Education MEC highlights persistent challenges facing pupils and province
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Read the original article: https://www.sowetan.co.za/news/2026-04-12-education-mec-highlights-persistent-ch…
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9 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.
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“Gauteng education MEC Lebogang Maile says overcrowding, infrastructure backlogs, weak learning outcomes and teacher shortages are some of the persistent challenges facing the province’s education system.”
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“Pupil enrolment in Gauteng has more than doubled from 1,408,237 in 1995 to over 2.8-million in 2026, driven by urbanisation and migration into the province, he said.”
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“Maile said an estimated 723 schools showed signs of overcrowding in some grades or across the whole school, with a documented shortage of about 5,554 classrooms - 3,166 in primary and 2,388 in secondary schools.”
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““Gauteng faces a deficit of at least 200 new schools to stabilise the system.””
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“A few months ago, former education MEC Matome Chiloane accused municipalities across the province of demanding favours, such as the construction of traffic lights and contributions to bulk infrastructure, in order to approve new schools.”
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“Maile also said the department had identified unequal access to Early Childhood Development (ECD) as a major concern.”
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“He said the sector remained privately operated in Gauteng, with many centres unregistered and unable to access government subsidies.”
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“According to international assessments, about 81% of Grade 4 learners in SA could not read for meaning, with similar challenges reflected in Gauteng schools.”
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“Teacher quality and availability remained uneven across the province, Maile added, driven by a shortage of qualified educators in mathematics, science and technology, with an estimated shortfall of 370 teachers in key technical subjects.”
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