Gauteng Education MEC Lebogang Maile says the province’s school system has grown sharply since 1995, but rising learner numbers are now putting pressure on classrooms, infrastructure and teacher capacity.
Presenting an overview of basic education in Gauteng, Maile said learner enrolment has more than doubled since 1995, driven largely by urbanisation and migration into the province.
“In Gauteng, enrolment across all schools increased from 1 408 237 learners in 1995 to 2 835 168 in 2026,” Maile said. “This reflects strong population growth driven by urbanisation and migration into the province.”
He added that learner numbers have grown by more than 100% over the period, with enrolment rising at an average of about 2% annually, translating to more than 50 000 additional learners each year.
Despite this surge, Maile said the province has made significant strides in expanding access to education.
“Over the past 30 years, the Gauteng province has achieved near-universal access to education. We have reduced dropout rates across secondary grades; improved and sustained learner performance, especially at Grade 12; increased and equalised education spending; and made substantial progress in reducing infrastructure backlogs,” he said.
He attributed the improvements to sustained investment in teaching and learning.
“This improvement is the direct result of investment in the provincial education system in terms of financing and commitment to improving teaching and learning,” Maile said.
However, Maile cautioned that rising costs and competing priorities are limiting the impact of increased allocations.
“While nominal allocations in the education budget have increased, high inflation in educational materials and food for school nutrition have a direct impact on these increases,” he said.
“Despite being the top spending priority for the democratic government, basic education’s share of total government expenditure has faced pressure, and some infrastructure programmes have experienced Cabinet-approved reductions.”
He added that provincial education departments are under significant strain and facing staffing challenges.
“Provincial education departments have faced immense budgetary strain and are facing shortages in teaching staff due to budget constraints. Gauteng is not unique in this respect,” Maile said.
The 2026 school readiness audit also revealed major furniture shortages.
“This includes 67 855 chairs and 25 990 double desks in primary schools and 111 333 chairs and 98 115 single desks in secondary schools,” Maile said.
An estimated 723 schools are experiencing overcrowding, with a shortage of about 5 554 classrooms, 3 166 in primary schools and 2 388 in secondary schools.
“Many facilities are in poor condition, increasing reliance on temporary structures and contributing to unsafe learning environments,” he said.
Beyond infrastructure, Gauteng is also grappling with a shortage of specialised teachers, particularly in STEM subjects.
“Gauteng, like the rest of the country, faces a severe shortage of STEM teachers, which is constraining the rollout of technical subjects in schools,” Maile said.
The province is currently facing an estimated shortfall of 370 teachers in critical technology subjects. There is also strong demand for foundation phase teachers, particularly those proficient in African languages, as well as English teachers across the province.
Maile said the scale of growth in Gauteng’s education system requires sustained investment to ensure that access to schooling is matched by quality learning conditions.
Saturday Star
