Glitches with school placement system attest to GDE’s incompetence once again – AfriForum
AfriForum has been informed that the problems experienced with Gauteng’s online school placement platform were fixed this morning. Many parents had been panicking because they had not received any notifications about the placement of their children in Grades 1 and 8 or had approved provisional placements which were then suddenly converted to final placements against their will.
According to Alana Bailey, AfriForum’s Head of Cultural Affairs, there have been problems with the system every year since its inception. This results in a huge administrative burden for all involved and creates immense stress for parents and children.
“Direct registration with schools was a much simpler system and parents who enrolled their children in that manner completed the process with peace of mind. Now it is an annual process full of uncertainties, even with children who remain unplaced until late in the following school year,” she states.
The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) is currently under constant fire for maladministration – including the cutting of departmental posts at schools, dramatic reductions in quintile 5 schools’ subsidies, inability to spend budgets and problems with infrastructure and safety at schools. In view of all this evidence of the GDE’s maladministration, AfriForum believes that it is time to reconsider the desirability of the online placement system.
Anyone who is aware of ongoing system problems is welcome to contact AfriForum about it at onderwys@afriforum.co.za.
