Schools bursting at seams: Rustenburg faces overcrowding crisis

Rustenburg – Paul Sebegoe, the chief whip of the North West Provincial Legislature (NWPL) highlighted the growing issue of overcrowding in Rustenburg schools on Wednesday 17 January 2024. He pinpointed migration and urbanisation within mining communities as the primary factors contributing to this predicament.

This concern came to light as Sebegoe participated in a province-wide initiative where elected public representatives were deployed to assess the readiness of schools for the reopening on the first day of the 2024 academic year.

“Despite the Provincial Basic Education Department’s annual efforts to combat this issue through the revision of the post-provision model, aiming to allocate more educators, the escalating demand for enrolment poses a significant challenge. Schools in the area are struggling to manage the continuously growing number of students, a trend that shows no signs of slowing down,” Sebegoe said.

He emphasised the dire need for immediate action to alleviate the overcrowding at Meriti Secondary School, located in Rustenburg. The school, with a capacity to accommodate 1,200 learners, is currently grappling with an enrolment of 1,729 students. The situation is particularly critical in Grades 8, 9, and 10.

Sebegoe underscored the urgency of the matter, stating, “We have escalated the pressing need for six mobile classrooms and additional furniture. This is envisioned as an interim solution to partially relieve the school from the intense pressure it is facing due to the excessive student population.”

Photo: Packed to capacity: a single classroom overwhelms with high learner numbers in Rustenburg.