Gauteng to open three new schools‚ expand others to accommodate unplaced pupils

The Gauteng education department says it has a solution to its pupil placement problem – it will open three new schools and expand others in 2017.

There were 31‚991 pupils yet to be allocated space in schools across the province on Monday.

“The Department can confirm that it has received a total number of 312‚088 [applications] for both Grade 1 and Grade 8 in Gauteng and 280‚097 learners have been placed‚” said acting spokesman Oupa Bodibe.

 “The reason the number is not drastically decreasing is because over the past few days the Department has been inundated by parents applying for the first time‚” he added. He said while efforts would be made to place all learners‚ priority would be given to applicants using the online system.

 “We have now set up 62 Admission Centres across the province to assist parents with outstanding admission issues [and] urge parents to visit these centres and not schools.”

Three more schools are set to open in Gauteng. Nomzamo Madikizela Mandela Primary school in Braamfischerville‚ Soweto‚ opened last week.

It is one of nine schools to open this year. Six of those schools have already been occupied.

 They include the Nomzamo Madikizela Mandela Primary school as well as the Ga-Rankuwa Primary School‚ New Bophelong Secondary School‚ Nkone Maruping‚ in Braamfischerville‚ both the Nellmapius Primary and Secondary Schools.

 The three remaining schools are the Rethabiseng Primary School in Rethabiseng suburb in Tshwane’s Bronkhorstspruit‚ Olievenhoutbosch Secondary School in Centurion and the Moses Kotane Primary School in Braamfischerville in Soweto.

“On average a school caters for 800 learners — this would translate to 4‚800 learners [in total]‚” he added.

 The schools are to be opened in “high pressure” areas prone to a high number of admissions. They include Tshwane South‚ Tshwane West‚ Johannesburg West‚ Johannesburg North‚ Gauteng North and Sedibeng West‚” he said.

 The department hopes to extend schools in high pressure areas after a headcount of pupils. “The big difference in the number is due to some schools not having updated their placement records in time‚” explained Bodibe.

In addition‚ “some parents‚ were given offers of placement and did not confirm acceptance with the relevant schools… others did not submit documents to schools‚ whilst some used contact numbers that cannot be reached.”

The Times previously reported that the provincial department had ordered schools to admit more pupils to the dismay of school governing bodies (SGBs) who fear a drop in standards.

Another concern for the SGBs and parents is the number of non-paying pupils being pushed into functional schools. Model C schools say that at least 20% of their pupils do not pay fees and are being subsidised by fee-paying parents.

Governing bodies warn that “a tipping point” could be reached if fees become too high and wealthy pupils move into private schools‚ which would reduce the cross-subsidy for poorer students and the money the schools needs for maintenance.

Fedsas Gauteng representative Dr Jean van Rooyen said he knew of five Gauteng principals who had been told by department of education officials they must increase class sizes and were told: “You work for us‚ not your governing bodies.”

(Additional reporting by Katharine Child and Ernest Mabuza).