DA urges Gauteng education dept to tackle overcrowding in schools
The renewed frustration about the dire state of schools in Gauteng comes after the Democratic Alliance conducted an oversight visit at some of the schools in the province.
FILE picture: Ashraf Hendricks/GroundUp
JOHANNESBURG - The desperate plight of learners in public schools is back in the spotlight amid renewed concerns about overcrowding in the classrooms.
The renewed frustration about the dire state of schools in Gauteng comes after the Democratic Alliance (DA) conducted an oversight visit at some of the schools in the province.
This includes the Randvaal primary school in Sedibeng where more than 50 children were crammed in a single classroom.
A viral video has also emerged on social media of a teacher raising concerns about the lack of resources to accommodate a large number of children in a class meant to fit less than 30.
READ: GDE makes more than 4,000 satellite schools available to tackle overcrowding
"I have had to resort to using some Grade R tables because I don’t have enough tables and chairs of my own. And the sad thing is that I know there are teachers who have more, who have about 70 children in a class."
The DA's Sergio dos Santos said the party has written to the Gauteng Department of Education on the matter.
"The Gauteng education department promised 4000 satellite schools to fix this but where are they? I’ve demanded answers and immediate action. We need to build our classrooms, we need proper infrastructure and enough educators are urgently required."