Thousands of Grade One and Grade Eight learners still haven’t been successfully placed in schools for the 2023 academic year. The Department is planning to re-open applications for those still wishing to apply.
The Department of Basic Education (DBE) saw a massive influx of applications for learners seeking placement in Grades One and Eight, earlier this year when applications opened.
Over 300 000 new applications were received, but 35 000 remain unplaced at the moment.
The process of successfully placing learners within schools for next year has already begun and is “on track”, says the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE).
Parents have also been asked to respond quickly once their child has received a placement offer, to ensure that their place is secured within the school they are hoping for and that it is not offered to someone else.
“We’ve got 5485 applicants who have received offers [but] their parents have not accepted them, and this is a problem because it clogs the system, it [causes] delays. You’ll find that maybe the learner has been offered space in two or three schools; until they accept a particular offer, the system will cover them as being filled,” explained the GDE.
The department has plans to re-open the application window, beginning on 20 December, 2022 and ending in January next year; the re-opening is to assist those who still wish to apply.
For the Western Cape province, a similar situation is unfolding.
According to a recent statement made by Western Cape Minister of Education, David Meynier, by November, schools had received 117 270 new Grade One and Eight applications, 22 113 of which were sent in late.
Still, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) understands that this is just the beginning, predicting that even more late. applications will begin to pour in as late as January.
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