Maponya, Frank, “Learners Need More Space: 100 kids packed in one class, Sowetan: The Soul Truth, 17 January 2005. 

Mdletshe, Canaan, Vivian Mooki, Nosizo Tshabala and Frank Maponya, “Classroom Chaos Again,” Sowetan: The Soul Truth, 18 January 2005. 
 

OVERVIEW

A Sowetan team visited the AlfMakalengPrimary School (Grades 1-7) in SeshegoTownship last week and “found classrooms so cramped in their rooms that it was even difficult for a teacher to move around. The 12-classroom school has admitted 1,139 pupils this year, with only 21 teachers to look after their daily educational needs (a ratio of about 1 to 54). In most classrooms, the majority of pupils were seated on the floor, a clear indication of a shortage of resources at the school. The situation is so severe, the principal has had to sacrifice her own office and the staff room to supplement the existing rooms… One classroom designed to accommodate 40 learners has more than 100 crammed inside.”

When asked to explain the overcrowding, the principles said there was no way she could reject applying students because there are no other schools in the area. But this makes for an untenable educational situation. “Look, we have at least 172 pupils in Grade 2 and this impacts negatively on the progress of their educational requirements. This is unacceptable.”

About 5000 from disadvantaged areas around Gauteng have been unable to attend school because they do not have transport. This is because of a conflict between bus operators and the Gauteng department of education over payment.

Overcrowding was evident at the RoodekraalPrimary School, a farm school at Rooikraal Langoed outside Vosloorus. The school, a six-roomed house, enrolls children from as far away as Wolf and Villaliza informal settlement. Some of the children walk 15km to get there.

The principal said that despite the overcrowding they will continue to admit the children. “The illiteracy rate is very high, so to alleviate the problem we have to admit the children. There are certain children who at the age of 15 are doing grade two or grade three.”

Limpopo education spokesman Freddy Greaver admitted there are shortage problems in most school of the province. This is true in many schools all over Africa. In Kenya

, where education has become free in the past few years, students have flooded schools and overtaxed teachers.

In some places there are difficulties in registering children without birth certificates. Ellie Kambule’s son left her with his children when he went to look for work somewhere in Johannesburg. But she was unable to register the 8- and 7-year-olds because they don’t have birth certificates. She was told that birth certificates can only be issued to the mother. In this case, however, the mother has absconded and no one knows where she is. Education spokesman Thomas Msiza said department policy says children must be registered even without birth certificates.

Bureaucratic confusion, overcrowded classrooms, inadequately trained and sometimes poorly motivated teachers—even teachers who are sometimes missing on personal or other business matters, along with the absence of textbooks and teaching materials are poor predictors of academic success.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION OR DISCUSSION

1.   How important is primary education to an individual child, to a family, community and society?

2.   Is being in school, no matter what the conditions, better than not being allowed into school?  Why or why not?

3.   How would you approach overcrowding and other educational problems from a governmental standpoint?

4.   What could a community do about problems with their schools?

IMPLICATIONS

1.   When we consider education, we are thinking about the future mind of society. Great disparities in education will create future divisions in a society.

2.   Quality education demands government standards and resources, good administrators, well-trained and motivated teachers, committed parents and community, and eager students. Failure can come from a wide range of weaknesses in any of these contributors to the education of the young.

3.   It is good to see a newspaper takes up this issue. The media is meant to spotlight failures in a society, to act as a moral conscience of a culture, and their concern for children is exemplary.

4.   The legacy of apartheid and the issue of poverty are two obstacles that need extraordinary effort to overcome.