By Lungile Ntimba
The Democratic Alliance in Gauteng has urged all parents whose children are still without school placement for the 2025 academic year, to utilise the walk-in centtes established by the Basic Education Department.
The department has extended online placement deadlines for Grades 1 and 8 learners to the end of January.
DA MPL Sergio Isa Dos Santos criticised the department’s decision, saying it underscored the chronic issues plaguing the province’s education system.
He highlighted the urgent need for more schools due to the high demand for school placements.
“The GDE’s reliance on mobile classrooms is a clear example of a failure to effectively plan for future growth and demand,” Dos Santos said in a statement on Thursday.
“The GDE and the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure must ensure that delayed school projects are completed urgently.”
In response to the challenges faced at the beginning of each academic year, the DA has urged the department to open the online application process earlier in the year.
This would give enough time for processing applications, thereby avoiding the chaos and delays.
Furthermore, Dos Santos emphasised the importance of prioritising the enhancement of the department’s communication process and admissions system.
“This can be achieved by ensuring that walk-in centres remain open and by deploying teams to visit local shopping malls, where parents can receive assistance with their application submissions,” he added.
He believes that this approach would help bridge the digital divide and ensure that all families have equal access to the admissions process.
The department announced in December that it would address the challenge of overcrowding in high-pressure areas by installing 625 mobile units to create satellite schools in regions such as Lawley, Tembisa and Eastvale.
Once placements are completed, outstanding learners will be placed in the satellite schools.
INSIDE EDUCATION
