Eastern Cape to Close 123 Under-Enrolled Schools, With 300 More Facing Shutdown

• The Eastern Cape Department of Education began closing 123 public schools this financial year due to dwindling enrolment numbers
• Education MEC Fundile Gade urged communities to support moving pupils to larger neighbouring schools to make better use of public resources
• Civil society groups and opposition parties raised concerns about the impact on rural children, citing transport challenges and potential overcrowding

EASTERN CAPE — The Eastern Cape Department of Education has moved to shut down 123 public schools during the current financial year, citing unviable enrolment levels as the primary reason. Implementation is already under way at some of the affected facilities, with department spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima confirming the decision.

According to the department, schools are classified according to national norms and standards into two prototype categories. When a school's learner numbers fall below the minimum threshold, it is deemed unviable. Officials argue that resourcing these institutions is ineffective because school allocations are tied directly to learner numbers, making it difficult to staff and run such facilities sustainably.

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Education MEC Fundile Gade has called on affected communities to cooperate with the transition, encouraging parents and guardians to enrol their children at larger, better-resourced neighbouring schools.

300 more schools face closure in coming years

Beyond the current round of shutdowns, the department has indicated that approximately 300 additional small schools could face closure or consolidation over the next few years. Officials argue that consolidation will allow the province to redistribute teachers and learning materials more efficiently, eliminate multi-grade teaching, and expand subject offerings at receiving institutions.

Civil society organisations Equal Education and the Equal Education Law Centre have offered conditional support for the broader rationalisation plan, which ultimately targets nearly 2,000 small, under-resourced schools across the province. However, their backing comes with firm conditions.

Advocacy groups insist that the department must formally notify School Governing Bodies, hold public hearings, and give genuine weight to community concerns before closing any facility. They are also demanding clear, publicly available plans detailing where learners will be placed, how receiving schools will absorb additional pupils without becoming overcrowded, and what transport or boarding arrangements will be put in place.

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Rural communities raise safety and access concerns

Opposition parties and civil rights groups have cautioned that the closures risk leaving children in remote areas without reliable access to schooling, particularly where scholar transport infrastructure is inadequate.

Activists have also warned that school closures must not serve as a workaround to avoid national deadlines for addressing basic infrastructure deficiencies, such as the provision of proper sanitation, water, and electricity at existing facilities. Civil society groups are pressing for the public release of annual infrastructure progress reports to keep both provincial and national education authorities accountable.

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Source: Briefly News