Ketlane Primary School in Valdezia is facing severe overcrowding, with 101 learners packed into a single classroom, following a controversial school merger. This has raised concerns among parents, educators, and the community about the impact on learners' education and well-being.
The overcrowding stems from the merger between Ketlane Primary and Mambedi Primary School, located a short distance away. In some cases, learners are forced to share desks because of a shortage of furniture.
As part of a rationalisation programme, the provincial department of education implemented the merger to address low enrolment at certain schools. MEC Mavhungu Lerule Ramakhanya announced that the department had retained 51,752 educator posts for the 2023 school year to ensure quality learning, despite economic challenges. However, she acknowledged that the increase in learner enrolment has strained educator provisioning, resulting in higher learner-to-educator ratios and larger class sizes, which negatively affect the quality of education.
Established by Swiss missionaries, Ketlane Primary is 109 years old. The school currently has 602 learners but only ten classrooms available for teaching. The situation is worsened by the repurposing of two classrooms as a principal's office and a staff room, while a makeshift shack is used as storage for books and other materials.
During a recent visit by Limpopo Mirror, teachers who spoke on condition of anonymity said they struggled to manage the large class sizes, making it nearly impossible to give individual attention to learners. "It's hard to teach effectively with this number of learners in one room. Many learners are left behind because we can't give them the attention they need, and discipline is also a challenge," said one teacher.
Another teacher explained that the overcrowded conditions make it difficult to check learners' work, and the situation is worsened by the community's poverty, with 80% of residents working on farms. "It's not easy for teachers to walk around and check learners' work due to the lack of space. We hope the department can assist us by building more classrooms. Although we open the small windows for ventilation, the condition of some classrooms is deteriorating, and many are simply too small," she said.
Despite receiving a boost with the donation of 100 wheelie school bags that convert into desks and chairs—courtesy of MiDesk and sponsored by the Technology Innovation Agency—the school still faces severe overcrowding.
School governing board (SGB) members said the overcrowding was the direct result of merging a lower primary school with a nearby senior primary in 2019.
"The buildings could only accommodate those learners. More classrooms needed to be built, and this has led to the biggest challenge—overcrowding. We've written several letters to the department, but with no success," said SGB chairperson Frida Bilankulu.
Limpopo provincial manager of the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) Mr Victor Mavhidula said the issue had not yet been reported to them. He noted that while the commission assists with such matters, it works with the department of education when necessary.
"We encourage anyone affected to report human rights violations as we often learn about issues through the media or investigations," he said.