Residents of informal settlements asking to be accommodated at schools nearer where they live

Numbers bulge every year yet available space remains finite.

Also read: Online school admissions for 2023 to commence in July

The beginning of the school year is a frustrating time for all parents, especially those seeking a new seat for their children. The Gauteng Department of Education’s centralised placement system for Grade 1s and 8s leaves parents praying for a favourable outcome but those trying to find a new school faces an even tougher task of winning the school seat lottery.

Also read: GDE confirms 268 192 Grade 1 and 8 learners already placed for 2023

Residents of Plot 8 Mhlangeni Informal Settlement are upset that their children are not being considered for placements in schools nearest the Progress Road settlement. Aaron Baba is one grandfather who is trying to get his grandchildren into a primary school in Witpoortjie. He has been unsuccessful with any attempts with any of the four government schools in the area.

Aaron Baba lives in Plot 8 Mlhangeni and his grandchildren and other children in Mhlangeni all attend Durban Deep Primary. Arron says the children must walk the five dangerous kilometers to Durban Deep and says that when it rains, the children do not bother to go to school. He says this lack of access to well-situated schools leads to children skipping school to take drugs and develop criminal habits.

A principal at one Witpoortjie primary school elaborated on the difficulties in providing space for all applicants. Using a thick file of Grade 2 applicants, this principle illustrated how the volume of applicants far outweighed the available space. He explained that available slots were determined by the GDE and that they were already bursting at the seams with at least 40 children per class.

The principal, whose situation mirrors those of his colleagues at neighbouring schools, stated that learners are allocated based on the information contained in the application form,- which included proof of residence, the IDs of the parents, the birth certificate of the learners, and their clinic cards. Learners already enrolled in schools within a certain radius of each other would be deprioritised as they are deemed to already have a space.

The proof of residence is a stumbling block as living in an informal settlement makes it difficult to obtain registered paperwork and as a result, handwritten proofs of residence are declined. Some schools require registration fees, something else that makes finding suitably accessible and affordable education an impossibility.

GDE spokesperson, Steve Mabona clarified the department’s stance on transport and placements.

“The GDE has identified a need for transport in the Princess area and as such scholar transport will be provided in due course. It must be noted that placement is done according to the admissions policy which stipulates the following criteria: Home Address within the feeder zone, sibling within the school, previous school and work address within the school feeder zone, and home address within a 30 km radius and beyond,” said Mabona.

One specific occurrence that particularly irked Aaron is the bussing in of learners from outside of Roodepoort, most notably Soweto.
“Our schools belong to the community and everyone who lives here. We should be accommodated first before those outside the area” said Aaron, adding that continued inadequate schooling would worsen the lives of those living in informal settlements.

Despite the number of children needing placements in school growing every year, a new government school has not been built near Witpoortjie or any neighbouring Roodepoort suburb for several decades. The GDE was also asked if any plans existed to expand schooling resources in Roodepoort but as of publication, that question was unanswered.