Unhappy parents and learners gathered outside the gates of the newly built Blueridge Primary School in Wallacedene, demanding priority enrolment for their children. The Western Cape Department of Education constructed the school to address educational needs in the area, yet parents from the nearby overcrowded Solomon Mahlangu Primary School presumed their children would automatically be admitted. However, the WCED’s online application system has determined placements, leaving these families feeling excluded. Picture: Henk Kruger / African News Agency
OVERCROWDED classrooms, overstretched teachers, and a lack of individual attention especially for vulnerable children are among the concerns raised as the province deals with close to 3000 learners that still need to be placed.
The situation is compounded by 2407 teacher post cuts.
Education MEC David Maynier on Wednesday confirmed 2778 learners still needed to be placed.
In Bishop Lavis, parents took to the streets Wednesday over teacher shortages, overcrowding, and the lack of science subjects in schools.
They demanded action in response to the Western Cape Education Department’s (WCED) decision to cut 2 407 teaching posts last year.
The protest was supported by various organisations, including the Special Action Committee on Education (SAC), the Western Cape Education Crisis Committee, and several political parties.
Bishop Lavis Action Community spokesperson, Amanda Davids, said their demands included the immediate end to teacher cuts and the hiring of additional educators, introduction of pure mathematics, physical sciences, sports and sports sciences, robotics, and coding for Grade 12s and an end to the gradual privatisation of education, among others.
“It feels like education is being privatised. If you can’t afford it, your child won’t receive a quality education. Our matriculants who pass with 30% cannot gain university admission and only realise this when they apply. Bright students in Bishop Lavis are being denied opportunities. To study science, they have to cross the N1. What did we fight for during the Struggle? They’re forcing us to raise gangsters because our children have no future to aspire to,” said Davids.
Maynier said placement was still in progress for 2 478, or 2%, of Grade 1 and 8 learners.
“As of 14 January 2025, we have allocated places for 118 914, or 98%, of the learners for whom applications were received for Grade 1 and 8 for the 2025 school year by 31 December 2024. Placement is in progress for 2 478, or 2%, of Grade 1 and 8 learners. However, since the start of the year, new extremely late applications have been received for over 300 Grade 1 and 8 learners for the current school year. We understand that this is a stressful and anxious period for parents who are waiting for a place, and we are asking parents to work with us as we try to accommodate their children as soon as possible,” the MEC said.
The province currently has over 1.2 million learners in public schools, with 107 000 children starting Grade 1 this year, while 100 000 started Grade 8.
National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa) provincial head, Riedwaan Ahmed said the department needed to improve its processes and called on parents to make a broader application for grade 1.
“One reason for the unplaced learners is... learners coming from other provinces. The second one is that the department previously had a manual application and now they are using an online link. I think for some parents it is a bit of a challenge. Parents often only apply for two to three schools, if they are filled to capacity the learner is unplaced,” said Ahmed.
South African Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu) Western Cape secretary, Sibongile Kwazi said: “We expect the department to find ways able to accommodate these learners or it will put undue pressure on existing infrastructure. In some cases, we expect the employer to provide additional classes. In those cases they must also give teachers to those schools.”
On the teacher posts, WCED spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said schools have had 6 months to adjust timetables and prepare for the reduced number of posts.
“The WCED reduced the total teacher basket by 2 407. Over half of the posts that were removed were vacant or occupied by permanent staff. Permanently employed teachers will be asked to move to where there is a suitable vacant post. Permanent staff are declared in excess and will remain in the system. They are not cut nor are they retrenched. Some contract teachers have not been reappointed after their contracts ended on 31 December 2024. However, with an average of 2 100 teachers leaving our department each year for reasons such as relocation or retirement, there will be vacancies opening up for these teachers to apply for.
“The WCED has also over the last year encouraged teachers to apply for conversion of their contract post to a permanent post.”
According to Hammond between January and the end of December last year, they had converted over 7 300 contract appointments to permanent appointments in qualifying posts.
“The national government’s decision to not fully fund the 2023 multi-year wage agreement resulted in a massive deficit for provincial education departments. We are not the only province affected, and every province will have to find a way to close the deficit. We decided to reduce the number of posts in the system, as opposed to other drastic measures such as the non-payment of norms and standards funding, learner transport, textbooks or stationery in schools,” said Hammond.
Calling on the Western Cape Education Department to realign its budget and priorities for the 2025/26 year, GOOD party secretary general, Brett Herron, said: “This glaring failure to ensure access to education raises serious questions about the department's preparedness and priorities. The looming teacher cuts only threaten the ‘maturing’ education system further. Overcrowded classrooms, overstretched teachers, and a lack of individual attention will inevitably lead to vulnerable children slipping through the cracks.”
Cape Times