EQUAL EDUCATION AUDIT OF TEMBISA HIGH SCHOOLS UNCOVERS SANITATION CONDITIONS THAT ARE WORSE THAN PRISONS

Today, on United Nation's World Toilet Day (19 November), Equal Education (EE) is releasing the results of its recent audit of sanitation at over two thirds of the public secondary schools in Tembisa, or 11 schools in total.

Key findings from the audit, which was conducted by EE learner members at these schools over a two-week period, include:

1) At over half of the schools surveyed, it is commonplace for more than 100 boys or 100 girls have to share a single working toilet. By comparison, according to the Wits Justice Project, 65 men share a single toilet at Johannesburg Medium A prison [see here]

2) Approximately 90% of schools surveyed have insufficient infrastructure (not enough toilets to meet Department of Water Affairs and Forestry standards of one toilet per 25 girls and one toilet plus one urinal per 40 boys) or a dysfunctional sanitation system (not enough working toilets to meet Department of Water Affairs and Forestry standards).

3) In some schools, there are days where there are no functioning toilets for students to use.

4) No students reported having regular access to toilet paper or soap

5) Many schools have broken or non-functioning taps; sometimes there is no water supply.

6) Many schools do not have sanitary bins. In those that do, the sanitary bins are often full, resulting in students throwing their sanitary pads on the floor

Long lines at bathrooms keep students from class and bad smells from nearby toilets distract them in class. The lack of soap and water means that students cannot wash their hands, even though they have no toilet paper. Both girls and boys feel violated and unsafe due to the lack of doors or locks on doors. As one student said, "My dignity is not there anymore because of the dirty toilet I have to go to every day." 

On 25 October 2013, EE presented the Ekurhuleni North Education District Director with these findings and asked the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) to release a timeline for developing a plan to address the crisis by 8 November 2013. The plan should:

-Establish standards for the supply of sanitation materials, maintenance and monitoring
-Provide timelines as to when schools will reach these standards
-Include public accountability measures to ensure transparency and fairness

EE has corresponded repeatedly with both the office of the Gauteng Education MEC as well as the Ekurhuleni North District on this issue. The MEC has committed to meeting with EE on 26 November. Yet, the GDE has not indicated a date by which it will develop a plan to address the crisis.

EE would welcome the opportunity to work with the GDE on developing a plan to address this urgent crisis in Tembisa. EE is further aware that many students around the country suffer similar conditions, which the Minister of Basic Education has promised to start addressing by issuing Minimum Norms and Standards for School Infrastructure on 30 November 2013.

Statement issued by Tshepo Motsepe, Co-Head: Equal Education Gauteng, and Adam Bradlow, Co-Head: Equal Education Gauteng, November 19 2013

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