Cape Town - Overcrowding in Western Cape public schools is affecting the quality of teaching and negatively impacting on the behaviour of pupils.
Principals have lamented the teacher to pupil ratio, which at some schools is as high as 1 to 46.
Principal Riyaadh Najaar of Spine Road High School in Mitchells Plain said overcrowding of classes in public schools had become the norm.
“Overcrowding is a major concern in our schools; it’s a challenge as quality of teaching and learning is lost. This means both parties (teachers and pupils) suffer. It has a negative impact on the pupils and we see this in their behaviour.”
The principal of Solomon Qatyana Primary School in Strand, Nokwazi Mniki, agreed and said some teachers were often absent as they were physically and emotionally drained.
“In our school the ratio can be 1:46 and even more in other grades. This affects us as teachers as we get frustrated when we are struggling to discipline pupils We experience absenteeism from teachers Some pupils are slow so it’s hard to reach them and they end up repeating.”
It is generally accepted that in order for a classroom to function optimally there needs to be one teacher for every 25 pupils, but In the Western Cape the teacher to pupil ratio stands at one teacher to 37 pupils at primary schools and one teacher to 35 pupils at secondary schools.
Basil Manuel, the executive director of teacher union Naptosa, said: “When you come to class size, it’s on average about one to 42. Teachers are not coping.”
Manuel said teachers were now taking more time off and others were leaving the profession and retiring earlier.
Jessica Shelver, spokesperson
for Education MEC Debbie Schäfer, said the ratios were recommended amid fiscal constraints, to ensure teaching conditions in classrooms were more conducive to learning.
“There is no simple lasting solution to the problem of overcrowding and shortages of classrooms. Both of these are caused by insufficient money.”
Shelver said to accommodate the additional pupils, the province would need an extra 22 to 24 schools a year at a cost of about R50 million each, as well as 700 educators.