Deadline to enrol schoolchildren for next year pushed forward

THE provincial Education Department has brought forward the 2016 school enrolment deadline to June 30 to ensure the new school year begins smoothly.

Radio adverts, billboards and displays in taxis and social media will be used to urge parents to enrol their children as soon as possible.

Last year there were two enrolment phases – June and September.

Education MEC Debbie Schäfer said the June 30 deadline would enable schools and the department to make the arrangements needed to accommodate all pupils.

The arrangements include additional classrooms, textbooks, equipment and teachers. She added that pupils who were not enrolled by the new deadline would still be assisted.

“While enrolments at schools usually open in March of each year, there is a significant number of parents that only begin applying to schools in the latter stages of the school year.

“Once the December holidays come around, schools close and we are unable to place more learners until they (schools) reopen in January at the start of the school year,” Schäfer said.

Schäfer said 200 mobile classrooms were set up in rapidly growing communities across the province last year and early this year to accommodate additional pupils.

“While this additional planning was in place, we will always face unexpected growth in various areas or certain grades that we cannot plan for.

“It is imperative that as many learners are enrolled timeously so that we can minimise this risk,” she said.

The Education Department’s chief education specialist, Lance Abrahams, said it had placed 20 000 pupils last year. At the start of the month there were still 184 pupils not placed in schools in the department’s Metro East District, which includes Delft and Khayelitsha, Schäfer spokesperson Jessica Shelver said.

“Many of these were new arrivals. Mobile classrooms were delivered on May 11 to accommodate these learners,” she said.

Progressive Principals Association chairman Riyaad Najaar welcomed the June 30 deadline as it gave schools the opportunity to gauge whether they had extra space.

“Parents also need to take responsibility for enrolment. Often it is left to the school to do that.

“Sometimes if there are two deadlines, the first one is ignored,” he said.

The SA Democratic Teachers Union provincial secretary, Jonavon Rustin, said: “We welcome any initiative to ensure a smooth start to the 2016 year.

“We hope that there will be a vigorous campaign to ensure all parents know about this deadline.”