At least 1,000 embattled learners still struggling to find placements in Eastern Cape schools

Klipspruit-Wes Secondary School principal Faried Davids oversees and interacts with learners on the first day of school in Soweto on 17 January, 2024.(Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)

By Msindisi Fengu

17 Jan 2024

The provincial education department said the number of learners waiting for placements was increasing due to family relocations.

As the first day of the 2024 academic year in SA’s public schools kicked off on Wednesday, more than 1,000 learners were yet to be placed in the Eastern Cape.

Provincial education spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima said the number of learners waiting for placements was increasing due to family relocations.

“The majority of parents [still looking for placements] are those who insist on schools of choice,” Mtima said.

He said there were more than enough places for learners in the province’s classrooms but the department had to respect the parents’ preferences.

Mtima said 1,809,339 learners in grades R to 12 had been placed in schools in Eastern Cape — an increase of more than 8,000 learners over the 2023 enrolment.

Read more in Daily Maverick: How does the class of 2022 stack up? We compare the matric results to previous years

Western Cape

The province’s education spokesperson, Bronagh Hammond, said 99.43% of grade 1 and 8 learners had been allocated places before schools closed on 12 December 2023.

“However, since that date, and while schools have been closed for the holidays, we have received new applications for learners whose parents had not previously applied, and we anticipate receiving many more in the coming weeks,” Hammond said.

She said they had received 609 new, extremely late applications in the first 10 days of this month.

Read more in Daily Maverick: ‘Massive improvement’ in school placement, says Western Cape Education Department

Hammond said placement was in progress for 2,636 grade 1 and 8 learners.

The next key date in the admissions calendar, she said, is the 10-day Snap Survey of Ordinary Schools, which helps the province administer and govern schools and determine resource needs.

The survey, she said, would indicate where there are still spaces available for learners and it would allow the education department to allocate resources to accommodate the extremely late applications.

“We have placed more learners this year, compared to the same time last year. However, the 10-day Snap Survey will provide more accurate information on admission numbers. In the past five years, our system grew on average by 19,000 learners each year.”

Hammond said they receive thousands of applications from other provinces, particularly Eastern Cape.

“The rural districts have space to accommodate learners. Demand is mainly in the metro regions,” she said.

Schools first day Klipspruit-Wes Secondary School principal Faried Davids oversees and interacts with learners on the first day of school in Soweto on 17 January, 2024.(Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)

Mpumalanga

Education MEC Bonakele Majuba said on 9 January that they were encouraged that a huge number of learners had already been admitted to schools.

“Every effort was made by the department to ensure that learners of school-going age are admitted in schools within the province in keeping to our country’s constitutional mandate,” Majuba said.

Admission committees, he said, were established in each district and were facilitating admissions and working with principals, school governing bodies and parents.

“So far, we are pleased with the levels of cooperation between parents and schools and we wish that this must continue up to a point where every child of school-going age is in class, learning,” he said.

However, Majuba said, there were still learners waiting for placements, especially in the fast-growing towns of Emalahleni, Ermelo, Mbombela, Mashishing, Steve Tshwete and Secunda.

“The department is making the necessary interventions in this regard to ensure that a process of admitting these learners is accelerated.”

In Emalahleni, he said, the department would make use of Mokibe Primary School and Siyanqoba Primary and Secondary School.

Mokibe Primary School had been temporarily housed at Bonginsimbi Technical High School and was moving to a new location.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Census reveals 5.2m children of school-going age aren’t receiving education

Majuba thanked the Emalahleni Local Municipality for assisting in the successful relocation of Mokibe Primary School.

“There are also a number of interventions that are being made in other areas to ensure that learners are in class learning,” he said. DM

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