Cape Town - The scramble for school placement is already under way, as parents have until June 17 to confirm their final choice of school for their children next year.
This is to allow for other learners to get access to placement, too. The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) on Tuesday announced that school governing bodies (SGB) were applying their admission policies to determine placements for next year.
Provincial secretary for the SA Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu), Jonavon Rustin, said the applications process was “stressful”, especially if parents followed all guidelines and were then told that schools were oversubscribed.
“This is a huge challenge we have with the current admission policy, which is in the hands of the SGB. We are suggesting that parents should appeal to the schools at which they applied and enquire why they have been unsuccessful.
“We have noted with concern that year on year, at the beginning of the year, we still have unplaced learners. This especially happens in our Cape Flats and township areas.
“The department, in collaboration with teacher unions and SGBs, needs to come up with clear norms and standards when a school can indicate that it is oversubscribed and alleviate the pressure from parents and the system,” said Rustin.
National Professional Teachers Organisation of SA (Naptosa) provincial spokesperson, David Millar, said: “I call on schools to accept their fair share of applicants in the spirit of ubuntu and not to gate-keep smaller classes. Quality education is a right every child deserves, and too many schools continue to keep the doors firmly shut, yet can accommodate more learners. This is something that the WCED must address in the coming years.”
WCED spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said some parents were “fortunate to be accepted at more than one school – but hold on to more than one place while making their decision”.
“In the past, this could take months. We are now encouraging parents to make that decision by June 17 so that places are ‘freed up’ at other schools so that other learners will have the opportunity to enrol at a school,” said Hammond.
She said parents could appeal to a school to have a decision reviewed after establishing the reasons why the application was unsuccessful, and then request that the learner be placed on a waiting list.
For more information, parents can log on to admissions.westerncape.gov.za/admissions/login
Cape Times