School Community Integration Pilot Project - Department of Education

A comparative analysis of education expenditure in Eastern Cape schools – November 2004
Repetition rates also vary tremendously across the province from a low of 7% in
Uitenhage to a high of 16% in Bizana. Repetition rates in the FET grades are
especially high in many of the former Transkei districts, with repetition at 30% in
grades 10 to 12 in Lusikisiki.
High repetition causes a number of problems. Firstly, high repetition creates a
growing pressure towards large classes through the school cycle, as repeaters join
the learners coming up from the previous grade, enlarging the class. This is one of
the main reasons for especially high over-age enrolment in the higher grades.
Secondly, high over-age enrolment can create serious social and management
challenges in schools, as learners who are effectively young adults share the
classroom with teenagers.
By way of illustration EMIS reports that ‘a typical 18 year-old in a Grade 12 class of
40 learners in an average Eastern Cape school is likely to be sharing the class with 9
other learners aged 18, 8 learners aged less than 18 and 23 learners aged between
19 and 25+. This no doubt makes for a problematic teaching and learning
environment’. 20
3.2.6. Conclusions on public school education in the Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape has inherited different schooling systems from the apartheid era
education departments. Many of the challenges created by these systems have still
to be effectively addressed. Specific issues that need to be highlighted are:
• Combined schools and associated secondary schools form the largest single
sub-system in the province. One of the defining features of this sub-system is
mismatched levels of provisioning. While educator provisioning is adequate in
most districts, with the possible exception of Pondoland, classroom backlogs
are pervasive in the former Transkei.
• The greatest numbers of educators in small schools is, in declining order of
size, in combined schools, full primary schools, senior secondary schools,
junior primary schools and farm schools. Large numbers of small schools in
these types of schools create pressure for a large establishment through the
prevalent low learner:educator ratios.
• There is a wide variation in educator provisioning between small and large
schools. Small schools typically show LERs in the range 20 to 25. The
province needs to find ways to increase the average LER in small schools to
avoid pressure to increase the educator establishment.
• Out-of age enrolment and repetition is very high, especially in the former
Transkei. As discussed at the start of the report, out of age enrolment has a
detrimental effect on national funding through the ESF. High repetition is also
a waste of scarce resources and inhibits teaching and learning in the
classroom through large class sizes.
The province has chosen to target a relatively favourable LER in its educator
provisioning over the last few years. The 2004 declared educator establishment is
67,124, which would give an LER of 31:1 if implemented, significantly below many
20 EMIS: ‘Review of Education Indicators 2002’. p.46.
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