Pretoria - The Gauteng Department of Education is set to reopen the Online Admissions system for grades 1 and 8 for 57 000 learners who had not uploaded proof of residences by deadline last week.
Spokesperson Steve Mabona said the group of applicants with missing documents would be given a window to submit the documents between December 16 and 31. This would assist the department to place learners for the 2022 academic year.
This was as the department was working to finish placing the last 4 712 pupils to schools from 278 029 who had already submitted their proof of residence to enable the department to facilitate their placements.
The department received 335 091 Grade 1 and Grade 8 applications for the next academic year, and said they hoped the window of opportunity for applicants to submit missing documents before the end of the year would make things easier so that all who have not been placed are placed.
Mabona said the department has already placed 273 317 applicants.
He also said: “While every effort is being made to place all applicants, we have identified schools in areas of high pressure across the province for allocation of funds to build additional brick and mortar classrooms.
“The administrative process has been started to transfer a total of R240 million to build 229 classrooms in identified primary schools, and 270 classrooms in high schools within the next two weeks. All classrooms are turnkey, consisting of school furniture and related resources.
“In addition, a total of 132 mobile classrooms are being supplied to identified schools to augment classroom shortages and enhance space.”
He said the department strove to keep improving the online admissions process every year to lessen the pressure in January when some parents found themselves frustrated because their children had not been placed in schools for various reasons.
However, the department had already indicated that instances whereby parents were not accepting schools they were offered because they preferred some specific schools had caused some of the frustrations because every school had limited capacity.
This reason, and missing documents, was one of the reasons for some placements encountering delays. Subsequently, the department exhausted its communication platforms to encourage applicants to accept offers and submit missing documents.
Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi indicated that despite any and all challenges, when all was said and done every child will be placed in a school, even if it meant that the department would have to make provisions for extra classrooms.
Pretoria News