Siviwe Gwarube Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube announces the completion of the school sanitation programme, but advocates warn that this is just the beginning. Calls for a national audit highlight the ongoing challenges in ensuring safe sanitation for all learners.
The announcement by Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube regarding the successful completion of the school sanitation programme launched in 2018 marked a pivotal milestone in South Africa's ongoing efforts to ensure safe and adequate sanitation for all learners.
With all 3,372 schools identified under the Sanitation Appropriate for Education Initiative now equipped with proper sanitation facilities, this achievement has brought renewed hope to communities that were long affected by unsafe toilet conditions.
However, Section27, an education rights group, maintained that this success should be viewed not as an endpoint but rather as a catalyst for further action.
The organisation called for a comprehensive national audit of school sanitation across the country.
