All learners will be placed: Lesufi

07 January 2018 - 13:58
By Sipho Mabena
About 17‚000 learners whose parents applied on time for their admission to Gauteng schools are yet to be placed but the provincial department of education has assured parents that all those that applied for admission for 2018 will be placed.
Image: Gallo Images/ IStock About 17‚000 learners whose parents applied on time for their admission to Gauteng schools are yet to be placed but the provincial department of education has assured parents that all those that applied for admission for 2018 will be placed.

About 17‚000 learners whose parents applied on time for their admission to Gauteng schools are yet to be placed but the provincial department of education has assured parents that all those that applied for admission for 2018 will be placed.

Panyaza Lesufi‚ Gauteng MEC for education‚ on Sunday said 22‚921 late applications were received towards the end of 2017‚ adding that to date 8‚865 learners from this group have been placed leaving a balance of 14‚056.

This means that about 31‚000 learners in total still need to be placed. “However‚ we urge parents to accept offers of placement from schools with available space. Many of the schools in Gauteng are full and cannot accept any more learners. It is expected that some parents will apply for the first time as schools reopen. Such applicants will be placed where there is space‚” he said.

Lesufi said officials at the admission centres will record the new applications and submit them to head office for aggregation.

He however said that due to the additional financial cost of accepting additional learners‚ his department had to consult with the Provincial Treasury to provide additional financial resources. Lesufi said parents applying late will be notified in due course on the status of their application.

He urged parents that still have admission challenges to visit any of the admission centres on January 13 and 14‚ saying these facilities will operate from 8am to 5pm. Officials from the department will assist to place the unplaced learners and attend to all parents applying for the first time‚ the department said.

“The Department is happy with the progress made in placing learners whose parents applied online for Grades 1 and 8 for the 2018 school year. We would like to thank all the parents that have applied and complied with all the processes. To date about 17‚000 learners whose parents applied on time have not yet been placed. Unfortunately‚ they have applied in high pressure areas where there is shortage of space. It should also be noted that many of these parents declined alternative offers of placement. However‚ the parents should rest assured that their children will be placed before the schools open (on Wednesday‚ 17 January 2018)‚” Lesufi said.