However, discrepancies among provinces are not as great as discrepancies among municipalities.

The provinces with the lowest ratios were the Free State and the North West with 29 to 1 each. The province with the highest ratio was Limpopo with a ratio of 33 pupils to every teacher.

The lowest ratio for any municipality was 28 to 1, which was shared by the Xhariep district municipality in the Free State, and the Bojanala district municipality in the North West. The highest ratio in the country was 38 to 1 in the Mopani district municipality in Limpopo. Ratios for municipalities in Limpopo ranged from 30 to 1 to 38 to 1.

Schools in poor municipalities or provinces tended to have high ratios. Furthermore, pupils in municipalities with high ratios seemed to perform worse than pupils in municipalities with low ratios.

Six municipalities are used to illustrate the trend – three with low ratios, and three with high ratios.

The Bojanala West district in the North West, where Rustenburg is situated, had a matric pass rate of 70.6% in 2008, with a ratio of 28 to 1. The Xhariep district municipality in the Free State had a pass rate of 75.8%, and a pupil-to-teacher ratio of 28 to 1. The Namakwa district municipality in the Northern Cape had a pass rate of 90.4%, significantly higher than the national average of 62.5%. The municipality had a ratio of 28 to 1.

The Zululand district municipality in KwaZulu-Natal had a ratio of 34 to 1; this was among the highest pupil-to-teacher ratios. Zululand had a matric pass rate in 2008 of 47.6%, well below the national average of 62.5%. The Gert Sibande district municipality in Mpumalanga had a pass rate of 55.2%, with a ratio of 33 to 1. The Ukhahlamba district municipality in the Eastern further illustrated the trend with a matric pass rate of 40.4% and a pupil-to-teacher ratio of 37 to 1.

However, there are exceptions to this trend. For example, the City of Ekurhuleni had a high pupil-to-teacher ratio of 32 to 1, and a high matric pass rate of 78.0%. The Greater Sekhukhune district municipality in Limpopo also did not conform to the principle, with a pass rate of 70.1% and a ratio of 32 to 1.

Education is vital for children growing up in poor households to escape the poverty trap. If their schools are not well-resourced, these children will not have the same opportunities as middle-class children. The inequalities illustrated by the report do not demonstrate the Government’s promise to combat poverty.

The statistics on pupil-to-teacher ratios were published in the Education Statistics in South Africa 2007 report, published by the Department of Educationin January 2009. The publication details statistics on the education system in South Africa.

The municipal outreach project aims to provide extensive research to municipalities covered by the Municipal Outreach Project. This will be done by means of publications, the project website, and workshops. A monthly publication called Fast Facts for Local Government (F3LG) is sent to local councillors, officials, and development organisations in the eight municipalities covered by the project. A weekly newsletter is posted on the project website on Fridays, and e-mailed to project beneficiaries. The annual South Africa Survey, published by the Institute, will be posted to municipalities and extracts posted on the project website.

-Nthamaga Kgafela