A group of parents is waiting outside the Hoërskool Akasia in Theresa Park in Pretoria North, to demand the placement of their children.
Some have been going to the school since Monday after applying online last year, but are still awaiting a reply.
The Gauteng Department of Education says some parents rejected the placement offer, citing reasons including distance.
Parents are calling on the department to improve or do away with the online application system for grades one and eight learners.
“I feel like it is very unfair for people who live near the school to be sent somewhere else. And we live about 6 to 8 minutes drive distance while those coming from other areas are offered space here which is not understandable. It is clear that people help them with proof of residence so that they can get spaces for their children,” explains one parent.
Meanwhile, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga says she is happy that the start of the 2022 academic year is smooth.
She was speaking during her visit to schools in Randfontein, west of Johannesburg.
The visit comes as inland provinces of Gauteng, Free State, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and North West are scheduled to reopen.
Coastal schools will follow next week.
The minister will then make her way to various other schools in the area to monitor readiness as well as COVID-19 compliance.
The minister together with a mobile service provider and a retail store will be donating school bags and school shirts to underprivileged learners.-Additional reporting by
The video below is the full interview with Minister Motshekga:
