On Thursday, April 10 all public schools across Gauteng opened their doors for the registration of pupils for the 2015 academic year.
Gauteng MEC for Education Barbara Creecy launched the Public School – Admissions Campaign at the Johannesburg Park Station, recently.
The launch involved the distribution of pamphlets encouraging parents to apply now, to avoid the last-minute rush in 2015.
“There is a high demand for space in Gauteng schools,” said Creecy.
“We have over 2 000 public ordinary schools that accommodate 1.9 million pupils.
“Apply early, so that we can we can accommodate you.
“For us it means we will be able to plan for the number of children who are coming into our system, for parents it means they will be able to get a school that is closer to their place of work or residence.”
The department processed over 20 000 late applications for the 2014 academic year, an increase from the 15 000 of the previous year.
Applying late reduces the chances of parents gaining admission to their first choice of school, where they meet the criteria.
This also means pupils will be placed in a school where there is space available, and this might not be close to where their parents work or reside.
Parents who wish to register their children for admission in a public school, in Gauteng, can go to their nearest school to pick up application forms for pupils who want to start Grade One or Grade Eight in this province in 2015.
These application forms should be returned to the school between April 15 and May 27.
“We once again urge parents to work with us to ensure all our schools are ready to operate from the first day of school in 2015,” said Creecy.
“This also provides the department with ample time to plan adequately, knowing the number of pupils coming to schools in 2015, and ensuring that the right amount of school infrastructure, pupil and teacher support material and furniture is allocated to schools.”
The advocacy campaign will involve the use of various communication platforms to deliver the department’s message of early registrations.
The platforms will include social media, public services announcements, print and electronic media, among others.
“The department remains committed to complying with its Constitutional obligation to place all those who need a place in a public school in Gauteng.
“We will, therefore, do everything in our power to ensure equal and fair access to education in Gauteng,” said Creecy.
Parents who will be applying for space in a school need to bring along a completed application form with the following documentation:
- birth certificate or certified copy (a baptismal certificate is not acceptable);
- at least one parent’s ID;
- proof of residence or work address;
- immunisation card (for Grade One);
- study permits for legal immigrants;
- asylum documents for refugees and asylum seekers;
- the child’s latest school report card.
“We also urge parents to follow through the whole registration process to its finality,” Creecy said.
When registering their children, parents must ensure that schools provide them with a waiting list number.
This number will indicate if the applicant is on waiting list A (for parents within a feeder area of a school) or waiting list B (parents outside of a feeder area of a school).
Pupils who are not in entry grades, that is Grades One and Eight, also need to re-enrol.
