Cape Town - With less than a week before the new academic year is set to begin, education watchdogs, together with COSATU, have labelled the situation of unplaced learners in the province a crisis.
This, as at least 3 698 learners still have to find a spot inside a classroom.
The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) revealed that 3 698 (3%) of learners have yet to be placed, after 1 206 070 were enrolled.
Over 34 000 teachers are on their payroll, with nine schools and 265 classrooms to be built this year.
A year ago, the WCED said 576 Grade 1 learners and 2 060 Grade 8 learners were yet to be placed after schools reopened.
Earlier, the WCED revealed the new average ratio for teacher to learner was expected to increase from 1:34.2 in 2024 to 1:36.7 in 2025.
Bronagh Hammond, spokesperson for the WCED and Education MEC, David Maynier’s office, revealed they were yet to reach 100% completion of placement at the 1 468 public schools in the province.
She added it was still too early to give a full picture of the classroom sizes and the exact numbers of staff as the Student Government Body (SGB) posts numbers were separate from their department.
“There are 1 468 public schools with 1 206 070 enrolled and seventy special needs schools with 20 213 enrolled,” she said.
“As announced in July, our 2025 Educator Post establishment in the WCED is 34 728. (We do not have verified SGB post information as we are not the employer).
“While we had placed 97% of all Grade 1 and 8 learners in the province by December 4, 2024, it is not yet clear how many additional extremely late applications we will receive, and in which areas these learners will reside.
“We are also verifying the number of learners placed since then.
“Placement has been in progress for 3 698, or 3%, of Grade 1 and 8 learners.
“There is some movement in the system as schools finalise their promotion and progression lists, which may provide additional spaces for learners still requiring placement.”
Hammond added the confirmation of classroom sizes would be done following a strategic evaluation, shortly after the school year begins, which will assist with further placement.
“The WCED will also be reviewing the numbers of learners at schools in the province, following the 10 day snap survey,” she detailed.
“The survey is done after 10 school days, to allow the system to settle.
“On the 10th school day, schools then provide data on learner numbers in each grade.
“The WCED then uses that data to determine where we need to allocate additional resources, such as furniture and equipment etc.
“We also use the data to determine where there could be further placement opportunities.
“We are now focused on the challenge of provisioning for growth in learner numbers in the 2025 school year, and will engage with our stakeholders in this regard.”
Maynier had earlier revealed an earmarking of R600 million for infrastructure for 2025.
“We are scheduled to complete six new schools and 180 additional classrooms at existing schools in time for the start of the school year in January 2025,” Hammond added.
She said they aimed to complete a further three new schools and 85 additional classrooms at existing schools by the end of March 2025, with a total of nine new schools and 265 additional classrooms for learners in the 2025 school year.
Vanessa Le Roux, Parents For Equal Education (PEESA) said a crisis was on the province’s hands.
“Every year we have chaos in terms of placement of children and this has been a crisis for years,” she said.
“This year we will have an issue of getting children into a class and someone to educate them.
“I do not think the WCED sees the crisis, they have been warned for years by the national government to make their teacher posts permanent and they did not.
“Now we are facing the brunt. “Our constitution does not say if the budget will allow it, it says our children have a right to basic education.”
Malvern De Bruyn, provincial secretary of COSATU, said the poorest of the poor would be affected by a lack of classrooms and placements.
“Cosatu Western Cape is really worried about the education system in the province, we have seen the Education MEC has dismissed 2 407 teachers while they call it ‘not dismissal’, we call it dismissal, while the WCED could not cope with the current list of teachers.
“Those workers must return to their work stations and review it, the poorest of the poor and the working class will be affected.
“Previous Model C schools can use SGB to employ more teachers while our schools won’t be able to employ more teachers.
“In the last few years, the education department could not even place learners and they found themselves out of school, out of a class for the whole year and now they dismiss teachers while there is a crisis.
“It is an ill informed decision by the DA government in this province “They must build more classrooms so we can place all learners and we are worried.”
Risuna Nkuna from the South African Council for Educators said they were unable to confirm how many teachers were registered until a full and new audit was done.