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The Gauteng Education Department recently opened the newly built Braamfischerville Primary School.
The Gauteng Education Department has dismissed allegations that it has failed to fulfill its promise to build more than 4 000 satellite schools across the province.
The department was responding to a Democratic Alliance’s (DA) allegation related to overcrowding at schools.
The department’s spokesperson Steve Mabona says some satellite schools have already started operating while others will be completed by June.
“As the department, we’ve identified schools that received an overwhelming number of applications which exceed the capacity of such schools, and we then classified such schools as high-pressure schools. To assist them, we then intervened by providing the mobile classrooms, building of satellite schools and transferring of funds for them to participate in the project, which is deemed self-build. As the department, we must correct the assertion that we said we would build over 4 000 satellite schools, we never said that. We announced that the satellite schools we introduced in 2025 will provide over 4 417 additional spaces, which will then alleviate pressure in the high-pressure schools.”
VIDEO| Mabona says the issue of overcrowding in schools raised by the DA is not new and is being dealt with:
The DA in Gauteng says the overcrowding in schools hampers learning, as observed during an inspection at Randvaal Primary School in Sedibeng District, where 53 learners were found in one classroom. Gauteng Department of Education spokesperson Steve Mabona weighs in. pic.twitter.com/xJXwxp7ZeG
— SABC News (@SABCNews) February 13, 2025
The DA in Gauteng made the allegations after visiting Randvaal Primary School.
“During my oversight visit to Randvaal Primary, I witnessed 53 learners cramped into one classroom, without adequate chairs or tables. This isn’t about numbers, it’s about children’s futures being stifled. The Gauteng Department of Education promised 4 000 satellite schools to fix this but where are they? I’ve demanded answers and immediate action. We need mobile classrooms, we need proper infrastructure and enough educators are urgently required,” says the party’s Sergio Isa Dos Santos.
Gauteng Education’s statement on satellite schools allegations:
[MEDIA STATEMENT]: The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) responds to claims of overcrowding at Gauteng public schools and highlights measures in place to address capacity challenges.
Read the full statement below:#GrowingGautengTogether pic.twitter.com/yPd5v7XqVA
— Gauteng Department of Education (@EducationGP1) February 12, 2025
VIDEO| Earlier this year parents struggled to find placements for their children in some schools:
