The Gauteng Department of Education has invited parents to apply for admission for Grade 1 and Grade 8 pupils in 2017.
The application for admission opened on 11 April, but online only. According to the department, this is done partly to prevent corruption.
Since the online applications opened, it has had serious glitches. The first few days were a nightmare: Parents couldn’t log on to the website and apply. After a few days, the system was available and working. And then it went off again a few days later, but now it seems to be working, so so.
Out of desperation and panic, some parents went to the schools of their choice to apply directly but were turned away. In earnest, there was nothing the schools could do to help those parents, some of whom have taken leave to apply for their kids.
Despite the challenges confronting the introduction of the online application, most people have hailed the online application as progressive and innovative. Some even went as far as saying the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) MEC Panyaza Lesufi is the “future”.
The GDE is not the first province to implement the e-application. The Western Cape Education Department applies both the online and paper based systems. So there is nothing new about the GDE’s online application.
The pertinent question is: why didn’t the Gauteng Department of Education make an effort to learn from those who are already implementing the system? And why did it insist on going full-scale instead of implementing the system in phases?
My problem with the GDE’s approach is that it doesn’t give parents a choice. Instead, it forces them to apply online. Whilst the move is progressive and the way to go, forcing parents to apply online only smacks of arrogance.
Gauteng is composed of both urban and rural areas. It is public knowledge that the rural areas have a problem with accessing the internet. Even some parts in the urban areas face the same challenge. So for those who have a problem with the internet, the GDE’s move is not great news.
The GDE should consider implementing both the online and paper-based system, just like the Western Cape Department of Education. This will help alleviate the problems confronting the new system in Gauteng.
