Inland schools will reopen on Wednesday with an update on the online application process expected later on Tuesday from Gauteng’s Education MEC.

The Gauteng Education Department says they are still working on finding placements at schools for about 2 000 learners in Grades one and eight for the 2023 academic year.

The department says that about 5 000 applications were received during the late registration period which they opened on the 20th of December last year.

The South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) has called for a speedy resolution to learner admission challenges for the 2023 academic year.

Sadtu’s General Secretary Mugwena Maluleke said that unresolved admission problems will lead to overcrowding in schools.

“Our call is very simple it’s that we have a headache, and the headache is admissions so, that is one of those particular outstanding issues that need to be resolved before tomorrow because we know that it is very important that we do the planning, and without having finalised admissions. The planning is very difficult to do, we are seeing a lot of overcrowding that will create a problem for the education of our children,” Maluleke said.

Frustrated parents

Frustrated parents whose children have not been placed for the Grade 1 and 8 academic year in Pretoria, say they are disappointed at the Gauteng Education Department’s failure to find a workable permanent solution to what they say has become a crisis every year at this time.

Scores of parents have been turned away as they queued to get space for their children at the Danie Malan Primary School in Pretoria North. This allegedly sparked clashes between black and white parents.

One of the parents who was turned away at the Danie Malan Primary School in Pretoria North expressed his frustrations.

“I can tell you now that this got to a way that it escalated to racism the way they are so comfortable. And we were told that this is not your school. You must go build your own school. They gave us a bogus court order. We were not satisfied with the response because we were not even given an opportunity to speak to the principal directly.”

SABC News