• The DA said 34 Gauteng schools failed health and safety checks in 2024/25, putting learners' and teachers' lives at risk.

• Education MEC Matome Chiloane confirmed all schools now have safety committees but more than 40 also failed checks in 2022/23.

Learners in Gauteng are going to school in buildings that do not meet basic safety rules.

At least 34 schools failed to comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act in the 2024/25 financial year. In 2022/23, more than 40 schools were also non-compliant.

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Education MEC Matome Chiloane confirmed the 2024/25 figures. He said all schools now have safety committees, set up after recent governing body elections.

The issue came up after questions were raised in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature.

The Democratic Alliance said the failures put "the lives of Gauteng learners under serious threat".

The DA's Shadow MEC for Education Sergio Isa Dos Santos said urgent action is needed to protect learners and teachers. He said it is worrying that schools with thousands of learners are still unsafe.

"Even more troubling is the lack of meaningful intervention to reverse this trend," he said.

Chiloane said most schools have five patrollers. He said high-risk schools have a minimum of four guards. Dos Santos said this approach does not match the level of danger faced by some schools.

The MEC said security is not fixed per school. Companies are deployed based on need, and some guards come from a public works programme.

Chiloane said costs start at about R68,000 per month, depending on risk and size. The department uses the National School Safety Framework as its guide.

The DA said Chiloane must present a clear plan to fix school safety across Gauteng.