DA calls on MEC Lesufi to allocate schools to all unplaced learners before the end of this week

16 February 2021

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is deeply concerned that 1004 Grade 1 and 8 learners have not been allocated schools despite the fact that they applied on time and that the 2021 academic year resumed yesterday.

These unplaced learners have missed the first day of schooling and as long as they are not yet placed, they will continue to miss out while other learners are progressing with the curriculum.

The department should be held responsible for not allocating the learners on time as well as the glitches on the online admission process.

The DA has been inundated with phone calls and messages from desperate and frustrated parents who applied on time, yet their children have not been allocated schools. This includes learners who are placed far from their place of residents or where their parents work.

The online admission has denied parents opportunity to choose best schools for their children. The DA will call for the review of this process to ensure that parental choice is protected.

By not placing learners on time, the department is depriving these learners of their right to basic education which is enshrined in the Constitution.

Furthermore, we call on the department to ensure that there is adequate infrastructure and resources in all Gauteng schools. They should commit to build additional classrooms in schools that are experiencing overcrowding and provide additional resources.

Vacant posts should also be filled as a matter of urgency to reduce overcrowding and to ensure that learning and teaching takes place without any further disruptions.

The DA calls on the Gauteng MEC for Education, Panyaza Lesufi to finalise the placement of all learners who have not been allocated a school, before the end of this week.

Issued by Khume Ramulifho, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education, 16 February 2021