SAIRR: Fewer public schools not alarming

2012-08-30 14:10

Johannesburg - The dwindling numbers of public schools was not necessarily cause for alarm, the SA Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) said on Thursday.

"The majority of public schools are under-resourced and the closure or merging of smaller schools with dwindling pupil numbers helps to free up resources.’ said SAIRR researcher Jonathan Snyman.

The number of public schools in the country decreased by nine percent between 2000 and 2011, from 26 789 to 24 365, according to the department of basic education.

Six of the nine provinces had fewer public schools in 2011 than they did in 2000.

There was a 1% increase in the number of pupils attending public schools during this period.

Migration patterns could help to explain this trend, Snyman said.

The Eastern Cape, Free State, Limpopo, and the North West all experienced a decline in the number of pupils at public schools.

All of these provinces experienced net out-migration (where more people move out of the province than in) between 2006 and 2011.

- SAPA