GDE in race to place all learners
THE Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has assured parents and guardians that all learners will be placed in time for the 2023 academic year.
Yesterday, the department provided an update on placements for Grade 1 and 8 learners who applied during the 2023 Online Admissions application period. The GDE received 332 477 applications for Grade 1 and Grade 8, of which 157 697 were for Grade 1 and 174 780 for Grade 8.
Education MEC Matome Chiloane said the department has placed 87.71% (256 248) of those learners, leaving 35897 (12.29%) unplaced.
“Parents will be worried now, but we are working around the clock to ensure that we get all the learners placed,” the MEC said.
Chiloane said the department has 5 485 applicants who received offers of placement but have not accepted these offers, and are blocking the system. “Parents need to assist us by accepting one of the places to free up the system so that we can … begin to place other learners as well,” he said.
However, the system will autoplace all applicants with offers issued but not accepted by Wednesday.
“When we place your child in any one of those schools, we are complying with what you have said to us, that you are comfortable with any of these three or four schools. You’ll find that with some parents, there’s an assumption that it’s just a compliance process. It’s not a compliance process; it is a process that says to us that your child can go to either of those schools,” the MEC said.
The department also reminded parents and guardians that all placements were subject to the priority of placement criteria and the availability of space per school.
“Therefore, applicants who cannot be accommodated at the schools they applied to due to the schools having reached capacity will receive transfer offers of placement at the next closest school with available space.
“Transfer offers are made only after confirmation that none of the schools to which a parent applied has space available.
“Parents and guardians who are offered placement at schools that they have not applied to have the option to accept or decline the placement offer,” the department said.
The department has further identified about 313 primary schools and 234 secondary schools as high-pressure areas, where schools received an overwhelming number of applications that exceeded the number of learners that they can accommodate.
“In order to assist high-pressure schools to accommodate more learners, we will augment classroom shortages and enhance space by providing schools with mobile units, and transferring funds to schools for self-build classroom projects,” the department added.