Johannesburg – Thousands of school children and Equal Education (EE) members marched in Pretoria and Cape Town on Monday to demand that Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga publish norms and standards on school infrastructure.

They also called for safer and better resourced schools.

In Cape Town, around 2 500 learners marched to Parliament, where they delivered a memorandum to a representative of the basic education department.

Other marches were held in Johannesburg and Durban on Sunday.

According to EE, 3 544 schools have no electricity, 401 have no water and 2 611 have an unreliable water supply; 913 have no toilet facilities and 11 450 are using pit toilets.

It said many schools also had inadequate library, laboratory and computer centres resources.

Last week, EE announced it was taking Motshekga to court for allegedly breached an agreement to publish the binding minimum norms and standards document for school infrastructure by 15 May.

The matter will be heard by the Eastern Cape High Court on 11 July.

SAPA