Maile says Gauteng Education Dept needs R35bn to address overcrowding crisis

Gauteng Education MEC Lebogang Maile said the department needs about R35 billion to address the overcrowding crisis in public schools.

The overcrowding in both primary and high schools is creating a serious challenge, with the number of learners far exceeding the recommended figure.

About 2.8 million learners are enrolled in the province, which is double the number of pupils three decades ago.

Maile addressed the overcrowding crisis during a media briefing in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

The Gauteng Department of Education said 200 new schools are needed to ease pressure on existing ones, which would cost no less than R35 billion to build.

However, this is far beyond what the province can afford, given its annual budget of just over R70 billion.

While the recommended teacher-to-learner ratio is no more than 1:40, Maile admitted that the province is operating well above that.

“We need R35 Billion. So, what we need to do is to think about the boss and find ways to deal with these pressures. So, we are looking into Public-Private Partnerships. We need to get people who will build schools for us, and we pay later over a longer period.”

Maile said with the department’s current budget, they can only build seven schools per year.