In 2021 the Polokwane High Court in Limpopo ordered the provincial and national Departments of Education to come up with a revised document on how they planned to eradicate pit latrines in all schools across the country.
The family of 5-year-old Michael Komape had taken the ministries to court after his death in January 2014 after he fell into a pit toilet at the Mahlodumela Primary School in Chebeng Village outside Polokwane.
The family sought the state to be compelled to provide a list of all schools with pit toilets and get rid of them.
Section 27, which acted as legal support for the family, was also petitioning for the provincial department to draft a new plan to eradicate pit latrines at schools.
The Komape family had initially claimed damages in the high court, but this was overturned in the Supreme Court of Appeal in 2019 when they were awarded R1.4 million.
At that time, more than 3 000 schools used pit latrines across the country, with most being in the rural areas of Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape leaving scores of learners to their demise after falling inside.
The Star
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