Here’s how many Gauteng schools damaged by fire have been repaired

The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has elaborated on the progress of repairing fire-damaged schools.

Several schools have gone up in flames in recent years, most notably the 11 classrooms gutted at Riverlea High School in April.  

In a written response to questions posed in the provincial legislature, Education MEC Matome Chiloane signed off on details relating to repair efforts and precautions taken by schools.

Only half of schools repaired

The GDE confirmed recently that 29 schools had been damaged by fire since the 2021-22 financial year.

Six of these 29 schools have been repaired by the GDE at a cost R9.3 million — roughly one per year at an average cost of R15 million per project.

However, an additional 10 schools were fixed using funds made available by insurance companies, School Governing Body donations or private sponsors.

Repairs at 13 schools are still outstanding, and the projects have since been handed over to another government department.

“It must be noted that damages were of such a nature that it required extensive work to be done in the affected schools,” stated Chiloane’s response.

“In this regard, the work was referred to Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development for implementation,” it explained.

Assessments and reports on the outstanding repairs are still pending, so the values of the remaining projects have not been determined.

Lack of firefighting resources

Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education Sergio dos Santos stressed that schools were not properly equipped to deal with fires.

“We demand a comprehensive review of the current safety measures to identify weaknesses and develop solutions to protect our schools and ensure the safety of our learners,” he stated.

The majority of the fires have occurred after hours, and in the case of the Riverlea fire, police are investigating a suspected case of arson.

“The intentional sabotage of our schools by setting fires is unacceptable and must be condemned,” stated Dos Santos.

The GDE explained that schools were left vulnerable to fire as only basic reaction tools existed due to a lack of resources.

“Due to financial constraints, the schools have limited fire safety measures, such as fire extinguishers and fire alarms,” stated the GDE.

School safety measures

These gaps are filled with training and awareness programmes, as well as the work of school safety committees.  

The GDE stated that the existing safety protocols were ‘limited’ but focused on basic firefighting and first aid training for pupils and teachers.

Additionally, safety committee members are mandated to promote fire safety in schools, identify potential hazards, and contribute to the school management team.

The GDE states that training is continuous and equips teachers to contain emergency situations while waiting for professional responders.

“Communique are sent to the schools to promote compliance for the safety equipment and schools are directed to ensure annual maintenance for the equipment to always be functional,” the department explained.

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