Registrations opened on 1 September and will close on 23 September, for children who will be going to school for the first time or moving to a new school next year.
“All our schools have been identified as designated areas for collection and submission of admission forms. Parents and legal guardians of qualifying learners are therefore encouraged to immediately collect registration forms from the school nearest to their home, where other siblings are attending or within a feeder zone,” said the provincial Department of Education spokesperson, Tidimalo Chuene.
Completed forms must be returned as soon as possible as admissions will be processed on a first come first served basis, assuming that all other criteria in the admissions guidelines are met.
Chuene said that the school management teams have been directed to ensure that the process of collection and return of forms is managed in line with the Department of Education’s standard operating procedures for the management of COVID-19 in schools.
“This means strict adherence to screening, sanitising and social distancing protocols throughout the process,” she said.
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She said that if a child is going to school for the first time or relocating to a new school, registration forms from the school nearest to the parent’s home must be collected from the beginning of the month and returned to the school by not later than 23 September 2020.
The dates for collection and submission of application forms are as follows: Grades R and 1: 1-04 September, Grade 8: 7-11 September, Grades 2, 3, 4, 9 and 10: 14-18 September, Grades 5, 6, 7, 11 and 12: 21-23.
She said that in the case of secondary admissions preference will be given to learners from feeder schools.
Parents will be informed of the outcome of the applications by end of October.
“In terms of the South African Schools Act (Act no 84 of 1996) SASA, as amended, children for Grade 1 can only be registered if they are 5 years old turning 6 on or before 30 June 2021.
Those who are 4 turning 5 on or before 30 June 2021 must be admitted into Grade R,” said Chuene.
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To register, parents must take the following documents with them: Birth certificate or acceptable proof of birth date, immunization card, transfer card, last report card and proof of residence.
If one is not a South African citizen, the following documents are important: study/work permit, temporary or permanent residence permit from the South African Department of Home Affairs and evidence to show that there is application for permission to stay in RSA
The principal of a public school must keep a register of admissions. All admission of learners to the school must be recorded in the admissions register.
Any formal complaint from parents whose children have not been admitted can be lodged through the nearest circuit offices.
The department is making an appeal to principals to accommodate learners in line with the carrying capacity of their schools.
This appeal is made in line with the department’s efforts in trying to curb overcrowding.
“The department will monitor the learner admissions process very closely to ensure that the rights of learners are always protected,” she added.
