Eastern Cape schools battle low learner numbers and teacher shortages

Standing in the doorway is a learner we found at Zidlekhaya Primary school in Mjulwa in Tsomo. Photos: Manqulo Nyakombi

• Some schools in Tsomo town in the Eastern Cape are battling with low learner numbers and teacher shortages.

We visited three different schools last week. In one primary school there were only two teachers. They taught four grades in one classroom.

The provincial education department says these schools might be closed due to low numbers. But parents say they can’t afford to pay for transport to schools outside of their communities.

The Eastern Cape Department of Education is considering closing a couple of rural schools where parents have been complaining of teacher shortages. But parents at these schools say they can’t afford to pay for transport to schools outside of their community. They instead want the department to hire more teachers.

At Maduma Primary School in Tsomo, there are 56 learners with only two teachers. Each teacher has to teach at least four grades each.

The foundation phase learners are taught in one class while the intermediate phase, grades 4 to 7 have also been combined in one classroom. According to parents, most of the former teachers had retired in 2022, and their posts were never filled.

When GroundUp visited the school on Friday, there was only one teacher at the school. We were told that the foundation phase teacher was sick and had gone to the doctor. This was not the first time our reporter was at the school and only one teacher was there to cater for all of the learners.

Grade 6 learner, Alwaba Manya, 11, told GroundUpi that school was better last year when they had more teachers. “I’m sure this also frustrates our teachers even though they are not telling us. In our class, we have four grades. One grade would be told to focus on reading and the other grades would have to go over work, while the teacher is busy with a different grade.

“Who can concentrate on reading while there’s a teacher asking questions to other learners in the same class? We are really suffering,” said Manya.
Grade 7 learner, Silungile Golotile, 15, said, “There are slow learners in some of the grades, but they don’t get the attention they need because the workload is too much on our teachers. I also suffer a lot because I can’t study when others are talking. The situation becomes chaotic.”

Parent Mongikazi Jingisa said they have asked the provincial education department to hire more teachers. “We really need teachers, even if it’s assistant teachers. If we had money we would have hired our own teachers, but most parents here rely on social grants.”

Jingisa said that when both teachers are absent or have to attend a meeting, then the whole school has to close. “We have grade 7 learners going to high school next year, but they are already struggling with subjects. We don’t want them to miss out,” said Jingisa.