More than 7 000 grade R teachers aren't qualified to teach their class

The Citizen

08-07-2025

As the Bela Bill takes shape, the Department of Basic education admits 22% of Grade R teachers in SA are not qualified.
As the Department of Basic Education (DBE) pushes ahead with the Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) Bill, it has admitted that more than 7 000 grade R teachers across South Africa are not qualified to teach the grade.
This revelation came during a Basic Education parliamentary committee meeting on Tuesday.
According to the DBE, there are 25 944 qualified Grade R teachers in the system.
However, when adding unqualified practitioners, 22% of all Grade R teachers are not suitably equipped to educate pupils in this critical foundation phase.
KZN tops list of unqualified grade R teachers
KwaZulu-Natal recorded the highest number of unqualified Grade R teachers with 1 937, followed by the Western Cape with 1 416.
The department also noted that KZN still has 198 schools without Grade R classes.
In contrast, the North West had the fewest unqualified grade R teachers, just two, followed by Mpumalanga.
Mpumalanga reported a total of 2 033 Grade R practitioners, but 280 of them remain unqualified.
This accounts for nearly 14%, or about one in five grade R teachers in the province, who do not meet the required qualifications.
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DBE oversight visits uncover policy gaps
The DBE has been conducting oversight visits as part of the Bela Bill implementation and uncovered several systemic issues.
These include outdated or incomplete admissions policies at many schools.
'School learner admissions policies have not yet been amended to include provisions of the amended South African Schools Act,' said the DBE.
The department said some districts have not yet ratified these policies, and those that have adopted them must provide feedback to schools.
Fee-paying schools were also found to be screening parents' ability to pay, although only to advise them to apply for exemptions.
'PEDs must work with district policy and planning units to ensure that admission policies comply with the amended Act,' the department said.
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Questionable admissions
The DBE also raised concerns about disparities in classroom sizes, particularly where some schools use Afrikaans as a medium of instruction to maintain class sizes as low as 24 pupils, while others remain overcrowded.
'PEDs are to introduce parallel medium schools in order to balance learner numbers across districts,' it added.
In Gauteng, two unisex hostel high schools were flagged for admitting pupils outside the official online application processes. These schools reportedly identify pupils ahead of the application period.
'The PED must clarify how admissions at all hostel schools are handled and provide clear timelines for placement applications,' the department said.
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