The DBE, together with Provincial Education Departments, is intensifying its delivery and monitoring of construction projects to deliver safe and appropriate school infrastructure.

The Sanitation Appropriate For Education (SAFE) programme was launched in August 2018, to provide appropriate sanitation facilities to schools dependent on basic pit toilets. The original number of schools on the programme was 3,898. There were several changes to the list since the start of the programme, mostly due to the rationalisation of schools and site assessments that confirmed appropriate sanitation. The current scope on the SAFE programme, includes 2,806 schools dependent on basic pit toilets. Of these, sanitation projects at 1,723 schools have already progressed to practical completion and provided a full set of appropriate toilets to these schools. The remaining 1,083 sanitation projects are scheduled for completion before the end of the 2022/23 financial year.

The Accelerated School Infrastructure Delivery Initiative (ASIDI), was launched in 2010 to address specific infrastructure backlogs. For the replacement of mud schools and those built of inappropriate structures, the current scope of work on the ASIDI programme includes 330 schools that need to be replaced. Of these, 294 have already progressed to practical completion. The remaining 36 new schools are scheduled for replacement before the end of the 2022/23 financial year.

In terms of water provision; the current scope of work on the ASIDI programme includes 1,272 schools. Of these, water supply projects at 1,178 schools have already progressed to practical completion. The remaining 94 water supply projects are scheduled for completion before the end of the 2022/23 financial year. With regards to sanitation, the current scope of work on the ASIDI programme includes 1,053 schools. Of these, sanitation projects at 1,023 schools have already progressed to practical completion. The remaining 30 sanitation projects are scheduled for completion before the end of the 2022/23 financial year. The ASIDI programme also served 373 schools with electricity and 4 schools with fencing. The Department has stepped up the monitoring of the projects to ensure that they are completed on time, to specifications and on budget.

Basic Education Director-General, Mr Mathanzima Mweli, has already visited more than 1,660 projects between February 2021 and March 2022 on the SAFE programme. The monitoring function has assisted the Department to unblock challenges and resolve issues that delayed the building process. Minister Mrs Angie Motshekga conducts weekly accountability sessions with the Director-General and the Infrastructure Branch at the DBE. In addition, the Director-General holds weekly update meetings with the Chief Executive Officers of the implementing agents. The Department has developed detailed tracking tools and monitoring is taking place daily to ensure that implementing agents deliver as expected. The SAFE and ASIDI programmes are funded from the School Infrastructure Backlog Grant.