It’s all systems go for the Gauteng Department of Education, as it started the process of placing pupils for the 2017 academic year.
On 13 July, MEC for the department, Panyaza Lesufi gave an update on the status of the online pupil application system, which had kicked off on the wrong foot with technical glitches that left parents frustrated.
Lesufi said to date, the department has received 682 142 applications. Of those, 118 534 are applications for Grade 1 pupils; while 91 221 are applications for Grade 8s.
The department also received 451 759 duplicate applications, something that Lesufi attributed to the anxiety and uncertainty that parents had when the online application process opened in April. “Some parents were struggling to log in, some were at work and others were not sure if this system is going to work, so they asked other people to also apply on their behalf,” he explained.
There were 18 425 applications for in-between grades, and the department also received 2 223 applications for pupils wanting to be placed in independent schools.
Lesufi highlighted that, so far, the department has managed to place just over 6 000 pupils in schools around the province. He highlighted that parents who have not yet received correspondence from the department should not panic as the placement of pupils will continue until 7 September.
He said parents will receive an SMS to notify them of which school their children have been placed in. Parents will have seven school days from the date of receiving an SMS to confirm acceptance or rejection of the placement. “Parents who, for [some] reason, are not happy with the placement can approach the district director.”
He did, however, highlight that objections and late applications will be dealt with once the placement process has been completed in September. Other factors that will determine placement in schools include if the school is close to home, closest to the work address of the parent, school of specialisation, and if a sibling is already at that school.
Lesufi urged parents to confirm or reject placement offers in order to speed up the placement process.
