Education MEC upbeat about 2017 intake
At least 200 000 learners have already been placed in schools for 2017.
GAUTENG Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi has announced that the department is on track for the 2017 school year with at least 200 000 learners already placed in schools and 82 279 still to be placed.
This emerged during a media briefing about the progress and results yielded by the online application process.
In Johannesburg South and Alberton, schools in Brackenhurst, Brackendowns, Glenanda, Mulbarton, Eden Park and Palmridge are at capacity and parents are urged to accept the available places so that their children can be enrolled.
“Some parents are creating a backlog by neither accepting or rejecting the schools available because they did not get their first choice preference and, as a result, 15 000 parents have still not indicated whether they will be enrolling their children,” said Lesufi. “I am also concerned that 8 846 parents have not yet submitted the required documents so that schools can get everything in order to ensure a smooth enrollment process.”
The MEC said the department received an extra R200 000 for its 2017 budget and the money will be used to employ more teachers and to pay for electricity and water in schools which need this infrastructure.
“We plan to build 603 new classrooms to accommodate children with disabilities and 314 new Grade R classrooms will also be built in 2017,” Lesufi said.
In addition, the department wants to introduce early childhood development in schools to avoid children being placed in environments which don’t provide the necessary stimulus and learning.
According to the MEC, the good news for 2017 is that all Grade 11 and Grade 12 textbooks have already been bought and stationery delivery is on track.
MEC Lesufi closed the media briefing by encouraging parents to spend their Christmas bonuses wisely to ensure their children are equipped for the first day of school 2017.
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