AS 2026 LOOMS
Parents fear their children will be left without classrooms as pressure mounts on WCED
By George April
CAPE TOWN:- Parents across the Western Cape are raising alarm over what they describe as an “unfolding disaster” in school admissions, warning that by 2026 thousands of children could be left without classrooms unless drastic action is taken.
This comes after recent reports highlighted that the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) is under mounting pressure, with infrastructure backlogs, financial strain, and an unprecedented rise in learner numbers placing schools at breaking point.
Growing demand, shrinking options
The WCED has admitted that more than 21,000 pupils had not been placed at schools in the province at the start of 2024, with demand rising every year. Rapid urbanisation, population growth, and migration into the Western Cape are cited as major drivers of the crisis.
Parents in rural and semi-rural areas such as St Helena Bay, Hopefield, Vredenburg, and Atlantis say their children are “paying the price” of poor planning. Many learners are forced to travel long distances daily. In some cases over 100km, to find available classrooms. Others are left stranded at home because their families cannot afford transport or boarding.
The financial strain
While the WCED has not officially confirmed a financial crisis, senior officials have previously warned that provincial education budgets are stretched thin. More learners require more teachers, transport subsidies, and school infrastructure. Yet allocations from the National Treasury have not kept pace with the growing demand.
Plans for new schools
The WCED has confirmed that new schools are planned for some of the hardest-hit areas. Projects are currently underway in Delft, Mfuleni, and Eerste River, with additional planning for new Primary and High schools in Vredenburg and Atlantis.
However, many of these will only be completed between 2026 and 2028 – too late for parents already desperate for placements.
Temporary solutions such as mobile classrooms, additional bus subsidies, and the use of community halls as teaching spaces have been rolled out, but parents say these are “band-aid measures” that fail to address the deeper problem.
Parents speak out
In Laingville, parents have staged repeated protests demanding a local high school. “We can’t keep sending our children far away it’s unsafe, it’s expensive, and it’s destroying their future,” one resident said.
Social media has also floated with angry comments from local residents on social media.
A generational risk
Education experts warn that unless drastic interventions are made, the Western Cape risks creating a “lost generation” of young people excluded from education.
Parents are now calling for an emergency plan from the WCED that includes immediate construction timelines, additional budget allocations, and transparent reporting to communities.
Until then, families remain anxious about what the 2026 school year will look like, and whether their children will still be without a seat in a classroom.
The WCED has been approached for formal comment, while publish this story
