North West school faces Grade R overcrowding as pupils return for 2026 academic year
Tshenolo Primary in the North West faces a classroom crunch as more than 100 Grade R pupils return for the 2026 school year.
Image: Henk Kruger/Independent Newspapers
North West Education MEC Viola Motsumi has expressed concerns that Tshenolo Primary School may experience overcrowding in its Grade R classes, with numbers expected to exceed 100 pupils, while the school currently has only three classrooms for the youngest learners.
Motsumi spoke on Wednesday morning as schools across the province reopened for the 2026 academic year.
This comes after Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube released the 2025 National Senior Certificate exam results on Monday, which showed an 88% pass rate for the class of 2025.
Gwarube and Motsumi officially launched the 2026 Back-to-School programme at Tshenolo Primary in Lehlabile Township, focusing on Grade R and Grade 1 learners attending school for the first time.
Motsumi confirmed she had engaged with the principal and school management to assess readiness for reopening.
“They indicated that they are ready for today, but raised some concerns about walk-ins from parents, especially for Grade R,” she said in an interview with broadcaster Newzroom Afrika.
Last year, the school had 95 Grade R learners. This year, numbers are expected to exceed 100.
“If it increases to 150 or 170, the school will face overcrowding, which will require additional classrooms and teachers,” Motsumi said.
She emphasised the province’s focus on the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP), which is a government initiative that provides nutritious meals to learners in public schools, especially in underprivileged areas, to improve health, concentration, and educational outcomes.
“Many schools do not yet have the programme fully operational. At this school, classes are being used to support the NSNP, and the school has received Section 21 funding without issues,” she said.
She said that while stationery has been delivered, textbooks are still pending, awaiting final enrolment figures.
Motsumi said Tshenolo Primary was built in 1992 and has historically faced infrastructure challenges.
She said Gwarube’s visit to a township school, rather than a suburban one, allowed her to see these issues firsthand.
“The expectation is that the minister can assist with interventions, including engaging the Treasury to support improvements in the education sector,” she said.
Motsumi praised the school’s management, saying that it currently has only one teaching vacancy.
“The district director has already signed off on an extra teacher, who will be in place before March,” she said.
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