Over 30 000 still need school spot

GAUTENG Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi has urged parents of school pupils who have not yet been placed or accepted in schools to visit the department’s district offices on Saturday or Sunday to help allocate their children to schools.

The parents of about 17 000 pupils had applied on time, but their preferred schools were already full. About 31 000 pupils still needed to be allocated to schools by the end of the month, he said in Johannesburg yesterday.

“The majority of parents did not accept their second and third options. If those are not taken on the 17th (of January), all placements will fall off if they are not accepted.

“If you have not applied in 2017, you must know that there are 31 000 learners who need to be placed before you. We will take your information and update you daily,” Lesufi said.

The department also intended taking a specific school to court for allowing Afrikaans-speaking pupils to jump the queue over non-Afrikaansspeaking pupils, because this was unconstitutional.

A number of schools damaged during the recent storm in parts of the province or in break-ins during the festive season would also not be able to open their doors on time.

A new school would be opened “because of the pressure”.

“I can confirm that all our schools have textbooks, stationery and furniture. About 1.4 million learners will also be fed per day,” he said.