Johannesburg - Over 1 000 Grade 8 and Grade 1 learners who completed their applications are yet to be placed in schools in Gauteng, the provincial Department of Education confirmed on Tuesday morning.
However, Education MEC Matome Chiloane has assured that these pupils would be placed in classes as soon as possible.
In a media briefing called by Chiloane on Tuesday, the department has so far placed 290 751 learners in schools with 1 394 yet to be placed as of Tuesday morning. He said this amounted to about 0.5% of all applicants that are yet to be placed.
In the Ekurhuleni North District, 236 Grade 1 applicants remain unplaced in Olifantsfontein. The school will receive three additional mobile units to increase the school capacity, Chiloane said.
He said that high pressure areas, including Kempton Park, have a shortage of place for pupils in schools, hence the delay in placing learners. He said that Gauteng was developing very quickly and so the high pressure areas were increasing.
A total of 501 Grade 8 learners remain unplaced in the Kempton Park area as of Tuesday morning.
Chiloane said the schools will confirm the available spaces for further placement once the already placed learners report to school on day 1.
The schools will be requested to use specialised rooms to accommodate learners.
In the Tshwane West District, 223 Grade 8 learners around the Akasia and Theresa Park areas remain unplaced.
The MEC cleared confusion around the electronic system for placement and said that the more than 8000 unplaced learners who have not completed their applications on the system will be placed in schools by the end of January.
The department has since procured 419 mobile classrooms and building 219 brick classrooms to address the pressure of unplaced applications across the province. The department is also expected to provide catch-up programmes for learners.
“We are aware that some parents have not yet had their children placed in schools but we want to ensure that their children will be in school. We are working around the clock to ensure that those children are placed,” Chiloane said.
He added that there were some “civic rogue elements” where some have gone to certain districts with the intention to disrupt the placement of pupils and opening of schools.
Chiloane said they have requested law enforcement agencies to assist in that regard.
“You are disrupting an opportunity for work to be done. We are appealing to them to leave us to do our work, don’t just disrupt because you want attention.
“Even now some political parties have entered the space, saying they are there to defend parents’ rights. If you disrupt other children and parents, then you are violating those very same rights that you say you are defending. Instead of coming to fight, why don’t you come to help us,” Chiloane said during the media briefing on Tuesday.
He said the department received 292 145 complete applications and are still dealing with a number of incomplete applications.