Gauteng parents plead for assistance amid school placement crisis

 

Frustrated parents in Gauteng claim they are being asked to pay money before their children can be placed in schools.

Scores of desperate parents gathered at Barnato Park High School in Johannesburg’s CBD, demanding urgent assistance with enrolment, despite the school saying it has already reached full capacity.

The parents have accused the school of what they describe as unfair and illegal practices, claiming they are being denied even a grace period to raise required fees.

One parent, Nokuthula Shezi, says she was asked to pay thousands of rand to secure a place for her child.

“I stay with a child and he is not attending school now. I am always looking for space for him but I am constantly told that they are packed. Now when I come here asking for space they tell me they want R2100. I don’t have it. I am unemployed. I don’t know what to do,” Shezi pleaded.

She says she is desperate for help and is appealing to the department to assist with her child’s enrolment.

Another parent, Thembi Msimango, says she has now been forced to appeal for financial assistance.

Some parents have also accused schools of prioritising foreign nationals over South African children.

A Yeoville father, Musa Mtjali, says he now pays hundreds of rand daily to transport his children to school in Thembisa.

“I am also struggling to find space for my children here in Yeoville. The schools are packed with foreign nationals but they are public schools. When we ask for space they demand money. How is that possible when it’s a government school? I got a school last year for my children in Thembisa. The Transport is costly. I have to give them R300 everyday,” Mtjali said.

Other parents and educators criticised the Gauteng Education Department’s online admission system, calling it dysfunctional.

The Department now faces the challenge of placing more than 735 Grade 1 learners and 2,028 Grade 8 learners, as admissions have been paused for the next 10 days while the department negotiates additional space at public schools.

Education activist, Hendrick Makeneta, is urging fee-paying public schools to adopt more considerate financial regulations for struggling families.

The Gauteng Department of Basic Education has rejected the claims that it is prioritising foreign nationals.

The department’s spokesperson, Steve Mabona, also declined to comment on the parents’ concerns over exorbitant fees.

“Parents need to interact with their district for alternative placement” Mabona said.

Meanwhile, Soil of Africa civic movement has condemned the department, calling the learner placement system dysfunctional and a violation of children’s constitutional right to education.

It claims education officials concede that the current learner placement system is inefficient and is instead exacerbating a crisis.

Soil of Africa leader Bongani Ramontja says poor planning has left parents stranded adding that children should not be denied education merely due to what he terms ‘a dysfunctional system’.

“The school is already full yet it carries a long waiting list which it simply cannot accommodate. This is honestly a failure of the Department of Education to plan and intervene. Parents are sent from one school to another with no guidance, alternative, or support. Schools are being blamed for a crisis they did not create while the department remains absent on the ground,” says Ramontja.

The organisation has called on the Gauteng Education Department to urgently take accountability and ensure all learners are placed.

Written by: Odirile Rabalao