Over 31 000 learners remain unplaced as GDE misses the placement deadline

1 December 2022

31 549 learners who applied on time for Grades 1 and 8 for the 2023 academic year have not been placed because the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has once again missed its placement deadline.

This is causing uncertainty among the parents as they don’t know when their children will be placed in schools.

8142 and 23 407 learners for Grades 1 and 8, respectively, are waiting to be placed. The department is citing applications with “incomplete documents” as a reason for not placing these learners on time which is a way of covering up for the glitches in the online admission system and their incompetency.

Based on previous years, online admissions have had multiple glitches and resulted in learners not being placed on time.

The DA has warned the department that they will not meet the deadline for placement because they did not listen to our proposal of opening the online admission process in April. This was going to ensure that the schools and the School Governing Bodies (SGBs) are given an opportunity to assess their capacity and consult with the department in terms of additional resources.

Delays in the placement of learners negatively impact parents and guardians who must budget and prepare stationery, and school uniforms, and make transport arrangements for their children.

The DA demands that the Gauteng MEC for Education, Matome Chiloane, must ensure that the online system is transparent and outline the schools that still have the capacity and remove those that have reached their capacity so that parents will know which schools to choose from.

We further demand that all unplaced learners should be allocated schools before the schools open in January 2023. This will require that all staff members responsible for admission to work extra hours in December to conclude the placement process.

The DA will continue to monitor to ensure all learners are placed and hold MEC Matome to account if there are still learners who have not been placed before the start of the 2023 academic year.

Issued by Khume Ramulifho, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education, 1 December 2022