The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is demanding that the school online admission system be opened in April and closed in June. This will allow parents sufficient time to apply for a school of their choice for their children who will be starting Grade 1 and Grade 8 next year.
In addition, the DA is proposing that the online system be improved to be transparent and fair. Over the last few years, a large number of parents have complained about the current online system. More often, parents are not offered their schools of choice as children are not placed at the school chosen by the parent when applying online.
Furthermore, the department must embark on an education awareness campaign so that all parents can know exactly how to apply online. It will also assist parents and guardians who do not have access to the internet or a computer on which centres they can visit to complete the process to avoid a high volume of late applications.
The earlier this process is started the better. This will allow for proper planning on the part of the department and parents. Once the system closes in June, learners should be placed by July. During August the appeal process should take place and where needed the schools can be given the resources needed like recruiting more teachers and building new classrooms.
By September all learners should be placed. By implementing this framework, we will avoid placing learners at schools in January and February and disrupting the 2024 academic year.