The Gauteng Department of Education says 21 000 online applicants have already been placed in various schools across the province. However, many parents are still dissatisfied with the schools their children have been placed in.
They claim that their children were placed at schools far away from their homes, whilst others say the online application system has failed to secure placement for their children.
Parents gathered outside the Ekurhuleni District Office in Meyersdal, with last-minute hope of securing space at the schools of their choice.
Many parents and children expressed their frustration. They say they have been allocated schools that are too far from their homes, while others have not been placed, despite applying on time. Others who have relocated and are applying for the first time, hoping that they will get nearby schools.
“I applied online because they were closed, I applied when they reopened on 21 December. So now when I check online they have placed her, I find that they have not. It says I can’t and they will place her,” a parent says.
“We applied but couldn’t get the school we wanted but the one that is too far from home. When we went to that school, they said we should come to the district and they will help us,” another parent explains.
“I’m relocating from Pretoria to Johannesburg due to business reasons, I don’t have a job. So I’ve got a child in grade 8 that had a school in Pretoria but I can’t take it off the system,” a parent elaborates.
Gauteng Education spokesperson Steve Mabona says they are doing everything in their power to assist all parents. The children that have not been placed are those who submitted late applications.
“We have a system and we know that this is happening across the province, many districts have had quite a lot of people yesterday. So, the system is that same, those that are coming for dissatisfaction you try and accommodate them and those that are coming now who just arrived, they can’t use the system, you assist them to apply,” Mabona explains.
The department has confirmed that it will be adding more classrooms at certain schools in the province to try and accommodate the huge demand for placements.
Video: Gauteng notes school placement concerns
