Question NW1484 to the Minister of Basic Education to ask the Minister of Basic Education
26 May 2023 - NW1484
Siwisa, Ms AM to ask the Minister of Basic Education to ask the Minister of Basic Education
Whether, with reference to the reply to question 1081 on 17 April 2023, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) was approved through an Act in Parliament in 1945 and with the history of the apartheid regime that ruled the Republic, leading to the disadvantage of proper education for the black majority in the Republic, her department has any plans in place to change the norms as stated by the CSIR, taking into consideration that there are still fewer high schools, leading to overcrowded classes and in some instances children not being able to enrol due to such overcrowding in schools?
Reply:
According to the School Realities 2022 available on the DBE website, the number of learners per grade are as follows:
- There are 7 grades in Primary Schools, compared to only 5 grades in Secondary Schools. If there were an equal number of learners in each grade, we will need 40% more Primary School classrooms than Secondary School classrooms.
- Based on the actual number of learners reported in the School Realities, there were 7 906 918 learners in Primary Schools, compared to only 4 766 312 learners in Secondary Schools. If there were an equal number of learners per classroom, we will need 60% more Primary School classrooms than Secondary School classrooms.
- The CSIR guidelines simply reflect similar realities.
- Overcrowding is not limited to Secondary Schools.
- Overcrowding is the result of the migration of learners. This seems to be a combination of the migration from rural schools to urban schools and the migration to specific provinces.
- Overcrowding is also the result of the preference of parents to place their children in better performing schools.