Johannesburg - Scores of frustrated parents of Grade 8–11 learners have slammed the Gauteng Department of Education for failing to place their children more than three weeks after the start of the school calendar in the province.
On Tuesday, parents and learners complained of their plight at the Florida district Department of Education offices after weeks of being sent from pillar to post by officials at the department.
Some complained of principals who had turned their children away, while others, after changing provinces, were still harbouring unplaced learners at home while the school calendar was in full swing.
“My child was turned away after the principal realised that we wanted to change schools. The principal told my child to go elsewhere after she found out that we were trying to find an alternative school for my child. Now my child is sitting at home and without school while the department tries to sort the issue out,” one parent told The Star.
“This is a mess. We have been told to enter our names into a list, but we do not know if it will be prioritised so that our children are placed at schools. Whenever we try to get answers from the officials, we are told to come back tomorrow, but nothing changes,” Nelisiwe Maseko, a parent from Roodepoort, said.
Another parent, Teboho Mohale, who has decided to remove his child from Slovoville Primary School due to water problems at the school, said he has been at the department more than once trying to find a replacement school for his child.
“At Slovoville Primary School, there are always issues whenever it rains because water from the mine dump nearby affects schooling for long periods of time. I have been to Hector Peterson Primary School in Dobsonville and was told to direct my enquiries to the department offices as the main reason I am here is because my child’s learning is affected by the water crisis at the school,” he said.
Clement Rambau, another parent, said: “As you can see, it’s a mess. We came here very early, and I was here even yesterday, but by the look of things, these people do not know what they are doing. We've suggested to them that they separate the grades and allocate spaces according to the grades. We are told to write down our names and are sent back and forth. My child is missing school and he is in Grade 11. This is very frustrating for us.”
Spokesperson for the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE), Steve Mabona, said the department is working overtime to ensure that the more than 176 in Tshwane, 501 in Kempton Park, and more than 400 in the West Rand district are placed as soon as possible.
“In our Johannesburg West District, of the initial 434 Grade 8 applicants that were unplaced in Roodepoort, 38 learners were accommodated at schools where capacity has been increased. The remaining 396 learners were accommodated at a satellite school registered as Robinhood College in Maraisburg. Teaching at the school is expected to commence on Wednesday, February 1,” Mabona said.
The Star