Digitising school registrations
The first Online Learner Admission Campaign in the country was launched in Chief Albert Luthuli Primary School Two, on Sunday.
Gauteng MEC for Education, Panyaza Lesufi, launched the campaign, addressing parents on how the system will operate.
It is intended for Grade One or Grade Eight pupils, and those learners who are changing schools.
Parents will now have the option to register themselves and their children online, using their identification numbers.
The registration period will be from April 11 to April 19.
There will then be an application period (the period in which parents begin the process of applying to schools) from April 19 to June 1, during which people are still able to physically register at schools.
This application will be done online and parents will have an option of three schools from which to choose, based on their home or work address.
There is also the option of choosing a school of their choice, which they can select on the application itself.
Once parents have registered and applied, they will be given their own, unique reference number, to help them to keep track of the application.
The department of education will, between June 24 and September 7, work through admissions and placements.
Parents will be notified by SMS or email stating at which school their child has been accepted.
They will then have 14 days in which to hand in all the documentation required by the school.
Lesufi said this system means there will be fairness across the education system.
It will ensure the education department has the correct number of pupils in a grade, in order for all pupils to be accommodated with all the school supplies they need.
“We no longer want to compete with schools in the Western Cape, we want to compete with schools in Canada, the United States and Russia,” he added.
“We should not be limited, we should be able to keep up with the rest of the world.”
For those parents who are not technologically advanced, there is an option of either going to a school, to use its computers and Internet facilities to register online, or they can use smart phones or tablets, or visit their nearest libraries, municipal buildings, Internet cafes or anywhere there is an Internet connection.
The principals to whom the City Times spoke welcomed the move.
“In principle, it’s fantastic; I hope it rolls out in practice,” said Giselle Mynhardt, principal of Tom Newby School.
“It will take a burden off the schools in terms of overcrowding and late admissions.
“We have to move with the times.”
Kennia Plaskitt, principal of Willowmoore High School, said: “There have already been a couple of parents who have tried to register, and we are trying to support them in making the process easier.
“It should work well once all systems have been put in place.”
Also read: Principals’ comments on intake for 2016
