Huge reduction in unplaced learners

THE Western Cape Education Department (WCED) said it had made excellent progress in placing pupils in the province over the past few weeks, and was on track to place the remaining 735 pupils this week.

The WCED revealed this to the standing committee on education in the legislature, when it tabled an update on the number of pupils placed to date, and the strategy to deal with the projected increase in the number of pupils for the 2022 academic year.

Committee chairperson Lorraine Botha said they supported the steps taken by the department to reduce the number of unplaced pupils over the past three months from about 23 000 to 735, and its indication that it would eradicate the remaining pupils on the list by Friday.

Botha said plans included the provision of transport and meals, and the approval of the creation and funding of 179 additional posts, 129 mobile classrooms and two new schools.

Education MEC Debbie Schäfer said their curriculum and assessment directorate was implementing a detailed catch-up plan for pupils who had started school late this year.

Khalid Sayed, the ANC’s provincial spokesperson on education, said it was concerning that, as of yesterday, 735 pupils had still not been placed in schools.

More than 650 of these pupils were concentrated in the Metro East District, mainly affecting previously disadvantaged communities such as those in Khayelitsha, Delft and Mfuleni.

Sayed said it was disappointing that there was no willingness to find a lasting solution to the challenge.

He said mobile classrooms were only a temporary solution and might bring additional challenges.