First day school blues hit Gauteng, but Lesufi denies ‘chaos’

It was a gloomy day for scores of Grade 1 and Grade 8 pupils yesterday as thousands were sitting at home on the first day of the academic year still waiting to be placed in schools.

Thousands of parents had camped outside the Mamelodi Teachers’ Centre since Tuesday night, trying to find schools for their Grade 1 and Grade 8 children. Grandmothers, parents and pregnant women braved the heat in the nearly 500-metre queue, with some carrying proof that they had indeed applied on time.

It was a similar sight at the Benoni education district office where irate parents were trying to place their children.

The frustrated parents called the Gauteng education department’s online application system “useless”, not user-friendly, or placing children in schools they did not apply for.

A Mamelodi grandmother, Lettie Matlala, 63, said she was not familiar with how the online system worked and had no idea she had to reapply for her grandchild who had to repeat Grade 1 at Mogale Primary School.

“I don’t know anything about online applications. I am old. My grandchild is an orphan. He is now sitting at home,” she said.

Others expressed annoyance at the department for placing their children in schools of a different language of instruction.

Riaana Nation from Eersterust said her Afrikaans-speaking child was placed in an English-medium school. “We applied on the date given and my child was accepted at a school we didn’t apply for. We appealed and nothing has been done. We have been here since 10pm (Tuesday). The department never got back to me. Not even by SMS.”

But there were no outstanding placements in Mamelodi, Gauteng department of education spokesperson Steve Mabona said.

He could not, however, confirm the number of displaced pupils in the province yet as the department had opened for late applications yesterday.

Mabona said parents had instead queued outside district offices to make use of late registration, which ends on January 24.

“We have placed all pupils and are finalising appeals.”

Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi denied the placement system was in disarray.

Speaking during the opening of newly revamped state-of-theart Noordgesig Primary School in Diepkloof, Johannesburg, Lesufi said there is no chaos in Gauteng and all pupils would be placed at schools within the next 10 days.

He blamed the influx of people to Gauteng for the trouble.

“And that is why we have thousands of parents preferring to get their children to Gauteng.

“Any other person who thinks that through the online registration, through our placement, there is chaos – there is no chaos. People prefer Gauteng, and as Gautengers we are opening the doors for everyone,” he said.

Meanwhile, Curro Holdings, SA’s largest independent school operator, said it had been approached by the department for “potential” assistance with the placement of Grade 1s and 8s.

According to the group, “Curro will receive a list from the Gauteng department of education and will then contact parents”.

Discussions so far concerned Grade 1 and Grade 8 pupils only, and within certain areas.

Both have agreed that enrolment will follow Curro criteria, that placements will be available at schools that have space, and that fees will be aligned to the Curro business model and not public school fee structures.

On Tuesday, Lesufi threw a lifeline to parents who were late applying for Grade 1 and 8 by reopening online registration.

Lesufi criticised schools that refused to accept more pupils, blaming them for problems relating to the online registration.

– rorisangk@citizen.co.za; additional reporting News 24 Wire

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