As parents scramble to find placements for their children just two days before schools reopen, minister of basic education Siviwe Gwarube said the department is constitutionally obliged to ensure that pupils are placed in schools.
This comes as 23,000 learners nationwide still don’t have space. There are about 4,800 unplaced pupils in Gauteng, 9,000 in Mpumalanga, and 7,000 in the Western Cape, while Limpopo sits at 1,300 learners who are yet to get schools.
Gwarube said the problem of a lack of placements is not due to poor preparation by provincial departments.
“So, the problem is borne from the pressure that we’re receiving in the system. The system is growing exponentially every year. For instance, we had over 900,000 learners who wrote the NSC exam this year alone. That just shows you the sheer number of pupils we have in the system,” she said.
“So, places like Gauteng and the Western Cape, and others, are consistently battling with the fact that parents are moving to areas with economic opportunities. These provinces then have to adapt, prepare schools and expand infrastructure so that they can place as many learners as possible,” she said.
Once schools open on Wednesday, it does not necessarily mean that learners who are unplaced on that day won’t be placed.
— Minister of basic education Siviwe Gwarube
Gwarube said she has spoken to provinces to gauge their readiness for 2026.
“Gauteng and the Western Cape, of course, still have large numbers of unplaced learners, but they have plans in place and are telling me that these numbers are decreasing every day. Also remember, we have what we call the 10-day yardstick. Once schools open on Wednesday, it does not necessarily mean that learners who are unplaced on that day won’t be placed. We have a constitutional obligation to make sure every learner is placed,” she said.
However, she said, the pressure on placements will remain unavoidable as long as the system continues to grow rapidly.
“It grows, and yet our financial resources aren’t growing along with it, and those tensions will always exist. But what is really important for me is the commitment from MECs to ensure that this issue is addressed and that learners are placed,” she said.
On pupils caught cheating in their matric examinations, Gwarube said independent hearings will take place from now until February to conclude the process.
“So, Umalusi will be able to give each individual the outcome of the investigation so that they can move on with their lives if they are found to be innocent or face the sanctions awaiting them if they are found guilty,” she said.
She added that some pupils will also face criminal charges.
“Unfortunately, learners who are over 18 are likely to face criminal charges because they are adults, and some were involved in the selling of examination papers. We have to be firm because we must protect the integrity of the NSC examination. People who cheat in the system are only doing themselves a disservice,” Gwarube said.
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