Overcrowding Crisis in Musina Secondary Schools
In the Limpopo town of Musina, two secondary schools are struggling to cope with overcrowding, with one school reporting as many as 90 learners in a single class. The situation is making teaching "uncontrollable" and "unbearable" for teachers, who are finding it difficult to attend to the needs of all learners.
Renaissance High School, which has an average of 90 learners in its four grade 8 classes, is supposed to have 800 learners but currently has more than 1,600. Musina High School, with an average of 50 learners in its eight classes, is also struggling to accommodate the large number of students.
The governing bodies of both schools have asked the Limpopo Department of Education to build another school, but the department has instead suggested that the schools apply for extra mobile classrooms. However, the schools have not made such a request.
The overcrowding is not only affecting teaching and learning but also the morale of teachers. "Teaching an overcrowded class makes life for the teacher unbearable," said a teacher. "In fact such classes are uncontrollable."
The situation is also affecting the education of learners, with many struggling to secure places at the two schools. A Musina parent whose child has been out of school for two years is afraid that this could be the end of her child’s schooling.
The Limpopo Department of Education has been alerted to the need to build more public secondary schools in Musina, but nothing has been done. Peter Jack, a member of the Musina School Association, said that the department had been alerted ten years ago but had failed to take action.
The department’s spokesperson, Mosebjane Kgaffe, said that parents who cannot afford paying fees are allowed to apply for exemption and can appeal to the department if their application is denied. However, parents GroundUp spoke to said they were not aware of the exemption.
The situation in Musina highlights the need for the department to take urgent action to address the shortage of secondary schools in the town. As one parent said, "As a parent I appeal to the department to urgently address the lack of secondary schools in Musina."
