SEDIBENG. – The National Association of School Governing Bodies (NASGB) Sedibeng region has decried the delays to the delivery of stationery by the appointed suppliers.

NASGB Regional Secretary, Thabiso Radebe, said that most section 20 public schools whose budget is controlled by the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) do not have stationery.

“Now school’s like Tshepong Secondary School don’t have stationery, last week parents came at Rus-ter-Vaal secondary school official handover ceremony to report this problem. The association being on the ground, we immediately requested the Sedibeng East district director, Mr Metsing for his intervention to get the matter resolved soon.”

Radebe said that the other issue of public interest is the learners that are currently not placed at any school despite parents having done the online registration last year when it opened.

“From the department database it shows that Sedibeng East district by last week had 70 learners waiting to placed.  We are calling to the Sedibeng West district office to be transparent to disclose the number of the learners currently on their waiting list. We can confirm that we have received individual parents from the Sedibeng West district saying that schools are sending them to the district office for their pending children’s placement.”

Radebe ended by saying that Premier Panyaza Lesufi has given out instructions that schools that were declared full must extend admission with 10%.

“This principle also applies here both district offices (West and East) must implement the premier and MEC instructions.”

Meanwhile, Gauteng MEC for Education, Matome Chiloane, has dismissed claims and statements that the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) prioritises foreign nationals when placing children at the expense of South African learners in public schools.

“We wish to reiterate that, the department does not have a directive that instructs schools or officials to prioritise foreign nationals during learner placements. On the contrary, South African learners are prioritised in line with applicable legislation, as well as the Department’s admissions and placement processes”, said MEC Chiloane.

Furthermore, Chiloane said. inner grade applications (Grade 2-7 and Grade 9-11) are managed directly at school level. They are not facilitated online, as with GDE Online Admissions system for Grade 1 and Grade 8.

“Some Gauteng schools are currently facing challenges in accommodating inner grade applicants, and as such we urge schools work collaboratively with district offices to manage the placements of these grades. This approach will ensure that learners are placed efficiently. “No school is permitted to prioritise foreign national learners ahead of South African learners. Any school or official found to be contravening admissions policies will be subjected to consequence management. We will not tolerate any claims that suggest foreign nationals are prioritised at the expense of South African nationals,” said MEC Chiloane.

The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) last week said that it continues to make steady progress in the 2026 Online Admissions placement process for Grade 1 and Grade 8.

“Currently, only 2 763 Grade 1 and Grade 8 learners remain unplaced across the province, translating to” :

• 735 Grade 1 learners
• 2 028 Grade 8 learners

“The Department wishes to reassure parents that all learners who qualify for placement will be accommodated in public schools. The only limitation that currently poses a challenge is the lack of capacity in schools, particularly in high-pressure areas within Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg. This means that not all learners can be placed at their preferred schools immediately. Despite this, the Department is working diligently to identify available spaces and ensure that every learner is placed as fairly and efficiently as possible.”