Parents in Gauteng are frustrated that their children have not received school placement yet. According to these parents, the online application system is to blame for the delay in placing their children in schools.
These parents have requested for the online application to be scrapped as not everyone was able to use it successfully. Parents decided to camp outside the Gauteng district offices to request placement.
According to the Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane, the online system has been a great help to the department. It has reduced the amount of work required to place all the learners who applied.
The online system has allowed the department to identify where there are spaces available to place learners. They have been able to plan where additional infrastructure is needed, with help from the online system.
“Parents need to be assured that we are with them on their side and it really pains us that their children are at home because we feel that we are failing as a department. We are really working around the clock to really close off this particular chapter,” said Chiloane.
Chiloane stated that over the last week, the number of parents camping outside their offices has decreased since their children have received placement. Less than 500 children still need to receive placement.
The Department hopes to have placed all these learners by the 30th of January 2023. In an effort to ensure that schools have the capacity to teach all their learners, the department has distributed mobile classrooms.
