Cape Town – As the province gears up for the reopening of schools on Wednesday, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) said it had placed 99.2% of pupils in grades 1 and 8.
Though there is a significant number of students placed, the provincial department of education said it was in the process of placing 955 learners between Grade 1 and Grade 8 who remained unplaced.
“As of January 14, we have resolved 117 844, or 99.2%, of the Grade 1 and Grade 8 placement requests for the 2023 school year, and are in the process of placing 955, or 0.8%, of the Grade 1 and Grade 8 learners for the 2023 school year," the department said.
The founder of Parents for Equal Education SA (Peesa), Vanessa le Roux, questioned the validity of the department’s 99.2% placement.
“Last week the department released a statement saying there were mobile classrooms that were designated for the 2023 academic year that will only be ready at the end January and March. So, which 99.2% students have been placed?
“We are hearing two different stories and contrasting statements,” she said.
The WCED has said that although there was a significant stride forward in placing pupils, one of its challenges was students coming from other provinces who had increased numbers of students who required placement in the Western Cape.
“Despite this progress, the education system is still under severe admission pressure. Over the past seven years, on average, 21 000 learners from outside the Western Cape have been registered in our province for the first time each year.
“Schools are full, and we are going to struggle to place additional learners for whom extremely late applications are received,” the department said.
Le Roux fired back at the WCED and accused it of dividing South Africans.
“We all live in South Africa, and should all enjoy the benefits of this country. This debate raised by the department on pupils from other provinces placing pressure in the Western Cape for space is dividing citizens,” she said.
MEC for Education in the Western Cape David Maynier said the 99.2% successfully placed pupils were those who had been placed in schools and that there are 561 classrooms already completed for the start of the school year.
“The 99.2% refers to the percentage of Grade 1 and 8 applicants that have been placed in a school. This includes, for example, where SGBs are constructing the classrooms and have not yet completed them, but can accommodate the learners in a hall or science lab in the meantime.
“The remaining 955 learners in the process of being placed will be accommodated as additional spaces open up in schools once they reopen, especially following the 10th day Snap survey. We also have 70 mobile classrooms in order to be deployed once we know the final ‘hot spot’ areas,” he said.
Maynier has said that the point they (WCED) had raised – of pupils from other provinces placing pressure in the placement of pupils – is a factual one.
“Figures are available to the public in our annual performance plan. The additional 21 000 learners on average moving to the Western Cape must be taken into account in planning, and this adds to the high demand for placement in our province. They cannot be turned away as some activists suggest we do.
“We are leaving no stone unturned in our effort to place every learner, and we will continue to work to finalise placement for all remaining learners,” he said.