A parent of a learner attending Dawn Park Primary School is distressed about overcrowding in classrooms at the school.
The parent, who asked to remain anonymous, said learners are being subjected to unconducive learning conditions.
“Since the recent decision by the Gauteng Department of Basic Education to cancel rotational attendance, we have learned that the school, that can only accommodate 1 400 learners (pre-Covid), now has 2 200 learners.
“A class that is supposed to accommodate 40 learners (pre-Covid) has 65 learners now. It is sad because we are told our children are studying without chairs and desks. This is worrying for parents because we pay school fees.“If this matter persists, then we will be left with no option but to act against this educational injustice,” said the parent.
Department of Education spokesperson Steve Mabona said they are aware of overcrowding at Dawn Park Primary.
“It is caused by the expansion of the Dawn Park suburb and surrounding areas.The development has put pressure on the primary school’s enrollment and admission phase, as it is the only public school in the area.
“However, we acknowledged the issue during the placement period and came up with a decisive plan to reduce congestion. We are distributing mobile classrooms and have distributed mobile classrooms to some schools so far, and we will deliver to the outstanding schools,” Mabona said.
“As the Gauteng Department of Education, we are happy that children are at school rather than at home.
“We have guidelines in terms of the number of learners each school can accommodate; however, where there’s a huge number of learners applying, every public school is obligated to accommodate those learners.
“The infrastructure unit of our department has assessed the dire situation at Dawn Park Primary and several classrooms will be built at the school to alleviate the pressure.”
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