Learner admissions for the 2020 school year closed last Friday, but laggards still have a chance to get their child into a school next year.
This year the provincial Department of Education (WCED) launched an online admission process.
Despite “some minor hiccups”, minister Debbie Schäfer says she is pleased with the overall response to the system.
“Since admissions opened on Friday 15 February, the online admissions system has processed 192 481 applications, 73 487 of which are unique learner applications,” Schäfer said last week.
The WCED will assist parents and guardians who have not submitted applications for the next school year. Any new application will be handled as a late application, the department explained.
Said Schäfer: “It is important that the department is made aware of how many applications have been received so that we can plan, in advance, where additional resources such as school infrastructure and teachers are required.
“We also want to assist as many parents as possible whose children do not get accepted during this period, to find a school.”
School will let parents and guardians know if their applications have been successful by Friday 10 May.
Parents will then have 10 days to either accept or decline the placements.
The department says there are a few points about the admission process parents and guardians should note:
. The School Governing Body of the school is responsible for the admissions policy of that particular school, not the department. Therefore, a school can determine certain criteria that are in line with the law.
Applying at a school does not guarantee acceptance, and this is why the WCED urged all parents to apply to more than one school.
. Proximity to a school does not always guarantee placement. Living 50 m from a school, or 50 km, cannot guarantee placement. Some schools factor proximity in their admissions policies, but it is rarely the sole criterion, if it is a criterion at all.
. Some schools receive five times the number of applications than the places they have available. Therefore they cannot satisfy the needs of everyone who applies. So naturally some parents will be disappointed.
“Parents who require assistance with admissions should contact the relevant District Office,” Schäfer added.
West Coast parents van contact the District office’s Anlerie Truter on 021 860 1200 or 021 860 1206. Parents can also send an email to Anlerie.Truter@westerncape.gov.za for more information about admission for the 2020 school year.
