Tlaseng Primary School (Rustenburg)

Tlaseng Primary in Phokeng, Rustenburg. Right, so this is a no-fee school, which means the government is footing the bill, which also means the government is the one deciding how many teachers you get. And what did they decide? Eleven. Eleven educators for 305 kids. Bra, that ratio is 27.7 to one. That is not a classroom, that is a taxi rank. The teacher is the driver, she is collecting money at the window, and three kids are hanging off the door screaming "Rustenburg CBD!" Look, twenty-seven kids per teacher means when you put your hand up to ask a question, you better pack a lunch, because by the time that teacher gets to you it is third term. The one teacher is doing Maths, Life Skills, and crowd control simultaneously. She has got the energy of a load shedding schedule, available sometimes, gone when you need her most. But here is the thing. This school is in Phokeng, which is Royal Bafokeng territory. The Royal Bafokeng Nation has more platinum money than most municipalities have sense, and these kids are still sitting in a class of 27 with 11 teachers holding the whole thing together. Eleven humans carrying 305 futures on their backs every single day. That is not a staff, that is a squad of heroes in disguise. Overall verdict: Tlaseng Primary is understaffed, underfunded, and wildly overcrowded, but those eleven teachers are built different and deserve a Bells.