Public school loos 'unhygienic'
South Africa's government schools' toilets are filthy and unhygienic and their bad condition has forced many pupils to relieve themselves in the bushes.
HITTING OUT:
Section 27 executive director and Aids activist Mark Heywood
PHOTO: Russell Roberts
This was revealed by non-governmental organisation Section 27 executive director Mark Heywood at the People's Health Assembly currently being held at the University of the Western Cape.
The assembly, which started last Thursday, has attracted 500 delegates, including community health workers, academics and government representatives from various countries.
It is hosted by the People's Health Movement, an international networking group that looks at addressing failing public health systems, increasing health burdens on poor nations and the general state of declining public health systems.
Heywood said while South Africa was nearly 20 years into its democracy "we're failing millions of young people as they do not have the right to decent health or education".
He added: "While some schoolchildren are being denied the right to education due to the non-delivery of textbooks in Limpopo, others are forced to use filthy, dirty and unhygienic toilets at their schools.
"Some have refrained from using the toilets and are relieving themselves in the bushes instead."
Heywood lso claimed that "some girls take days off from school and stay at home when they are menstruating. They say there is no privacy at school toilets".
Heywood, who is also an Aids activist, said governments and multi-national companies had to be challenged to change the situation.
"We must make use of the law for the social advancement of all people.
"We must put pressure on governments and multi-nationals to ensure that the right to health for all people is achieved," he said.
He praised the Treatment Action Campaign for making sure that ever-increasing numbers of HIV-positive people got access to ARVs (anti-retroviral drugs).
"We now have universal access to medicine because of our struggle for access to ARVs," he said.
Abhay Shukla, a public health activist from India, said in the early 2000s many Indians had embarked on campaigns to ensure that they received free medicines.
Shukla also called on delegates to fight the privatisation of public health facilities in their various countries.
"In India, we successfully protested and opposed the privatisation of public health facilities and other public services," he said.
"It is also important for delegates to fight for accountability and improvement of health services in their countries."
Thai health activist and academic Churnrurtai Kanchanaitra said many people were unable to make policy decisions due to a lack of information and knowledge.
"Many people need to get knowledge and information in order to make informed decisions."
Kanchanaitra said they had convened a year-long National Health Assembly for the benefit of many locals in that country.
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Shredder
Public school loos????When I was still at school we could find faeces on the toilet floors on the Mondays nxa!! I wonder who was responsible for that? Students who left the school late or just idiots who wanted the toilets filthy.
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Jenani
You can't blame the toilets it's the people who use the toilets that are the problem. If they don't like dirtry toilets why do they make them dirty. You would have the same problem with brand new toilets, educate the people.Report Abuse
MommaC
Isn't this an area which should be addressed by the principal of the school? We can't really expect one of the ministers to appoint a loo monitor at each school. Its also scary that the parents don't do something about it. No matter how poor you are, a tub of water and a tablespoon of sugarsoap is hardly going to break the bank. Maybe it is the elbowgrease which they don't want to invest in?Report Abuse
lebenzo
this are the serious issues which should have been address and be dealt with long tym ago.Report Abuse
Shredder
@lebenzo - What serious issues?@MommaC - The shyte that we used to get on Mondays at school was cleaned out by the classroom that was responsible for cleaning the school on that week. Of course, the shyte was not a good thing to clean up, we used hose pipes. Yuck!!
Really, some of things are minor issues that the school can do themselves. As students, we used to pick up the papers from the whole school yard, and clean the toilets. We alternated that on a weekly basis. This week, one grade, next week the other grade. What is so difficult doing that?
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MommaC
ShredderFortunately we had cleaners :)
They only came in in the evening though so we also had a class being in charge of the loos for the day. Some kid upchucked, it was tough luck on the group on monitor duty as they had to haul out the bucket and mop to sort it out. If our headmistress saw so much as a piece of paper or a twig out of place, the nearest kid got a shouting at for not picking it up. Our school was spotless. Wasn't a big deal at all. In fact, it even helped to get us into the habit of picking up immediately so it didn't become a Clean House nightmare
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Mbeva
It is NOT unusualReport Abuse
7040360
thanks zuma u da bestReport Abuse
JB$
That's why bana ba lwaletse ruriReport Abuse
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