Applications for the new academic year for Grade One and Eight learners will go live on May 13, announced MEC for the Gauteng Department of Education Panyaza Lesufi in a media briefing on Sunday morning.
Parents can apply from 8am and applications will close on July 15 at midnight.
Speaking at the briefing, Lesufi says he is excited that the process will be undertaken under new admission regulations that seek to ensure equitable access to all learners regardless of class, race or language.
“The regulations also define new feeder zones that aim to overcome the apartheid geography.
“Access to public schools has been a hotly contested process over the past 25 years of our new democracy.
“There has been a tension to open all public schools on the one hand and attempts to reserve certain schools for the privileged on the other hand.
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“Parents seek the best school for their children and given our past the perception is that former Model C schools are synonymous with quality and township/rural schools are of poor quality.
“The Gauteng Department of Education is ranking schools to provide parents objective information regarding the performance of the school, therefore, I urge parents to give themselves time to evaluate the schools closest to where they live to ascertain the performance of the institution,” says Lesufi.
The Admissions Online Application System has been increased to accommodate 50 000 simultaneous users.
After applications close, learners will be placed by the department between August 27 to September 20.
Parents/applicants will receive an SMS notification of successful and unsuccessful application to the school.
They have an obligation to accept or reject the placement offer within seven days and if a parent fails to accept or reject offer of placement within the given period, such a parent will forfeit the offer and it will be given to the next person on the queue.
Lesufi urged parents to apply early to avoid disappointment.
Application dates for the other grades will be announced at a later date.
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