Shocking school stats revealed: Almost 160,000 pupils did not return to public schools this year

A shocking total of 158,888 pupils in seven provinces have not returned to class this year.

This figure — 50,228 primary school and 108,660 secondary school pupils — was revealed by basic education minister, Angie Motshekga, to teacher unions, governing body associations and professional associations on Saturday.

Possible pupil dropout figures for the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga were not available as these provinces were still “validating” the figures.

Providing a progress report on schools’ return to daily attendance, Motshekga advised that the statistics must be treated “with caution” because some of these pupils may still return.

According to a slide presentation, some pupils are learning from home or may have gone to private schools or Technical and Vocational Education and Training (Tvet) colleges.

Grades with the highest number of pupils who did not return include grades 7 (9,029), 10 (40,393) and 11 (28,817).

A staggering 53,418 of the 108,660 high school pupils who did not return were from Limpopo while the second highest number was from KwaZulu-Natal (27,361).

The strategies being employed by provinces to track and readmit learners who dropped out include:

• Advocacy campaigns in the Free State, Mpumalanga, North West and the Western Cape to inform pupils to return to school;
• Schools in North West were advised to give preference to pupils who had dropped out of school;
• KwaZulu-Natal and North West using WhatsApp groups to encourage parents to ensure pupils who dropped out return to school;
• Engaging parents in the Free State and Western Cape; and
• Collaborating with unions and making use of community radio stations.

Motshekga said among the provinces that provided figures, North West and Western Cape had 700 pupils in special schools who did not return.

Meanwhile, it was revealed that the highest number of schools that did not return to full daily attendance were from Gauteng.

Of the 261 schools in eight provinces that did not return to full attendance, 154 were from Gauteng. The Eastern Cape was still “validating” figures.

All schools in the Free State and Limpopo returned to daily attendance.

At least 126 of the 261 schools that did not return to full attendance were from township and urban areas.

She said the reasons why some schools did not return to daily attendance included:

• Schools damaged by storms in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal;
• Shortage of floor space or overcrowding in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, the Northern Cape, North West and the Western Cape;
• Shortage of resources, for example furniture or learning teacher support materials;
• Shortage of hostel accommodation and renovations and construction of extra classrooms in North West;
• Shortage of educators due to the increased learner enrolment in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Northern Cape;
• Additional pupils accepted due to a large influx of pupil applications in January in Gauteng and the Western Cape; and
• Schools in Gauteng did not inform all pupils about the full return to daily attendance.

Motshekga said mobile classrooms were procured to assist schools to ease overcrowding as well as the provision of additional educators in Gauteng, the Northern Cape and Western Cape.

On the question of unplaced grade 1 and 8 pupils, 184 grade 1 pupils in Mpumalanga and the Western Cape and 1,015 grade 8 pupils in the Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga and the Western Cape have not been placed.

She said 456 teachers and 2,298 pupils had contracted Covid-19 since the beginning of the academic year.

Three teachers in the Western Cape have died of Covid-19 related complications.

Motshekga’s presentation also revealed there were 9,969 teaching posts that had not been filled as at February 11.

“This figure does not reflect a true picture because in some provinces vacant posts had been temporarily closed and records had not been updated.”