Children out of range not placed

WITH thousands of children in the Western Cape remaining unplaced in schools, many simply live too far from the school at which their parents have tried to enrol them.

Rameez and Juan Maart, from Kuils River, are struggling to get a placement because they live outside a specific radius of the school they want their twins to attend. They enrolled their children at Excelsior Primary in Bellville, but were turned away because they don’t live close enough to the school.

They were told that children who live closer are given priority. “My husband and I went to speak to the school and we were told they have to give children who live in the area first choice,” Rameez said.

She also said she paid an application fee of R50, despite it being illegal for any school to charge registration, deposit, pre-admission or testing fees at any stage in the application process.

Excelsior Primary principal Erik Pio said that anyone was welcome to apply, and he was not aware of application fees, adding that he had taken up his position last July.

Pio also said he was not aware that any children had been turned away.

Other parents, who did not want to be named, said they were distraught to find the school at which they applied had turned down their application late.

“As a parent, to tell your child they won’t be going to school this week you feel like you’ve failed your child.”

Their application was also turned down as a result of them living further away from the school than others, but at no point were they informed that this would be a problem.

The parents were subsequently granted places for two of their children at the school in question, and are awaiting news of the placement of their third.

Ntuthuzo Ndzomo from Equal Education said: “We are aware of this. We believe that no learner should be turned away from a school based on their distance or even where they stay.”

‘AS A PARENT... YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’VE FAILED YOUR CHILD’