Cape Town - While thousands of pupils celebrate the end of the school term today, Chad Januarie, 6, is still waiting to start Grade 1.
On March 11, the Cape Argus reported that Chad’s mother, Esstralita, had been desperately trying for several months to get him enrolled in primary schools in Macassar, but to no avail.
She said she feared he would fall behind his peers.
Her employer also contacted the Western Cape Education Department for help.
At the time the department said Chad was 29th on a waiting list of 69 children at Macassar Primary and that, according to the school, his parents had applied late (in November) last year.
Spokesman Paddy Attwell said schools in the area and the district office were working together to place pupils and that the district was ordering two mobile classrooms to meet the demand for more places in the area.
On Tuesday, Januarie said there had been no progress with Chad’s case and he was still not attending classes.
“I’m just so disappointed.”
She said enrolments for next year had already started and she didn’t know whether to enrol him in Grade 1 for 2016 or to wait for the department to place him in a school this year.
“If I wait too long I’m afraid he won’t have a place for next year.”
Education department spokeswoman Millicent Merton said Chad was one of 37 Grade 1 pupils in Macassar who would be accommodated at a local school as soon as a mobile classroom became available.
“… Our district office tried to secure alternative spaces (such as church halls or community facilities) to temporarily place and teach learners in the area. However, these efforts were unsuccessful.”
The department would continue to search for solutions to the accommodation challenge in the Helderberg/Macassar area.
“Catch-up programmes will be implemented for Chad and other unplaced learners.”
Cape Argus