Parents urged to apply for school admissions on time
KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education has opened the 2023 school admission programme early this year to address challenges that delay the conclusion of learner admissions.
This was emphasised by the deputy director general (Curriculum Management and Delivery), Dr. Barney Mthembu, while delivering his keynote address at the launch of the programme at Alexandra High School last week.
The aim of the launch is to encourage parents and guardians to register their children into prospective schools early to prevent bureaucratic hurdles that late registrations may present.
“Parents are requested to grab this opportunity by applying on time and cooperate with officials when they are giving feedback, even if it is not favourable. We cannot expect our children to go to schools of our choice all the time; so if you are reasonable enough to identify more than one school, then at least you will have an alternative,” said Mthembu.
He said they experienced quite a number of challenges, which include late applications for admission by some parents.
“You must understand that your child must go to a school where there is enough space to provide individual attention so that he/ she gets a quality education. The overcrowding in schools results in difficulties in the provision of schools’ nutrition programmes, Learning and Teaching Support Material (LTSM), infrastructure and human resources.”
He added that principals must develop their management plans to ensure they are able to respond to parents within a reasonable time for them to seek assistance at the district offices. Mthembu urged parents to do justice to their children’s education.
District operations chief director Dr. David Chonco said their priority is to ensure the teaching and learning process is in order.
“We have seen a rise in the number of suicides in our schools. We are still investigating the root cause. Alcohol and drugs disrupt this process of teaching and learning. Learners also come with dangerous weapons to schools. The attacks on teachers is also concerning. There are also teachers who sexually abuse children, which is also a huge challenge,” Chonco said.
He also urged school governing bodies to work closely with schools to address the challenges faced by schools.