The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has noted the results of census 2011 which shows that there is a 36% increase in the overall population of the
province.
Reacting to the census, Gauteng Education MEC, Ms Barbara Creecy, said the census explained two very important trends that the department had observed
and was addressing in education in the province:
"Firstly, rising overall population numbers also mean rising learner numbers. And secondly, the shifting social demographics which go hand in hand with the
growth of the middle class in the province, which is the country's primary economic motor, bring rising demand for access to schools in traditionally middle
class areas,” Creecy said.
For the GDE, this means that we need to address two very significant challenges:
“Firstly, we are working to rapidly improve the quality of education and thereby to attract parents of the township, peri-urban and rural schools.
We are doing this, for example, by ramping up in-service training for teachers and special training courses for principals on how to better manage their schools,
but also by investing in new and improved facilities for these schools.
“Secondly, we are working with School Governing Bodies and schools in traditionally middle class areas to identify appropriate and practical responses to the growing demand for schooling.
We are assisting within our budgetary possibilities with additional teachers, textbooks and classroom space,” Creecy
said.
The department is obliged to ensure that no learner is denied access to schooling and will together with the Executive Council of Gauteng, and other
provincial departments, find the means to address the increasing demand for learning space.
To date, the department has accelerated infrastructure delivery by using alternate construction methods and pre-fabricated solutions to meet the demand.
The department has built 213 schools in Gauteng to deal with the demand for space, including rural and farming communities. Over 3200 prefabricated
classrooms were supplied to schools over the last two years to accommodate learners. This year, the GDE opened 35 new schools and will announce the
number of new schools that will open in 2013 early in the New Year.
The department has in the last three years approved 1329 growth posts with 750 growth posts for 2013. This means that the department is able to hire additional
teachers to ensure that the quality of education is not compromised.
The department has called on all learners,teachers, communities and the public sector to support these initiatives.
“Most importantly, we are calling on all stakeholders in education to come together and make the contributions they are able to as we work to ensure that
quality education is increasingly what Gauteng is known for," Creecy said.
For more information contact:
Charles Phahlane
Tel: 011 355 1530
Cell: 071 860 4496
