About 77 000 parents could lose their children’s school placements for 2020, according to the Gauteng MEC of Education.
“These parents have neither declined nor accepted our offers [for schools in which their children will be placed], so they are about to forfeit their places,” said education MEC Panyaza Lesufi.
This after the department placed 60 000 new learners whose status had been “pending”.
“We’ve summoned all our districts and school admissions staff members to head office so that they can resolve all outstanding placements,” he said.
https://twitter.com/EducationGP/status/1189488845382979585
This came after the provincial education department was flooded by calls from parents who had forgotten their login credentials to the electronic registration system earlier in October, which created major havoc for the school admissions system.
The department had offered placement to 102 971 applicants for the 2020 online admissions.
Of the 102 971 applicants, about 15 919 had accepted offers of placement by logging onto www.gdeadmissions.gov.za.
“It is concerning that our call centre is inundated with calls from parents who have forgotten their login credentials.
“Some parents are bombarding schools with requests to accept offers on their behalf. While capacity and resources in the call centre have been enhanced to accommodate parents during this period, lines are clogged by parents who have lost or forgotten their login credentials,” said the department’s spokesperson, Steve Mabona.
Mabona stressed the importance of keeping login information safe.
“This is a very important security feature that is unique to every parent,” he said.
He said the system provided for parents who have lost their username and password through the “forgotten password” link.
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Mabona said parents who had forgotten their login credentials could follow this step-by-step guide for help:
– Log on to www.gdeadmissions.gov.za
– Click on login
– Click on forgot password
– Enter parent ID or passport number
– Click on recover account
– A token will be generated and sent to your registered cell number
– Re-enter parent ID or passport number and the token just sent to your cell phone via sms
– Enter password
– Confirm password
– Click recover account
– You will return to the login screen to login with your new password
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Parents who have not yet received offers of placement are reminded that offers are not sent to all parents on the same day, as the department is processing offers systematically in line with the order of application options outlined in the admissions regulations.
Mabona said parents without Internet access could visit the school or district office for assistance.
“An appeal is made to parents to remain calm if they have not yet received offers of placement as this process will conclude on 31 October 2019,” said Lesufi.
“Parents who have already received offers of placement must accept these within seven days of receiving the sms for the placement offer.
“Finally, it is important to remember that the capacity of each school will determine the number of applicants that receive placement offers and the number of learners ultimately admitted to the school.”
The department can be reached on 0800-000-789 for queries.
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