The Quick Interview | What contributes to learner placement challenges in SA

Five months into the academic year, about 285 Diepsloot pupils are yet to be placed in schools as there is no space. A school in the area, which was expected to be operational by this week to absorb some of them, is not yet complete. Education expert Mary Metcalfe breaks down challenges that contribute to learner placement challenges in SA.

Sowetan: If a child has missed five months of school, can they still recover? And how can they be assisted?

Metcalfe: While some children can “fly” and catch up quickly, others may struggle. The Caps (Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement) curriculum is specific about the content that must be covered within the school year. Missing five months means a big number of school days and potentially valuable content has been lost. To assist the child, the school would need to continuously assess their progress to determine what gaps exist.

Sowetan: Is there a cut-off point where the child would be forced to repeat the grade based on that they missed a lot of schooling? 

Metcalfe: No fixed cut-off point automatically forces a child to repeat a grade. However, coming into school late – whether after four, five, or six months – does present challenges. Teachers are then required to manage a broadly differentiated group, making continuous assessments to determine each child’s readiness to progress. If, through these assessments, it becomes clear that the child has not grasped enough of the curriculum to succeed in the next grade, the school may advise repetition.

Sowetan: What are the legal and policy obligations of the state in ensuring school placement for all learners? 

Metcalfe: The first point is that when education is made compulsory, it’s not only compulsory for families to send their children to school, but it also places a legal obligation on the state to provide school places for all children of school-going age.

Sowetan: What contribute to learner placement challenges in SA?

Metcalfe: Anticipating the need for school placements requires the state to closely monitor demographic trends. Education departments must be vigilant in tracking age-based population estimates and plan proactively. This becomes particularly complicated in SA because of unpredictable population shifts. In rural areas, for example, you often have unplanned urbanisation, where people move into towns or metros, creating a rapid and unexpected increase in the local population. This sudden growth puts pressure on the education system and makes it difficult for departments to keep up. 

Sowetan: Is there anything else that is crucial for the public to understand about the learner placement crisis and its broader implications on SA's education system? 

Metcalfe: These bigger background issues, the compulsory nature of education, the need for proactive planning and the challenges around land and funding, are essential. A further complication is that unplanned settlements create challenges for the education department’s ability to identify and secure land for schools, making it even tougher to respond adequately. 

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