Question NW951 to the Minister of Basic Education

Reply:

(1)

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has made significant progress in building and upgrading education facilities to ensure they are child-friendly, disability-inclusive and gender-sensitive, in alignment with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4.

In terms of the South African Schools Act, read with the Government Immovable Asset Management Act, provinces are responsible for the provisioning, management, and maintenance of public school infrastructure. The DBE is responsible for setting norms and standards for public school infrastructure and provides support and oversight to Provincial Education Departments (PEDs).

While MECs for Education and their respective PEDs are responsible for implementing school infrastructure projects in their provinces, they do not report directly to the Minister and Deputy Minister of Basic Education or the DBE. This necessitates heightened collaboration and oversight between the national and provincial education departments to ensure that national priorities are effectively implemented at the provincial level. PEDs should not be returning funds to the National Treasury while public school infrastructure backlogs persist.

To support provinces in improving school infrastructure, the Regulations Relating to Minimum Uniform Norms and Standards for Public School Infrastructure require PEDs to submit annual progress reports detailing how infrastructure backlogs will be addressed. PEDs are currently finalising infrastructure plans to identify outstanding backlogs and outline strategies for resolving them.

In addition, the DBE has implemented several infrastructure programmes to address infrastructure challenges, such as:

• The Sanitation Appropriate for Education (SAFE) initiative, which focuses on eradicating unsafe sanitation facilities and replacing them with child-friendly, gender-sensitive and disability-inclusive sanitation infrastructure;
• The Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Delivery Initiative (ASIDI), which focused on critical infrastructure upgrades, particularly in rural and underprivileged areas, ensuring that schools meet safety, hygiene and accessibility standards; and
• Redesigned school building prototypes that align with updated building regulations to ensure universal accessibility for all learners.

Despite these efforts, infrastructure backlogs and funding constraints remain a challenge. The DBE continues to work closely with PEDs, the private sector and partners to ensure all learners have access to safe and inclusive learning environments.

(2)

The DBE recognises the urgent need to combat violence and bullying in schools and has strengthened legislative and policy interventions to ensure safe learning environments for all learners. These are discussed below:

• Amendments to the South African Schools Act introduced through the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act, 2024:

The South African Schools Act, as amended, reaffirms the prohibition on corporal punishment in schools and extends the prohibition to all school-related activities and hostels accommodating learners. To support this, the DBE has developed a Protocol to Deal with Incidents of Corporal Punishment in Schools, which provides clear guidelines for reporting and addressing such cases.

• Positive Discipline Manual:

To ensure that learner discipline in schools is addressed in a fair and non-violent manner, the DBE is collaborating with stakeholders to develop a Positive Discipline Manual. This guide will equip educators with alternative disciplinary measures that foster respect, responsibility and constructive conflict resolution.

• Anti-Bullying Strategy:

The DBE has developed a comprehensive manual on addressing bullying in schools, which is currently undergoing consultation and is expected to be released by June 2025. The manual provides schools with guidance on how to identify, prevent and respond to bullying, including cyberbullying, homophobic bullying and gender-based violence.

• Strengthening Accountability and Oversight:

Accountability mechanisms must be strengthened to prevent systemic negligence and to ensure the safety and dignity of all learners. In this regard, the Minister of Basic Education will ensure that the Regulations relating to Minimum Uniform Norms and Standards for Public School Infrastructure are reviewed to ensure that they (a) provide clear oversight mechanisms; (b) improve infrastructure delivery at a school level; and (c) strengthen interventions that promote learner safety.

• Collaboration with the South African Police Service (SAPS):

Under the leadership of the Minister of Basic Education and the Minister of Police, the DBE has intensified its partnership with SAPS to strengthen law enforcement cooperation in schools. A new Collaborative Implementation Protocol between the DBE and SAPS has been finalised, which is aimed to:

• • Enhance school safety interventions;
  • Increase police visibility around schools; and
  • Facilitate stronger action against perpetrators of school-related violence.

While the South African Schools Act, as amended, and the Regulations for Safety Measures at Public Schools, 2001, provide a strong legislative framework for addressing school violence, the DBE is strengthening collaboration with PEDs, law enforcement agencies and civil society to ensure effective implementation of these laws.

The DBE remains committed to ensuring that every learner in South Africa has access to a safe, supportive and inclusive school environment that is free from violence, discrimination and intimidation.