App launched to track eradication of pit toilets

Basic Education Minister, Siviwe Gwarube, has unveiled the Safe Schools App, a technological solution designed to tackle one of the most urgent issues in South African schools - the eradication of pit toilets.

The app was unveiled to the media in Tshwane on Monday.

PICTURE: X - @DBE_SA

The Safe Schools App, developed and donated by Vodacom South Africa, is a tool aimed at promoting accountability and transparency in addressing the pressing challenge.

“The Safe Schools App is more than just an application; it is a bold statement of our resolve to eliminate unsafe sanitation facilities in schools and to do so with transparency, efficiency and accountability,” Gwarube said.

The Minister outlined three strategic objectives for the app.

In the short-term, it will provide real-time monitoring of the eradication of pit toilets. The app features a dynamic heat map that tracks progress on the removal of pit latrines nationwide. This feature ensures that government has access to real-time information about its efforts on the SAFE backlog. It also highlights areas requiring urgent attention, ensuring that indeed, no child is left behind.

In the medium-term, the app will enable crowdsourcing of data to fill existing gaps in information about sanitation facilities across the country.

In the long-term, the department will roll out the use of the app to monitor other key programmes.

Beyond sanitation, the app has the potential to serve as a key platform to track other critical departmental initiatives, including the National School Nutrition Programme, infrastructure projects, and the delivery of learning and teaching materials.

“In today’s world, technology is not just a tool but a necessity. It allows us to enhance accountability, optimise resource allocation, and improve efficiency across the education system. The Safe Schools App is a prime example of how technology can be harnessed to address societal challenges that seemed too big and too complex for us to resolve,” said Siviwe Gwarube, Basic Education Minister.

 

Done By: Stephanie van Rayen