Western Cape schools once again show increase in learner numbers
Statement by Minister Debbie Schäfer, Minister of Education Western Cape
I have received the results of the WCED’s SNAP survey, completed by schools and districts annually on the 10th day of the school year to assist the Department with the allocation of further resources for the year.
The total enrolment for 2020 is 1 077 927 – this constitutes an increase of 16 848 from the 2019 total. The greatest increase in enrolment is in the Metro North and Metro East districts.
A further 6 027 learners are reported as being unplaced as at 30 January 2020. This number is changing constantly. We are placing learners every day, but we are also receiving new late applications.
Our district staff are using all their resources to find extra space for learners wherever it can be found.
The overwhelming majority of the first time registrations are from the Eastern Cape (14 904 learners or 87%). Sadly, the budget for these learners does not follow them to our province until much later, if at all, making planning and provisioning very difficult.
The reality of the situation is that taking the number of placed and unplaced learners together, we have nearly 23 000 more learners in Western Cape schools than we did last year. To accommodate these learners, we would have to build 23 new schools just this year, let alone what we need to provide for the accumulated backlog.
This is impossible given our current budget and the country’s perilous fiscal condition. We simply cannot keep up with the demand, and the situation is likely to get worse as more of our budget is cut by the national government diverting funds to SAA and Eskom.
The WCED appreciates that parents, teachers and schools are frustrated – we are also frustrated. It is not that we do not want to allocate extra teachers and build new schools. We are simply unable to without money.
Nonetheless, we will do everything we can to ensure that every learner finds accommodation. We have appealed to schools to try to find extra space where they can, to ensure that as many learners as possible can get started with their school year. The results of the SNAP survey are used to fairly allocate the extremely limited resources and teaching posts where the need is the greatest. With increases in learner numbers of up to 23 000 learners, this is a serious challenge.
We are in the process of opening up 70 classrooms and allocating teachers to them over the course of this coming week. There are also still some learners being assessed for Special Needs intervention, which might open up some spaces in ordinary schools – however, these spaces are not necessarily where the greatest demand is.
We can only hope that the national government will realise that delivering a quality education for every learner in the country should be a national priority, and is a far more valuable investment than bailing out corrupt and failing SOEs. Until it does, problems of overcrowding and teacher shortages will just get worse, to the detriment of our teachers and our children.
We call on all role-players to assist us in preserving what we have, making every rand go as far as possible, and making whatever contribution they can to our education system, as we need all hands on deck to ensure ongoing quality education for our future leaders.
Soundbite: Minister Schafer on 2020 enrolment figures
Media Enquiries:
Kerry Mauchline
Spokesperson to Minister Debbie Schäfer
Western Cape Ministry of Education
084 210 3003 (Whatsapp preferred)
Kerry.Mauchline@westerncape.gov.za