The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has announced that all learners have been placed at schools around the province. This comes after hundreds of learners who required admission remained unplaced when the 2023 school year commenced.
On Wednesday, 11 January 2023 thousands of learners in Gauteng started their first day of school. However, many learners were left at home without knowing which school they will be attending during the 2023 school year.
The GDE received 332,477 unique admission applications for the 2023 school year on their online admission system. However, when school got underway, more than 1,300 learners were still unplaced.
At the time, Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane revealed that the GDE were working to find solutions to place all remaining learners.
The GDE has since declared that all learners who applied during the 2023 Online Admissions application period have been placed.
The provincial education department revealed that 176 Grade 8 learners in Tshwane West District are awaiting their placement at a new satellite school in Pretoria North.
They indicated that these 176 Grade 8 learners are a remnant from the initial 223 unplaced learners in the district. However, 47 learners were placed and are currently attending class on a rotational basis.
The GDE said, “Learners will be placed at a new satellite school registered as North Park Secondary School. These learners will start attending class from Monday, 6 February 223”.
In Ekurhuleni North District, Olifantsfontein Primary School received an additional 11 mobile classrooms. These mobile classrooms will accommodate 232 unplaced Grade 1 learners from the district.
In Johannesburg West District, 396 learners were placed in a new satellite school registered as Robinhood College in Maritzburg where teaching is set to commence on Wednesday, 1 February 2023. Remaining learners were accommodated at schools around the district.
However, not all of the placement efforts made by the department were welcomed by parents. More than 390 learners were placed at a satellite school registered as New Kempton Park Secondary School.
Parents then raised safety concerns about the vicinity of this satellite school and are consequently refusing placement. The GDE are appealing with parents to accept the placement.
