Parents experience glitches with online school registration

The Western Cape Education Department of education has opened school registrations for children for 2021.  This registration window will be open from today until it closes on March 17.

However parents who are trying to apply for grade 1 and grade 8 places for their children for next year have already expressed frustration and are complaining about the technical glitches they are experiencing on the Western Cape education departments new admissions website.  This is the first time that the Western Cape is using the online application process prior to physically applying at their preferred schools. When the system was originally introduced last year, parents could directly submit applications to schools before the online applications.

A Kuils River parent who  had been trying to get on to the site since the application process opened on Monday says, “This is extremely frustrating. We have been asked to submit everything via the online portal but nothing seems to work. I’m only able to go to the log-in stage and no further. It kicks you off automatically after that and says ‘service temporarily unavailable.”

The department has pointed towards loadshedding as a possible cause of the glitches. Spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said: “There have been some technical problems that are unfortunately beyond our control. Our sites are reliant on the infrastructure from the national government’s State Information Technology Agency based in Observatory. Issues like load-shedding do affect the agency’s support at provincial level.”

Documents you will need:

Certified copy of ID/Birth certificate

Immunisation card/Road to health chart (Primary schools only)

The learner’s last school (If the learner has already been in school)

A study permit issued by Home Affairs (If the learner is a foreign national)

Education MEC Debbie Schäfer’s tips for parents:

1. “I encourage parents to apply to at least three schools, including their closest school, and to apply as early as possible- don’t wait until the last minute.”

2. “Use the online system to apply. The system was piloted last year, and Schafer said this year it would be expanded to all schools across the province. Schools will assist parents in applying online if they do not have the means to do so. If this is not possible, the school will provide a paper based application to complete.”

3. “I advise parents to contact the schools they would like to apply to beforehand to check their admissions policy and to ensure that they supply all the documents required by these schools. Schools may also ask parents for further information depending on their admissions policy- as long as these are in line with the  South African Schools act and the national and provincial policies on admission”

4. “Registering on the admissions website or submitting an application does not mean the learner has been enrolled at the school. Parents will be informed of the outcome of their applications by email or sms between May 15 and 22.”

5. “If a learner is offered a place, parents must confirm acceptance of a space by June 5. If they only receive an offer after June 5, they must confirm acceptance within three days.”

For frequently asked questions parents can also visit the Western Cape Education Department website on https://wcedonline.westerncape.gov.za/learner-enrolment-faq

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