The Gauteng department of education has already placed over 6000 pupils whose parents applied through the online application system at schools across the province.
Sowetan reported last month that education MEC Panyaza Lesufi revealed in a written reply to the legislature that the placements started on June 24 and would run until July 25.
The online application was open to parents with children going to Grades 1 and 8.
Speaking yesterday in Johannesburg, Lesufi said so far 6564 pupils had been placed which included 3389 Grade 1 and 3145 Grade 8 pupils.
He said the early placements were a "first in the history of our education system".
"Parents can appropriately budget now for the things that they need," Lesufi said.
Placing pupils at schools earlier would also help the department plan properly.
"We can then start our infrastructure planning informed by demand rather than informed by people who live in an informal settlement or the mushrooming of townhouses in a certain area . people are chasing quality and in chasing quality they've got their preferred schools."
The most preferred schools included Mondeor High School, Laerskool Theresapark and Pretoria Boys High School, with over 1500 applications each.
However, Lesufi said in its criteria of placement the department would prioritise pupils who already have a sibling at the school or live less than 5km from the school. If the number of pupils who want to go to the particular school is still high it would look at other options.
These include expanding the schools or sending the pupils to schools in the same vicinity with a low enrolment rate.
He said parents were still receiving SMSes of the schools their children had been accepted at, but those parents who had not got an SMS could use their login number and check the progress of their application.
Parents would be given seven school days to accept or reject the placement offer.
"This is going to be a rough, difficult time for many parents and we want to plead with them on three important things and that is: if you don't accept, we assume that you have rejected, and we will place another parent.
"So, we are requesting parents to really take the placement very seriously."
macupeb@sowetan.co.za
Parents must not fail on school placements
The Gauteng department of education has already placed over 6000 pupils whose parents applied through the online application system at schools across the province.
Sowetan reported last month that education MEC Panyaza Lesufi revealed in a written reply to the legislature that the placements started on June 24 and would run until July 25.
The online application was open to parents with children going to Grades 1 and 8.
Speaking yesterday in Johannesburg, Lesufi said so far 6564 pupils had been placed which included 3389 Grade 1 and 3145 Grade 8 pupils.
He said the early placements were a "first in the history of our education system".
"Parents can appropriately budget now for the things that they need," Lesufi said.
Placing pupils at schools earlier would also help the department plan properly.
"We can then start our infrastructure planning informed by demand rather than informed by people who live in an informal settlement or the mushrooming of townhouses in a certain area . people are chasing quality and in chasing quality they've got their preferred schools."
The most preferred schools included Mondeor High School, Laerskool Theresapark and Pretoria Boys High School, with over 1500 applications each.
However, Lesufi said in its criteria of placement the department would prioritise pupils who already have a sibling at the school or live less than 5km from the school. If the number of pupils who want to go to the particular school is still high it would look at other options.
These include expanding the schools or sending the pupils to schools in the same vicinity with a low enrolment rate.
He said parents were still receiving SMSes of the schools their children had been accepted at, but those parents who had not got an SMS could use their login number and check the progress of their application.
Parents would be given seven school days to accept or reject the placement offer.
"This is going to be a rough, difficult time for many parents and we want to plead with them on three important things and that is: if you don't accept, we assume that you have rejected, and we will place another parent.
"So, we are requesting parents to really take the placement very seriously."
macupeb@sowetan.co.za
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