UPDATE: Some children placed in schools after Midrand parents protest

Update, 23 Janaury, 5.30pm:

Around 30 concerned parents recently gathered at the Gauteng Department of Education’s (GDE) offices in Parkmore on 23 January.

The reason for the gathering was to receive answers on why their children have not yet been placed in schools.

Speaking to the Midrand Reporter, many of the parents raised their concerns about the fact that their children have not been to school since it opened on 7 January.

Mark Sigamoney said the problem is that the online applications closed in April and once the list is full, it does not allow you to select the school anymore. He recently moved house in June last year and now lives next to Midrand High School.

Sigamoney said he was advised to wait for late applications to open after which he registered his son Jordan.

However, he said the only option he was provided was to send his son to a school in Ebony Park which does not teach English.

After spending the day at the department on 23 January, Sigamoney along with other parents managed to get their children placed in schools.

Sigamoney said he accepted the option of placing his son in Sandown High School and Jordan will hopefully go to school by Friday. “Clearly the approach from the Government regarding placement is not working.”

He added that he has the ability to go to Sandton although he would prefer that his son attend a school in Midrand.

Another parent, Frank Setati, said most of the parents there were told their children can be placed at other schools which are not close to the area. “It does not make sense and becomes a problem to coordinate transport.”

When they went to the school on 7 January, the parents were told to wait 10 days for them to find a place for the children. “That is why we are here because it is now after the 10 days and we need our children placed.”

All the parents echoed that they have been taking time off from work to deal with these issues.

Setati said he needed placement for his son in Grade 4. “He was thus placed at Noordwyk Primary School.”

He believes the placements were not done earlier because it was assumed parents had no way of uniting and demanding placement for their children. He added that parents will invariably, and out of frustration, seek refuge at private schools around Midrand. “As indeed the majority of parents whose backs were against the wall resorted to.”

“From the department, no one responded to the question why what was done today could not be done earlier, especially during the 10 days we were advised to wait,” said Setati.

The Midrand Reporter is awaiting comment from the Gauteng Department of Education. This is a developing story and further information will be provided as more details become available.

Earlier, 23 January, 12pm

Parents from Midrand gathered outside the offices of the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) in Parkmore this morning (23 January), protesting because their children still have not been placed at a school.

One of the parents, Mark, who lives in Midrand said his son Jordan has not been placed, despite living close to a school.

https://twitter.com/Will_Diomasaigh/status/1087980169971806208

Before the start of the new schooling year, Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi did state that they had a backlog and over 80 000 learners had still not been placed. However, that number has since decreased, with over 11 000 Grade 1 school learners being placed at schools.

Also check out:

Department of Education is working hard to place children in schools, says MEC Lesufi

Thousands of learners who submitted late applications wait to be placed at schools