NO school would be allowed to operate if it was not compliant with Covid-19 regulations, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said on Wednesday.
"The national command council will not allow us to operate at a school that is risky to learners," Motshekga said.
She was responding to oral questions during a virtual sitting of the National Assembly.
Motshekga was asked about school infrastructure that was a challenge.
She said addressing school infrastructure was a continuous process and was not limited ro Covid-19.
The minister said her department was implementing more than 2000 projects to address water and sanitation.
There was also a programme to eradicate pit latrines.
Motshekga said 3500 schools were identified with critical water challenges and that they have entered into "implementation protocol" with the Department of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation to deliver tanks at the schools.
She did not have a breakdown of schools that required tanks and whether the tanks were installed.
"There are 3545 in different provinces and the majority being in Limpopo, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. There are some in Gauteng."
Pressed to answer on some that have had sanitation challenges for decades, Motshekga said temporary structures should be in place.