Despite the progress that has been made to improve South Africa’s public schools in the past decade, significant challenges remain, according to a new report released by the department of basic education.

The department monitors infrastructural shortages or backlogs at schools through the Education Facility Management System. Its latest report, released in July 2024, shows that 287 schools still have pit toilets as their only ablution facilities. Many schools still lack access to educational spaces such as libraries and computer centres.

It is 11 years since the minimum norms and standards for public schools were gazetted by then basic education minister Angie Motshekga. These aimed to ensure that infrastructure deficits were eliminated within 10 years, giving all learners access to a safe, effective and equitable learning environment.

All public ordinary schools now have access to electricity, water as well as some form of ablution facilities, the report says.

The department of basic education should have replaced pit toilets at schools with more appropriate sanitation in all schools by the end of November 2016. However, 287 schools still have pit toilets as their only means of sanitation, according to the EFMS report.

Eight years ago, there were almost 5,000 schools with pit toilets as the only sanitation. This has decreased by 94% to 287 public schools.

The schools that still have pit toilets as their only form of sanitation are in Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. Pit toilets, as the only form of sanitation, have been eradicated in the schools in the other provinces, the report says.

About 26% of the country’s 22,511 public schools have libraries, according to the report.

Schools in the Eastern Cape are the worst off, with just 7% of schools having libraries. Only 9% of schools in Limpopo have libraries. About 69% of schools in the Free State have libraries, the most in the country. Gauteng is the only other province in South Africa where more than two-thirds of the schools have libraries.

Although the department committed to putting libraries in all government schools by 29 November 2023, almost 17,000 schools are still without these facilities. Of the schools that do have designated library facilities, only 57% (3,312) are actually stocked with books.

Only one-third of public schools have a computer centre, and their distribution across the country is very uneven. In the Eastern Cape, only one in 10 schools has a computer centre, whereas in Gauteng, eight out of 10 schools have one.

In June 2024, the department re-gazetted regulations that stipulate that schools should have technology centres or laboratories if they offer technology or science as subjects. However, only 18% of schools had laboratories.

Notebook