The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) is confident that all has been done to ensure a smooth first day of school today Wednesday, 9 January and that learning and teaching will commence without any disruptions.
Regarding admission placements, GDE spokesperson Steve Mabona applauded parents who applied online on time for Grade 1 and 8 admissions for 2019.
He said the Department received a total of 282 823 early applications for the 2019 academic year; of those, 266 613 (94,3 per cent) are placed, whereas 16 210 (5,7 per cent) applicants have not responded to offers or calls to submit documents.
We appeal to parents to accept placement offers by the District, as these are the only available spaces.”
Mabona said the Department opened late online applications on 28 November 2018, with only 1 068 schools available for application.
He added on the same day, a total of 945 out of 2013 schools with Grade 1 and 8 entry grades reached capacity and were no longer available for any further late applications.
He said as at 7 January 2019, a total of 205 schools reached capacity, and 863 schools still have available spaces for immediate placement.
“The Department received a total of 24 228 late applications, and of these, 19 803 applied by 15 December 2018, while 2 402 applied during the school holidays. We have successfully placed 8 090 (33,4 per cent) who have submitted documents; while 16 138 (66,6 per cent) are provisionally placed and will be finalised when documents are submitted. Parents are urged to submit the required documents to finalise placements. Furthermore, parents are advised to submit the required documents (birth certificate, ID copies, proof of address etc) immediately after placement,” Steve said.
He continued by saying that all Districts are operating as walk-in centres to assist parents with applications from 7 to 31 January 2019.
“Parents are encouraged to visit the District offices for assistance.”
Steve concluded by saying that, “We want to take this time to welcome all Grade R and approximately 140 000 Grade 1 learners to the schooling system, and wish them everything of the best on this important journey of their lives. We are excited that Grade R is migrating from the Department of Social Development to Education and that all ECD Centres will now have a formal programme and curriculum.
“The Department cautions parents against fake schools and urges them to contact our call centre on 0800 000 789 to check whether a school is registered. The Province engaged in thorough preparations to ensure that schools are ready to commence with teaching and learning activities on Day 1 of the 2019 Academic Year.
“Despite high volumes of late applications, officials are making every effort to ensure that applicants are assisted and that placement is facilitated without delay. Admissions decentralised venues open before 8am and parents are treated with courtesy while queries are being addressed. The Department anticipates the placement of all 2018 applicants before the end January 2019.”
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