Gauteng Department of Education

The Gauteng Education Department is working around the clock to place learners for 2022. Photo: Unsplash.com

Parents urged to apply for school placement before deadline

Parents need to meet the deadline to file online school applications for their children this week to secure a place for 2022.

Gauteng Department of Education

The Gauteng Education Department is working around the clock to place learners for 2022. Photo: Unsplash.com

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng has urged all parents and guardians to apply for their child’s school placement before the closing date on Friday, 3 September.

This will ensure that no Grade 8 learner misses a day of school when the new 2022 academic year begins.

Gauteng Member of the Provincial Legislature and DA spokesperson on education, Khume Ramulifho, said that based on previous experience, delays in applying for online admission have had a huge negative impact on the future of children as it had resulted in many learners across the province missing months of schooling. This has also resulted in learners being placed in schools that have not been chosen by their parents.

The first phase of Gauteng online admission for Grade 8 only was opened on 10 August and will close on 3 September. The second phase for Grade 1 will open on 13 September and close on 8 October. The learners’ placement of phase one will happen between 15 October and 30 November, while phase two will be between 15 and 20 November.

“We urge parents and guardians not to miss this opportunity but to use it to apply for their Grade 8 children before the closing date which is on Friday. Parents who are also facing difficulties with their applications and those who do not have internet access should go to their nearest Gauteng Department of Education regional office,”  Ramulifho said.

“The DA will continue to monitor the online admission process to ensure that there are no glitches in the system and that all parents and guardians who applied on time are prioritised. We will not allow a repeat of previous years where children who applied on time are denied access to basic education on the first day of the new academic year because of the department’s failure to ensure the placement of all learners,”  Ramulifho added.