The Democratic Alliance in Gauteng has called on the provincial MEC for Education Panyaza Lesufi to open the 2023 online application process for Grade 1 and 8 earlier than planned this year.
This comes after the provincial department of education today announced that they will open the applications from 22 July until 19 August 2022.
DA spokesperson on education Khume Ramulifho said that delays in opening the online admission process for the 2023 academic year will result in many learners across the province missing months of schooling due to late placements.
“Based on previous experience, delays in opening the online admission process have had a negative impact on the future of children as they will be denied their right to access basic education,” he said.
Ramulifho said they were disappointed with the date which Lesufi announced for the application process to commence, adding that they had hopes the process would be opened earlier than the announced dates.
“The DA is disappointed to learn that the Gauteng Department of Education will only be opening the online admissions for Grade 1 and Grade 8 for the 2023 academic year on 22 July 2022 and, it will close on 19 August 2022,” he said.
“The performance and functionality testing of the admission online application system will only be done in June.”
The DA suggested that the online admission process must be open as early as April each year.
“This will ensure that school placement will be done timeously before the new academic year begins and parents can plan and budget to buy uniforms, arrange transport where needed and buy stationery,” Ramulifho said.
Meanwhile, Lesufi said that the troublesome ystem has now been enhanced to follow a single application process after years of technical glitches and challenges.
“After an analysis of various online parent surveys and stakeholder consultations, the system has now been enhanced to follow a single application process,” he said.
Lesufi added that applicants will be afforded the opportunity to make informed choices regarding languages offered when applying to a school.
“Language of learning and teaching, home languages and additional languages offered by each school will be visible on the system to applicants during the application period,” he said.
