JOHANNESBURG - It’s the start of the year and parents are preparing to send their children to school next week.
For those with children entering Grade 1 and Grade 8, the process has been particularly stressful, with many still unhappy about where their children have been placed.
Meanwhile, the Gauteng Department of Education says it is still working to place thousands of learners who remain without schools.
“When you look at the numbers, we have placed over 358,000 learners between Grade 1 and Grade 8, and out of that number, we still have over 5,000 unplaced,” said department spokesperson Steve Mabona.
“We continue to work to ensure those learners are placed.”
Mabona said the department is working with districts to finalise placements.
“Overall, if you look at the entire province, other districts have placed everyone. Some had fewer than 100 learners to deal with, which is part of the process,” he said.
“We are working to ensure that when schools open, we are in a position to have placed the majority.”
Some parents have called for the online application system to be reviewed or scrapped altogether.
Mabona said challenges would always exist given the high demand for placements, adding that interventions such as building new schools are underway.