As schools across Gauteng reopened on January 14, marking the start of the first term, many families celebrated new beginnings – particularly Grade 1 learners stepping into formal education for the first time.

Yet, for thousands of parents, province-wide, the joy was tempered by ongoing uncertainty over school placements.

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According to the Gauteng education department, nearly 3 000 learners in the province are not yet placed, with Johannesburg East accounting for about 1 000 unplaced learners.

The frustrations over school placement had most Alex parents queuing outside some local schools since the week began, hoping to secure spaces amid limited capacity.

Recognising these challenges, Alexandra’s Parliamentary Constituency Office (PCO) has once again intervened, as it does annually, to bring support directly to the parents of grades 1 and 8 learners who missed the first day of school.

On Wednesday, anxious parents streamed into Alexandra’s Multipurpose Centre on 8th Avenue, seeking assistance. While the PCO team worked tirelessly to support them, field worker Thandiwe Mthombeni, who oversees the Alexandra office, was clear about the limits of their role. “What we do is that we call the department of education officials to come to the office to assist the people of Alexandra who are experiencing these problems.”

She explained that many parents previously had to travel to the Morningside district offices to get the help they need, and that, for many without reliable transport or funds, was a costly and inconvenient trip. So, the decentralised approach addresses that issue, ensuring that critical services are brought to the people.

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Mthombeni said parents have a two-week window ending on January 24, to seek assistance at the centre. After this period, they must approach the district office directly.

While some parents trickle into the PCO offices for localised support, others who are desperate for immediate solutions, have been rising before dawn since Tuesday to stand outside several schools in the township, hoping to secure any available spaces for their unplaced children.

However, Mthombeni said queuing outside the school premises rarely leads to placements and often escalates tensions. She noted that direct school approaches frequently result in heightened frustrations, and occasional police intervention. “They don’t even have to go schools because they are not going to get helped. They just need to come here and we will assist them. We are working together with them to make life easy and ensure that this is not too much for them.”

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