The Gauteng Department of Education has raised serious concerns about the growing crisis of overcrowding in the province’s schools, as learner numbers continue to surge beyond available capacity.

In a statement released by the department on April 28, MEC Lebogang Maile outlined the scale of the challenge and the interventions underway to stabilise the system.

The department describes the education system as a reflection of broader structural challenges facing Gauteng and South Africa, shaped by historical inequalities, financial constraints, and increasing pressure on resources needed for teaching, infrastructure, and curriculum development.

“Learner enrolment in Gauteng has more than doubled over the past three decades.

“In 1995, the province had just over 1.4 million learners, while by 2026 that number has grown to more than 2.8 million.

“This makes Gauteng the fastest-growing education system in the country, with more than 50 000 learners added each year due to migration and rapid urbanisation,” stated Maile.

The province currently has 2 111 public schools, including 1 417 primary schools and 694 secondary schools.

“However, nearly half of these schools, 1 021 in total, are operating above capacity. Overcrowding is particularly severe in secondary schools, where 64% are oversubscribed, compared to 41% of primary schools.

“While primary schools show a surplus of more than 54 000 spaces, secondary schools face a shortage of over 88 000 spaces,” he added.

“Overcrowding is widespread across all 15 education districts, with township and urban areas experiencing the highest pressure.”

Maile stated that the imbalance between the number of primary and secondary schools continues to worsen the situation, creating a bottleneck as learners progress through the system.

The department estimates that at least 83 additional secondary schools are needed to meet current demand.

“Infrastructure development has struggled to keep pace with the rapid growth in learner numbers.

“Gauteng currently faces a backlog of at least 200 schools needed to stabilise the system.

“Although the province aims to build 10 schools per year, many projects are delayed, forcing reliance on temporary classrooms as a short-term solution,” he cited.

Financial constraints remain a major challenge.

Despite an education budget exceeding R68b, a significant portion is allocated to salaries, leaving limited funding for infrastructure, maintenance, and learning materials.

According to Maile, a recent school readiness audit also highlighted severe shortages of furniture, including tens of thousands of desks and chairs across both primary and secondary schools.

“While procurement processes are underway, funding limitations continue to delay full delivery.

“The situation is further compounded by rapid urbanisation, population growth in townships, and ongoing migration into Gauteng.

“Additional challenges include vandalism, crime, poor contractor performance, and disruptions linked to community forums, all of which slow down infrastructure delivery and increase costs,” he mentioned.

To address the crisis, the Gauteng Provincial Government has committed nearly R4b over the Medium-term Expenditure Framework for new and replacement schools.

This is expected to deliver around 23 schools over the next few years.

The department is also working with the Development Bank of Southern Africa on infrastructure projects in high-pressure areas and has introduced programmes targeting priority developments across municipalities.

Other measures include exploring public-private partnerships, reopening former schools that meet regulatory standards, and implementing a self-build programme that allows schools to construct additional classrooms.

Prefabricated classrooms are also being deployed to ease immediate pressure, although these are not seen as a long-term solution.

The government has also developed a 20-year infrastructure plan aligned with population growth and urban development, including plans to expand schooling in inner-city areas and high-density communities.

Maile has calls on the private sector and communities to support government efforts, particularly in protecting school infrastructure from vandalism and theft.

He emphasised that addressing overcrowding requires collective responsibility to ensure that limited resources are used effectively and that every learner has access to a safe and functional learning environment.