The Gauteng department of education has warned that the province needs at least 200 new schools to deal with growing overcrowding, as pupil numbers continue to rise.
Speaking during a briefing on Tuesday, Gauteng education MEC Lebogang Maile said the state system is under pressure from migration into the province.
Pupil numbers have more than doubled over the past three decades, rising from around 1.4-million in 1995 to more than 2.8-million in 2026. The department says this growth continues at a rate of about 50,000 pupils each year.
As a result, nearly half of Gauteng’s 2,111 public schools are now operating above capacity.
This is not limited to one area but affects almost every district in the province. The following number of schools operate over capacity per district:
- Johannesburg South: 72 of 106 schools (68%) operate over capacity;
- Tshwane West: 108 of 160 schools (68%);
- Johannesburg East: 74 of 125 (59%);
- Ekurhuleni South: 102 of 176 (58%);
- Gauteng North: 26 of 48 (54%);
- Tshwane South: 108 of 192 (56%);
- Ekurhuleni North: 84 of 163 (52%);
- Gauteng East: 78 of 164 (48%);
- Gauteng West: 70 of 153 (46%);
- Tshwane North: 63 of 139 (45%);
- Sedibeng East: 31 of 73 (42%);
- Johannesburg West: 47 of 127 (37%);
- Johannesburg North: 53 of 150 (35%);
- Sedibeng West: 45 of 131 (34%); and
- Johannesburg Central: 60 of 204 (29%).
“These statistics illustrate a sobering picture of just how significant the challenge of schools operating over capacity in Gauteng is,” said Maile.
Townships and fast-growing urban areas remain the most affected, as demand for schooling continues to outpace infrastructure delivery.
Maile said solving the problem requires far more funding than is currently available. “Currently we can say we need 200 schools, and to build 200 schools we need R35bn,” he said.
The department’s total budget sits at about R70bn, with most of it already committed: “R52bn of that money goes to salaries of educators, and R8bn of that money goes to schools directly. We can only build about seven schools with the budget that we have per year, and 23 in the next three years, when in fact we need 200 schools.”
To address this, the department is exploring public-private partnerships.
We’re supposed to have 1:40 [teacher:pupils] in primary schools and 1:35 in secondary … but unfortunately that’s not the case
— Lebogang Maile, Gauteng education MEC
The pressure is visible in classrooms. At Bovet Primary School in Alexandra, for example, enrolment has surged beyond capacity. “The kids are more than double what they’re supposed to be, about 2,000, which is not desirable,” said Maile.
He promised that temporary classrooms will be installed to ease the situation, while longer-term solutions are considered, including moving pupils to nearby schools.
A new school in Windmill Park in Ekurhuleni, which had been delayed due to land and compliance issues, is now ready. “We got the occupation certificate last week Thursday, and the school will be occupied by the learners,” he said.
However, Maile warned that this alone does not solve the problem.
More teachers needed; no jobs cuts
Overcrowding is also affecting teaching conditions. The department needs at least 340 more teachers, with some classes holding as many as 70 to 90 pupils.
“We’re supposed to have 1:40 [teacher:pupils] in primary schools and 1:35 in secondary … but unfortunately that’s not the case,” said Maile.
Despite financial pressures, no job cuts are planned. “We are not going to be retrenching anyone … If anything, we need an additional 340 educators.”
Decommissioned schools could be reopened
The department is also trying to recover unused infrastructure. There are 17 decommissioned schools identified, some of which have been illegally occupied.
“Where people have illegally occupied, we’ll have to approach the courts. We will have to evict,” said Maile.
In addition, about 10 former mission schools are being considered for purchase and reopening.
No quick fix
Maile stressed that the overcrowding crisis could not be solved overnight. “This is a very difficult task. It’s not going to be easy,” he said.
The department will engage communities directly as part of a broader effort to make education “a societal issue”, he added.
“We want everyone in society to understand the magnitude of the challenge that we’re dealing with.”
TimesLIVE
Gugulethu Mashinini
www.timeslive.co.za
