Reports that nearly 23 000 learners remain without school placements just days before the start of the academic year point to a serious failure of coordination, planning and accountability within South Africa’s basic education system.
At this late stage, children still unplaced across multiple provinces is inexcusable. No learner should be left behind.
BOSA therefore calls on the Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, to urgently convene a meeting this weekend with Education MECs in the provinces where learners remain unplaced. That meeting must deliver a clear, time-bound plan to ensure that every outstanding learner is placed without further delay.
At a minimum, the Minister – alongside provincial MECs – must urgently:
- publish a province-by-province breakdown of unplaced learners
- set firm, public deadlines for final placements
- outline immediate interventions in high-pressure districts, including temporary classrooms, transport solutions and emergency staffing; and
- account for why this crisis was allowed to escalate despite years of warnings about urban migration and persistent school-capacity shortages.
South Africa cannot continue stumbling into the same crisis at the start of every school year. This situation was predictable and therefore preventable.
BOSA will continue to hold both national and provincial education authorities accountable until every child has a school to attend, a teacher to educate, and a place in a classroom.
Media Enquiries:
Roger Solomons
BOSA Spokesperson
072 299 3551