More than 360 000 undocumented pupils are South African, exposing a systemic crisis
· Citizen
A basic education report has exposed that of more than 610 000 undocumented pupils in the nation’s schools, over 360 000, the majority, are South Africans, highlighting a systematic documentation crisis.
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The executive summary of the Integrated School Data Collection Platform (ISDCP) was presented to the portfolio committee on basic education by the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) on Tuesday.
Majority of 610 000 undocumented pupils are South African
The ISDCP is the Department of Basic Education’s (DBE) system used to collect, verify and report evidence-based data for school planning and post-provisioning decisions.
The report revealed that more than 610 000 pupils are undocumented, but the majority of these pupils – over 360 000 – are South African nationals.
The chairperson of the committee, Joy Maimela, said these points point to a serious systemic problem that extends beyond the education sector. She said it requires coordinated interventions by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and the social development and basic education departments.
“We note the socio-economic factors, like learners being raised by grandparents because mothers work far away from the family home. No child should be denied dignity, access to services, or future opportunities because they do not possess proper documentation,” she said.
The committee will write to DHA for a report on how the department plans to address the issue and communicate with the portfolio committee of Home Affairs.
Over 430 000 employees and 11 million pupils
The ISDCP report, which covered 21 174 schools across eight provinces, verified more than 438 000 education employees and recorded over 11.7 million pupils.
It provides a detailed picture of the state of school infrastructure, learner documentation, workforce management and data integrity within the basic education sector.
The portfolio committee on basic education also raised concerns about the extent of infrastructure backlogs found in the report.
7 071 schools (33%) lack either municipal water support or an electricity connection. 15 299 more schools (72.3%) don’t have science or computer laboratories.
“These conditions undermine the constitutional promise of equal access to quality education and continue to disadvantage learners in poor and rural communities,” Maimela said.
Western Cape did not participate in study, committee concerned
The committee also expressed alarm that the Western Cape Education Department didn’t participate in the study, allegedly at the instruction of Education MEC David Maynier.
Chairperson Maimela said this is not the first time that the province has denied information to the committee, but this time they denied information for the process.
“This seems to be a chronic problem. And, with the gaps noted in the study, how do we hold this department accountable if we do not have information? Ultimately, it is our vulnerable learners who suffer,” she said.
The ISDCP report also verified educator attendance and established a digitally auditable system capable of connecting school-level information with National Treasury payroll systems.
However, the committee is concerned that 22 409 personnel records are flagged for discrepancies, including unmatched payroll records, duplicate entries and anomalies requiring further investigation.
Payroll discrepancies
“The report demonstrates the importance of credible and verifiable data in strengthening governance and accountability in the education sector,” said Maimela.
“Parliament cannot effectively exercise oversight without reliable information on the true condition of schools, staffing and learner support systems.”
There were also findings relating to high levels of non-standard appointments, unresolved transfers and office-based staff exceptions. The committee said provincial departments will be expected to account for the measures being implemented to address these concerns.
Maimela added that the committee will engage with DBE, provincial departments and relevant stakeholders on the report’s findings and recommendations.
“The ISDCP exercise has created a verified national baseline from which governments can plan, intervene and monitor progress. The responsibility now rests on all relevant institutions to act decisively on the findings in the interest of learners, educators and the broader education system,” she said.