By Thapelo Molefe
Nearly half of Gauteng’s public schools are operating above capacity as overcrowding continues to worsen across the province.
Gauteng Education MEC Lebogang Maile, briefing the media on Tuesday, said 1,021 of the province’s 2,111 public schools are over-subscribed, representing 48% of all schools. This includes 41% of primary schools and 64% of secondary schools.
Learner enrolment in the province has more than doubled over the past three decades, rising from 1.4 million in 1995 to 2.8 million in 2026. The system continues to grow by more than 50,000 learners each year, driven by migration and rapid urbanisation.
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“The issue is widespread and systemic rather than isolated to a few districts,” Maile said.
The province faces a shortage of school space, particularly at secondary level, where there is a deficit of more than 88,000 places. At the same time, 252 schools are not at full capacity, highlighting imbalances in learner distribution.
“The rate of infrastructure delivery is not keeping pace with the growing demand for learner placement in the province,” Maile said.
High-pressure areas include townships and urban centres in Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni, where demand continues to outpace infrastructure delivery.
Maile said Gauteng requires at least 200 new schools to stabilise the system, but current funding allows for only about seven new schools to be built each year.
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“We are implementing a range of interventions to expand capacity, but the scale of demand continues to outstrip available resources,” he added.
To address the crisis, the provincial government is rolling out interventions including new school construction, partnerships with the Development Bank of Southern Africa, and the use of prefabricated classrooms as a temporary measure.
Maile urged communities and the private sector to help protect school infrastructure and support efforts to address the overcrowding.
