Education
- What are the (a) short- and (b) long-term plans to address the challenges of unplaced learners and overcrowded classrooms, especially in the identified hotspot areas;
- (a) which schools are in the pipeline to be built in the next two to three years and (b) which ones will be completed during this period;
- what is the teacher-to-learner ratios at (a) former Model C schools and (b) schools in poor working class communities;
- of the unplaced learners in the province over the past two years, how many were placed at (a) former Model C schools and (b) quintiles 1 to 3 schools;
- whether former Model C schools are allowed to have smaller class sizes than poorer schools; if so, what are the relevant details;
- (a) what is the number of no-fee schools in quintiles 1 to 5 in the province and (b) how much has her Department transferred to these schools?
My department has informed me of the following:
(1) (a) Each district has a plan to place learners and the WCED is in the process of finalising additional classrooms and posts for 2022. Parents and all stakeholders are required to work via the WCED district offices for any admission query.
Allocation of posts and classrooms for 2022:
- The WCED has released the 2022 staff establishments via Circular 0050/2021, to deal with growth and bring class ratios into an acceptable range. In addition, for the short-term pressures 119 mobile classes have been erected and the requisite posts for these mobiles were issued.
- 173 mobiles are currently in the process of being delivered to schools and 105 posts were allocated for release in January.
- The WCED will be opening additional existing classrooms and 108 posts have been allocated to resolve unplaced learners.
- Posts are also being kept in reserve to cope with the anticipated late arrivals in January 2022.
In addition:
The WCED is investigating live-streaming of lessons to central venues in hotspot areas. Unplaced learners will also be able to access support material via the WCED online portal.
Walk-in centres have been established (1 at Head Office and 1 in each of the 8 education districts) where parents can get assistance. Each district has a team of dedicated officials to assist with learner placement.
(b) The following long-term solutions are under consideration by the WCED:
- Expanding the language of teaching and learning to accommodate more English- and Xhosa-speaking learners;
- Addressing the legacy of the disjuncture of primary and high schools as there are fewer high schools than primary schools;
- Exploring, expanding, and creating virtual and online and home learning opportunities;
- Data on planned enrolment projections for the next 2 to 5 years to be strengthened;
- The Superintendent-General and districts are engaging with schools with low class ratios; and
- The Superintendent-General is initiating the planning process for 2023 in 2021.
(2) Pipeline Projects for new schools to be built 2022/23: Moorreesburg HS anticipated to be completed at the end of 2022.
Pipeline Projects for new schools to be built 2023/24: Concordia PS, Saldanha PS, Sir Lowry’s Pass HS, Happy Valley Ps No2, Macassar PS anticipated to be completed in 2024.
(3) (a) The average teacher-to-learner ratios in “former Model-C” schools is 35.6:1.
(b) The average teacher-to-learner ratio in “poor working-class communities” (assuming this refers to NQ1-3 and No fee schools) is 31.6:1.
(4) (a) Former Model C schools:
2020 school year: 2 681
2021 school year: 2 234
(b) Quintile 1-3 schools:
2020 school year: 3 764
2021 school year: 4 120
It is important to note that:
- Some former Model C schools are quintile 1-3 schools, so these are not discrete categories, and
- There are more schools in the quintile 1-3 category (717) than there are in the former Model C category (332).
If we were to hypothetically consider them as discrete categories, on average, more unplaced learners were placed at former Model C schools than were placed at quintile 1-3 schools.
(5) No. The WCED uses the same distributive model to allocate staff to every school irrespective of whether the school is “former Model C” or not, which is in line with national and provincial norms and standards for post provisioning.
However, School Governing Bodies are legally allowed, in terms of the South African Schools Act, to employ additional staff at their own cost, paid for with private funding, resulting in smaller classes in some instances.
(6) (a) 890 no-fee schools (out of 1451 public ordinary schools)
(b) In respect of the 2021/22 Financial Year: R1.034 billion
