MEC Lesufi must refrain from telling lies to the Gauteng public

29 October 2018

The Gauteng IFP is disappointed by the persistent lies that continue to be told by the Gauteng Department of Education which to date remains adamant that it will be able to find placement for the remaining 23 000 Grades 1 and 8 learners with the deadline set for 31 October 2018.

It is unthinkable that even when faced with the barefaced reality, the Gauteng Education Department, led by MEC Panyaza Lesufi is unyielding in committing that all these learners will find placement two days prior to the deadlines it set for itself.

But even more absurd is the fact that the department refuses to admit that the online application system is one of the worst things to have happened to this province. Characterised by glitches such as system overloads attributed to teething issues, this system has caused more discomfort than increase efficiency and the MEC would do well to heed the obvious call to review this system.

No parent should have to suffer to find enrolment for their child in a country where education is a fundamental right. The Grades 1 and 8 are some of the milestones which both the learner and the parent should be able to enjoy without any logistical hiccups. Yet the department of education in this province is prepared to sell people a lie and make promises it cannot keep.

We are calling on the MEC to come to the fore and stop hiding behind his spokesperson, Steven Mabona, whom we have seen in various media platforms trying to assure parents that come deadline day each of the 23 000 learners will be placed in a school.

The people of this province deserve the truth about how this department plans to remedy this situation which has a potential to cause much confusion and uneasiness.

As the IFP we will be watching with much interest to see if the department indeed does deliver this implausible target.

Issued by Bonginkosi Dhlamini, IFP Gauteng Leader, 29 October 2018