Question NW941 to the Minister of Basic Education to ask the Minister of Basic Education

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01 April 2021 - NW941

Profile picture: King, Ms C

King, Ms C to ask the Minister of Basic Education to ask the Minister of Basic Education

What (a) is the national vacancy rate of teachers in the Republic, (b) is the total breakdown of the number of posts that have remained vacant in each province and (c) are the details of the vacancy rate in the (i) 2016, (ii) 2017, (iii) 2018, (iv) 2019 and (v) 2020 academic years?

Reply:

(a) 5.8% as at the end of February 2021

(b)The vacancy rate reported is in terms of the actual vacancies at schools in relation to posts that each school was allocated for 2021. Provincial Education Departments are currently redeploying educators that are additional to the allocated post establishments at some schools to schools that have vacancies. Once this process has been finalised and the residual vacant posts have been filled through appointment of educators from outside the system the actual number of vacancies will be lower than the current rate.

Province

Number of posts allocated for 2021

Vacant Posts

Vacancy Rate

Eastern Cape

50 705

3 718

5.4%

Free State

20 490

842

3.9%

Gauteng

64 950

2 282

3.4%

KwaZulu-Natal

87 351

7 274

5.7%

Limpopo

51 637

5 375

9.2%

Mpumalanga

32 543

2 161

6.1%

North West 

26 556

1 433

5.3%

Northern Cape

9 181

354

4.5%

Western Cape 

29 099

1 117

4.3%

Grand Total

372 512

24 556

5.8%

Source: PERSAL, February 2021

(c) 

(i) 2016

Province

Number of posts allocated for 2016

Vacant Posts

Vacancy Rate

Eastern Cape

53 998

1 739

3.2%

Free State

20 432

662

3.2%

Gauteng

59 848

684

1.1%

KwaZulu-Natal

86 356

2 712

3.1%

Limpopo

64 155

6 654

10.4%

Mpumalanga

32 783

792

2.4%

North West 

25 329

1 200

4.7%

Northern Cape

8 678

2 252

26.0%

Western Cape 

29 803

1 024

3.4%

Grand Total

381 382

17 719

4.6%

Source: PED Quarterly Report, September 2016

(ii) 2017

Province

Number of posts allocated for 2017

Vacant Posts

Vacancy Rate

Eastern Cape

54 747

4 593

8.4%

Free State

20 974

845

4.0%

Gauteng

61 761

580

0.9%

KwaZulu-Natal

90 698

1 710

1.9%

Limpopo

52 097

4 920

9.4%

Mpumalanga

32 700

644

2.0%

North West 

25 908

666

2.6%

Northern Cape

8 231

512

6.2%

Western Cape 

30 225

1 218

4.0%

Grand Total

377 341

15 688

4.2%

Source: PED Quarterly Report, September 2017

 

(iii) 2018

 

Province

Number of posts allocated for 2018

Vacant Posts

Vacancy Rate

Eastern Cape

54 026

4 497

8.3%

Free State

20 619

142

0.7%

Gauteng

60 302

1 243

2.1%

KwaZulu-Natal

86 420

412

0.5%

Limpopo

54 214

4 511

8.3%

Mpumalanga

32 799

552

1.7%

North West 

25 906

560

2.2%

Northern Cape

8 039

326

4.1%

Western Cape 

29 826

1 309

4.4%

Grand Total

377 341

15 688

4.2%

Source: PED Quarterly Report, September 2018

(iv) 2019

 

Province

Number of posts allocated for 2019

Vacant Posts

Vacancy Rate

Eastern Cape

54029

3 281

6.1%

Free State

20608

843

4.1%

Gauteng

60027

1 140

1.9%

KwaZulu-Natal

86737

2 729

3.1%

Limpopo

51724

5 101

9.9%

Mpumalanga

32651

538

1.6%

North West

26260

319

1.2%

Northern Cape

9046

296

3.3%

Western Cape

31246

1 445

4.6%

Grand Total

372328

15 692

4.2%

Source: PED Quarterly Report, September 2019

 

(v) 2020

 

Province

Number of posts allocated for 2021

Vacant Posts

Vacancy Rate

Eastern Cape

52 632

2 848

5.4%

Free State

20 240

343

1.7%

Gauteng

59 138

452

0.8%

KwaZulu-Natal

86 737

6 216

7.2%

Limpopo

56 468

4 538

8.0%

Mpumalanga

34 854

1 772

5.1%

North West

25 863

509

2.0%

Northern Cape

9 149

40

0.4%

Western Cape

28 944

101

0.3%

Grand Total

374 025

16 819

4.5%

Source: PERSAL, December 2020

Source file