Online applications: System shuts down at midnight on June 12

ELEVEN Gauteng schools have received so many online applications for grades one and eight that they are battling to cope.

According to the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE), these schools have recorded between 1 000 and 1 500 applications for a single grade.

The schools are Benoni High, Boksburg High, Alberton High, Pretoria High School for Girls, Laerskool Akasia, Hoërskool Akasia, Hoërskool Gerrit Maritz, Mondeor High, Sir John Adamson High, Hoërskool President and Northcliff High.

In a statement issued by the GDE on Tuesday, May 30, 229 828 applications have been processed since the start of the online application process on May 2.

This translates into 125 547 applications for grade one and 104 281 for grade eight.

Most of these are self-applications by parents who utilised the online system. About 45 000 parents utilised the 81 walk-in admission centres for help to apply online.

The GDE once again calls on parents to apply online for grades one and eight, as the deadline of June 12 is fast approaching.

“We would like to remind parents/guardians who have not yet applied that the system will be shut down at midnight on Monday, June 12. Further, parents that have applied are reminded to submit the required documents to schools urgently,” the department urged.

There are 391 schools with less than 100 applications, 249 schools with less than 50 applications, 204 schools with less than 25 applications and 58 schools with less than 10 applications.

Last year, many parents in townships waited for the late application period or flooded GDE offices in January to apply for their children. The department appeals to parents not to delay and try by all means to apply before the deadline.

Parents can for now continue to apply online by logging onto www.gdeadmissions.gov.za.

The placement process will start on July 24. Placement will be conducted on a first-come-first-served basis, depending on availability. Schools will start placing parents on waiting list A and then parents on waiting list B, subject to availability of space. Being on waiting list A is, however, not a guarantee that a learner will be placed.

During the placement period, principals will receive the approved and signed waiting lists from district directors to process offers of placements. Schools will send offers of placement to parents from July 24 to August 10.

Parents are to confirm offers of placement within seven working days of receiving the offer. Parents not confirming acceptance and/or rejecting offers will forfeit the offer to the next parent. Districts will finalise placement of learners not placed in schools from August 11 to September 20.

Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi says: “Unfortunately, parents/guardians who will be seeking placements of learners at our schools in January 2018, will have to settle for any offer available from the department without an opportunity to choose a school.”