With excitement building amongst the matric class of 2025 about the release of the matric results next week, many parents of Grade 1 and 8 children are worried about their children not being placed in schools yet.
According to the Department of Education, good progress is being made in placing all learners.
The Gauteng Department of Education indicated on Tuesday 6 January, that 4 858 Grade 1 and Grade 8 learners still need to be placed before schools reopen on Wednesday 15 January.
According to Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane, the department’s online admissions system recorded 1 381 unplaced Grade 1 learners and 3 477 unplaced Grade 8 learners. This translates to about 1.5% of the 358 574 complete applications received.
“The Department continues to release placement and transfer offers daily, supported by targeted interventions in high-pressure districts, to ensure that all remaining learners are placed as efficiently and fairly as possible, in line with regulated admissions criteria and available school capacity,” he said.
High-pressure areas include Ekurhuleni (which has the highest number) and Gauteng East, with Johannesburg East still needing to place 1 173 learners.
Late applications will remain open until 30 January, with Gauteng having recorded 11 183 late applications thus far.
Parent concerns mount
Following this statement, many parents responded critically to the online registration system.
Calls were made on social media for more schools to be built.
Some parents raised concerns that their children were placed in schools far from their homes, or not in one of the preferred schools parents had indicated on the online registration system. Some said their children were placed in schools where they are worried about their safety.
Other provinces face similar challenges
According to Mike Maringa, spokesperson for Limpopo’s Department of Education, they managed to place 109 425 Grade 1 learners, 84 013 Grade R learners and 112 624 Grade 8s.
There are 320 Grade R learners waiting to be placed, 216 Grade 1s and 781 Grade 8s. Their main challenges were parents applying at incorrect schools, late applications and applications with inadequate supporting documents.
In Mpumalanga, the MEC for Education, Lindi Masina, said yesterday (7 January) that about 9 000 learners still need to be placed. Some learners in fast-growing towns such as Mbombela, Emalahleni, Mashishing, Steve Tshwete and Secunda are still awaiting placement.
“We have observed continued migration from rural to urban areas, resulting in increased pressure on schools in certain towns. We have also seen increases in applications outside feeder zones and occasional refusal of placement where space does exist. These pressures have led to the identification of high-pressure or hotspot areas, where the demand for space exceeds the available capacity,” the MEC said.
The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) told NovaNews a statement will be issued tomorrow (Friday) following a meeting this evening where the admissions teams is presenting an update. SABC News reported earlier today (8 January) that by mid-December the WCED had already placed over 96% of learners for whom applications had been received, with placement still in progress for some 7 000 learners in Grade R, 1 and 8. The WCED is also grappling with late applications still coming in, WCED spokesperson Bronnagh Hammond told the broadcaster.
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