DA calls on MEC Lesufi to open the 2022 academic year online admission in April this year

29 March 2021

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is calling on the Gauteng Department of Education MEC, Panyaza Lesufi to open the online admission for the 2022 academic year in April this year. The finalisation of all placements should be concluded in October this year.

By moving the online admission earlier, this will provide parents with parental choice to select the schools they want for their children, and ensure they have enough time in doing so. It will also afford the department enough time to plan and ensure that all learners are allocated schools before the start of the 2022 academic year.

The online admission must be used to assist the department with planning and budget allocation.

Currently, there are more than 600 learners who have not yet been allocated schools. These learners are dangerously falling behind in the curriculum and have been denied their right to access to basic education.

The department has failed to use the online application system to plan for placement for the 2021 academic year, as the process was done very late.

Further to this, the department failed to spend more than R1.3 billion in the 2019/20 financial year.

This money could have been used to build more new schools in high demand areas where there are new housing developments, and help ease classroom overcrowding in existing schools.

The department has no excuse to return any portion of their budget to Treasury, as there are many areas of concern that require urgent funding.

The department must provide the necessary resources to schools before the start of the 2022 academic year, so that learning and teaching will not be disrupted like it has in years before.

Issued byKhumeRamulifho,DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education, 29 March 2021