By Dylan Bettencourt
- Almost 23,000 children in four provinces are still waiting for school places days before schools reopen.
- Shortage of classrooms and teachers makes it harder as Grade R becomes compulsory across the country.
With schools about to reopen, many parents are still unsure where their children will go this year.
Nearly 23,000 pupils across four provinces have not been placed yet. Mpumalanga has the highest number, with 9,826 children still waiting. The Western Cape has 7,258, Gauteng has 4,858 and Limpopo has 997, News24 reported.
Parents say the situation is stressful. Many have been standing in long queues at schools and education offices, hoping for help.
Some parents say they now have no choice but to look at private schools or send their children to rural areas because city schools are full.
At popular schools in Cape Town, very few learners get accepted. Rustenburg Girls’ High principal Belinda Petersen said most applicants are turned away every year.
The problem is made worse by the rollout of compulsory Grade R. More than 7,500 schools do not have classrooms for Grade R and nearly 5,000 teachers are not properly trained.
Juané van der Merwe Mocke from the Federation of Governing Bodies of SA Schools said schools are being asked to do what they are not ready for.
South African Principals Association president Mashudu Ramulumo said schools face too many problems at once, not enough teachers, not enough space and not enough resources.
Even where provinces say they are ready, many rural and no fee schools still struggle with basics like books, stationery and staff.
Pictured above: School children.
Image source: Pexels
