Thobeka Mthembu
Parents, eager to get their children into one of Durban’s top performing township schools camped outside the Velabahleke High School in uMlazi in the hopes that they could obtain one of the 300 spaces available for the Grade 8 class of 2025.
Despite the school advising against camping outside its premises - due to safety reasons - parents took their chances of formed a snaking queue outside the school gates on Wednesday night.
Applications for admissions opened on Thursday morning.
Velabahleke High School, with its excellent facilities which include a state- of-the-art science centre and vibrant learner life, is one of Durban’s top performing high schools.
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It has achieved a 100 per cent pass rate for last two consecutive years and in 2023 was able improve the quality of its matric pass rate by obtaining 213 bachelor passes.
It is therefore a much sought after school for parents in uMlazi.
In a Facebook post to parents, the school said that they had 300 admission spaces available of which 150 would be on a first come first serve basis and the remainder will be chosen on merit.
However, many parents expressed concern over the fairness of process and called on the school to consider implementing an online application system.
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Responding to the parents concerns, the school said on their Facebook page that they could not afford to have an online application process.
“It’s even more unfortunate since some parents do not contribute towards the agreed upon donation, and yet the school has expenses (teachers to pay, electricity bills, furniture to purchase, textbooks costs etc.) to pay during the course of the academic year,” the school said.
“We do appeal to sponsors as well to help fund such systems so to enable us have a system of such nature”.
IOL has reached out to the school for comment but had not received a response at the time of publishing.
IOL News