South African teachers on average spend less than 50 percent of their teaching time in class each week.

This figure was contained in a survey conducted by the SA Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR).

Teachers often did not understand their subjects nor knew how to teach them.

Many in state schools bunked classes.

As a result, many parents turned to private schools for their children's education. The number of pupils in private schools had increased from 256,283 in 2000 to more than 450,740 to date.

In state schools, the pupil: teacher ratio was 30:1, but in the private sector, there was a ratio of 16:1.

Ten percent of 24,451 state schools lacked water facilities.

In total, 11,450 schools had pit latrines and 155 relied on the bucket system.

However, 913 schools did not have toilet facilities, the newspaper reported.