Source: Pexels

David Maynier, Minister of Education Western Cape, says: "We ask for patience as we make progress in placing these extremely late applicants, as we could not predict where and when these late applicants would arrive. This has made planning our resource allocation in advance extremely difficult.

"It will take some time to redirect resources to cater for these learners, and this is currently underway. We are leaving no stone unturned in our effort to place every learner, and we will continue to work to finalise placement for all remaining learners.

"We understand that the placement process can cause frustration for parents, and we ask for their patience and assure them that we are doing everything we can to find places for learners as quickly as possible."

New classrooms completed

The WCED says it has completed 283 new classrooms in January 2025, including new schools in Lwandle, Wallacedene, Blue Downs, Philippi, Delft and Darling. A further three new schools are scheduled for completion in March, and additional mobile classrooms will also be deployed to schools in the coming weeks.

"We are also adding up to 477 new growth teaching posts for our new schools and schools that have taken in a significant number of additional learners.

"A basic education is the vital foundation upon which our children’s post-school education and employment relies, so we deeply appreciate the hard work and long hours that our districts and infrastructure officials have done to expand access to education in the Western Cape," it said.