Mpumalanga’s education system is facing massive challenges, plagued by severe staffing shortages and a chronic lack of learning materials in home languages.
With ANC political principals now pointing fingers at the new Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) Act, opposition parties are demanding immediate action.
The Bela Act, signed into law in September, was intended to reform school governance by making grade R compulsory, streamlining admissions, and addressing inequalities in education.
However, critics argue that it shifts too much control from school governing bodies to provincial education departments, leading to administrative delays and leaving learners in limbo.
At a recent provincial legislature sitting, this policy shift was cited as a reason for ongoing problems in Mpumalanga schools.
It all started when Annerie Weber, a legislator from the DA, voiced concerns about the shortage of study materials in home languages.
“The auditor-general reported in the 2023/24 report that 890 primary schools in Mpumalanga were not provided with grade 3 African languages reading material,” Weber said.
“It is of great importance that all learners should be able to read in their own home language. Unfortunately, this raises the question of the department’s commitment to bring African languages into our schools.”
Shortage of resources
Outside the politicised walls of the legislature, Weber told Sunday World that the situation should be attended to immediately.
“It is unacceptable that approximately 106 800 grade 3 learners were unable to complete the curriculum due to the resources not being received and started this academic year at a disadvantage,” she said.
“We cannot allow this complacency to continue. How will Mpumalanga learners ever be properly educated if officials in the department cannot plan correctly to ensure they have the material necessary to learn from?”
Evidence regarding literary proficiency among learners in South Africa supports Weber’s argument.
A study by the University of Pretoria, commissioned by the Department of Basic Education, shows that 81% of grade 4 learners struggle to read for comprehension by the age of 10.
This alarming finding was part of the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study.
Despite these literacy challenges, research consistently shows that teaching children in their home languages significantly improves their reading ability.
Yet, many learners remain deprived of the necessary resources to learn in their native tongues.
Vacancy rates
In her response, Mpumalanga education MEC Cathy Dlamini placed the responsibility on the politics around the Bela Act.
“We do take note of what the [DA] has raised, but the Bela Act is dealing precisely with that matter,” Dlamini said.
“It is a matter that is being contested by other political parties on the [issue] of African languages.”
The department’s challenges are mounting.
MK Party legislator Gabeni Ndimande demanded answers on the alarming vacancy rates Dlamini’s department was facing.
“Statistics reveal that in Mpumalanga, the department of education has a vacancy rate of up to 50%,” said Ndimande.
“These figures are our greatest concern as a party. It is worrisome since we believe that the future of this country lies in our young people being properly educated.”
In her response, Dlamini said: “The vacancy rate in schools is 6.8%, and the vacancy rate in offices is 49.36%.
“To ensure that there is always a teacher before a learner in schools, schools appoint educators in temporary capacity in addition to the permanent teachers.”
Dlamini did not offer concrete solutions for the struggling schools but emphasised that positions are filled as funding becomes available.
Bureaucratic red tape
She explained that while the moratorium on hiring within the Mpumalanga provincial government has been lifted, bureaucratic red tape continues to delay the appointment of critical staff.
She said: “There is a process that you have to follow for filling vacant and critical posts in the department.
“You have to follow a certain process to be motivated to fill a vacant post. All posts that are vacant currently and are funded, we are in a position to fill them.
“In all our offices in the circuits, districts, and the provincial office, the vacancy rate for educator and non-educator office-based posts is currently standing at 49.36%.
“As and when funds are available, the department identifies critical vacant posts for filling.”
The education department’s struggle to overcome these challenges has left learners, particularly the poorest, vulnerable to further setbacks.
Unless swift action is taken, the deepening crisis is likely to leave Mpumalanga’s children without the quality education they desperately need to overcome poverty.
