Severe overcrowding at Randvaal Primary School is affecting the delivery of quality education as the learning and teaching environment is not conducive.
Learners are being taught in the library, school hall and the foyer due to severe overcrowding in classrooms.
Today, the DA conducted an oversight inspection at the school, and we were shocked to learn that the Gauteng Department of Education is aware of the challenges of overcrowding in classrooms, and they have constantly ignored the plea for additional classrooms at this school.
We were told that their excuse has been that the department does not have funds.
This has forced the school principal to utilise the library, science laboratory, hall foyer and the school hall as classrooms. These learning conditions are unacceptable and are not conducive for learners and teachers.
In total there are more than 1500 learners at the school and certain grades have an average of 55 learners per classroom.
Our biggest concern is that even though the school is struggling to accommodate the current numbers, it has over 250 applications but can only accommodate 160 of those applications.
Come January 2023, this school will not be able to accommodate all the applicants as they have already reached capacity, and this will worsen the overcrowding.
The DA demands that the Gauteng MEC for Education, Matome Chiloane, provide this school with additional five classrooms to ease overcrowding and ensure that learners are being taught in a conducive environment.
We will further table questions to ascertain when will the department provide the Randvaal Primary School with the funds needed to build additional classrooms.
The DA will continue to fight to ensure that no learner is taught in overcrowded classrooms and that all our schools have access to much-needed resources and that the infrastructure is up to standard.