Cape Town - With less than a week before Western Cape schools re-open for the 2023 academic year, parents, educators and the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) are frenziedly rushing to find placement for some learners, with many schools already filled to the brim and more late applications expected.
WCED spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said teachers and school-based staff would be returning to schools on Monday, where they would finalise timetable schedules, class lists and curriculum plans for the week ahead.
Learners would be returning on Wednesday, January 18.
On January 19, the national and provincial National Senior Certificate (NSC) results would be made available, and learners would receive their results on the next day (January 20).
“As of December 20, we have placed 111 616, or 99%, of the Grade 1 and Grade 8 learners for the 2023 school year, and are in the process of placing 680, or 1%, of the Grade 1 and Grade 8 learners for the 2023 school year.
“This includes late applications made up to December 19. This is a massive improvement from previous years, as we have placed 50 160 more Grade 1 and 8 learners than this time last year.”
In a move to rapidly create additional spaces for learners, the department announced an unprecedented school build project in November, which will see an additional 842 classrooms for the 2023 academic year, accommodating at least 26 000 learners, and appointing an additional 1 143 additional teachers.
The department expected new arrivals due to late enrolments.
“We have indicated that schools in certain communities are full, but we are working to ensure that arrangements will be made to accommodate all learners this year,” Hammond said.
The South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) acting provincial secretary Sibongile Kwazi said effective teaching and learning should take place on the first day, January 18, and that parents should ensure their children are registered by the 18th.
“We are mindful of the challenges of online registration where a number of learners are still unplaced. We therefore expect the WCED to ensure that places are found for unplaced learners so that no learner is disadvantaged,” Kwazi said.
“We are hoping for manageable class sizes, especially in poor working-class schools, and we would like to plead with better-resourced schools to take more learners to alleviate the crowded classes in poorer schools. We hope that all teachers will be in class, in time, prepared and adhering to high professional and ethical standards.”
Western Cape Teachers Forum founder Lee Hoffmann said that school management teams were meeting to prepare for the return of all staff and learners next week.
“Strategic planning was done at the end of last year at most schools, so this week is just finalising items to ensure 100% readiness.”
An ongoing concern noted by Hoffman was the number of primary schools outnumbering high schools.
According to figures obtained in 2021, the department had 1 449 public schools, of which 984 were primary schools and 384 were high schools. The remainder were intermediate or combined schools. The department has added a further 82 schools totalling 1 531.
Education activist Hendrick Makaneta said the province’s biggest challenge was the placement of learners, similar to Gauteng.
“We anticipate that they (learners) will not be placed by the time the schools reopen, and this is a call that we’re making to the WCED that they must really prioritise building of schools with a view to accommodating the vast majority of learners. We really want to see movement in relation to additional classrooms, as well as capacity in terms of additional teachers.”
Meanwhile, some schools became targets of crime during the December break.
On January 3, it was discovered that Garlandale Primary School’s library had been burgled and the lights stolen. The school had previously been burgled during the weekend of December 10 last year.
WCED spokesperson Unathi Booi said: “Tools used to upgrade the library were stolen and wiring was vandalised.”
Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg said Athlone police were investigating a housebreaking and theft case. No arrests had been made and the investigation was ongoing.
Booi said at Accordion Street Primary School in Belhar, a suspect who allegedly broke into houses in the area ran on to the school grounds. According to online reports, the suspect was allegedly found and beaten.
