SAHRC alarmed by Gauteng school placement delays and overcrowding

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has voiced significant concern regarding the persistent delays in placing Grade 1 and 8 learners, along with the issue of mass overcrowding in schools across Gauteng.

The commission presented its monitoring report on Wednesday on school readiness nationwide.

Their findings highlighted several systemic issues, including:

Online Submission Problems: The online application system suffers from systematic issues that contribute to placement delays.

Distant Placements: Some learners are being placed in schools that are geographically far from their homes.

The Gauteng Provincial Education Department has acknowledged the immense pressure on school placements, noting that over 40,000 applications have exceeded the available capacity for the 2026 academic year.

Commissioner's Recommendations

In response to the crisis, Commissioner Victor Mavhidula recommended that the department of education take immediate action to alleviate the strain:

Appoint More Teachers: The department should appoint additional teachers to help ease the pressure in overcrowded schools.

Mavhidula further emphasised the need for a comprehensive strategy, stating:

"The commission calls for a staffing strategy to fill all critical educators and support staff vacancies, especially in multi-grade and overcrowded schools. Schools where 18 principals are doubling as teachers, as seen at a primary school in the North West."

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