By Lesego Masemola
Tshwane needs 1 881 classrooms to ease the pressure on overcrowded high and primary schools. They are among the nearly 6 000 classrooms required throughout Gauteng.
At high school level 3 009 classrooms are needed while primary schools fall short by 2 892 classrooms, according to Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) statistics.
Pretoria News reported on overcrowding in schools in Akasia and Centurion in 2007, a situation which continues.
Basic Education Department spokesman Grandville Whittle said that these shortages must be understood in the context of many classrooms and schools that are empty "as a result of migration and demographic patterns".
To ease overcrowding the GDE is spending millions of rands on mobile classrooms and transport.
Department spokesperson Charles Phahlane said projections from the 2009/10 financial year suggest that the department was spending R127 million on transport alone.
He could not confirm how much was being spent on mobile classrooms but in January this year more than 100 mobile classrooms were ordered for schools in the province.
The GDE is reportedly planning to spend more than R4.4 billion over the next three financial years to build and renovate schools to address the situation. One of two Mamelodi schools is already under construction.
A total of R1.3bn will be spent in the 2010/11 financial year, while R1.4bn will be spent during 2011/12 and R1.6bn for the 2012/13 financial year said Phahlane.
The Tshwane South district which includes Centurion, Mamelodi and Pretoria East has a shortage of 772 classrooms followed by Tshwane West with a shortage of 729 and Tshwane North with 381.
Budget constraints, cited as the main reason for the backlog, will be addressed over the next three years.
Teacher unions and the DA have expressed concern about the impact it has on the education system.
The South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) spokesperson Nomusa Cembi said: "Shortage of classrooms leads to overcrowding which has a negative impact on learning and teaching as learners do not have a chance to engage one-on-one with the teacher."
The South African Teachers Union (SAOU) says that reducing overcrowding is one of the methods education authorities can employ to assist teachers and learners.
"It should be borne in mind that overcrowding inhibits both teachers and learners from optimising available teaching and learning time and is one of many factors that can exercise a detrimental effect on learning outcomes," said SAOU spokesman Huw Davies.
The DA believes that the education department should rope in private companies to assist them.
"This situation is depriving learners of an opportunity to realise their full potential and freedom through access to a quality education. The DA is proposing a strong partnership with private companies to help but such proposal is not explored to its full capacity. Rather the department repairs schools that are vandalised because it has failed to turn schools into community resources," said Khume Ramulifho, DA Gauteng education spokesperson.