Johannesburg - The Gauteng Department of Education has started issuing SMSes to parents who have not accepted placement offers for admission for their children in next year’s schooling year.
The department said many parents had not responded to their offers, and they stood the risk of losing their offers.
The deadline for the department to issue offers to parents is today, October 31.
Gauteng education spokesperson Steve Mabona said parents had to accept offers immediately or risk forfeiting them.
“Should the parents not accept the offer given, it leads to the system being clogged; consequently, restricting the system from releasing further offers of placement to parents still awaiting offers.
“Should parents not accept these offers of placement made to them, same will be forfeited and offered to other parents,” said Mabona.
Mabona said on Thursday that the department was sending SMSes to parents who had yet to respond to their officers. He would not say how many parents were yet to respond, but media reports on Thursday said there were as many ass 70 000 parents who were yet to accept offers from the department.
“Parents who have not yet received offers of placement are reminded that the process to send offers will end on Thursday, 31 October 2019. The department is working tirelessly to finalise the process of issuing offers to the remaining parents. We want to assure all parents that all learners will be placed accordingly,” said Mabona.
Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi said parents who did not have internet could utilise schools or district offices.
“We wish to reiterate that parents who have already received offers of placement must accept before it is forfeited.
“It is important to remember that the Admission Regulations criteria and capacity of each school will determine the number of applicants that receive placement offers and the number of learners ultimately admitted to a school,” he said.
Lesufi said the department had summoned district admission coordinators to a central location where they would resolve outstanding placements.
“We have urged our officials to diligently attend to each parent and not take them from pillar to post.” said Lesufi.