Parents have applied for their children to be admitted in Grade 1 and 8 but they've been frustrated with the lack of feedback. The MEC for Education in Gauteng, Panyaza Lesufi that "Happy" SMSes will be released from Monday and parents will know which school their children will be admitted to. The SMS notifications for the 2023 online admissions placement period for the two grades  starts today and ends on November 30. The SMSes will be sent to the contact numbers provided by parents when applying for schools.

NOT MEANT TO FRUSTRATE PARENTS

Lesufi addressed the media yesterday at Hoerskool MenloPark in Pretoria  regarding the placement process for  pupils for the coming year. "The online registration process is not meant to frustrate parents and guardians, or cause them anxiety," he said. Lesufi said the process is meant to be accessible to all and not bring them worry. This follows complaints from parents who struggled to use the system claiming that they are not tech savvy and the steps were frustrating. The system was launched six years ago promising to make the admission of grade ones and eight easier and quicker. However technical glitches have caused anxiety for parents and admin staff.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       "I think many people feel that we have taken this route to frustrate them, but with online registrations, you can queue at five schools at the same time. Your forms will be accounted for, your application will be accounted for and we can be in a position to trace each and every application," said Lesufi.

ADDITIONAL CLASSES

He said they'll be releasing the SMSs which which are likely to put parents at ease. "A happy SMS means as a parent you are going to get an SMS that says amongst the 764 000 people that have applied for spaces in our schools, your child was fortunate to be placed," he said. Some schools were said to have been under pressure but Lesufi said the department will address classroom shortages and enhance space by providing schools with mobile units and transferring funds to schools for self-build classroom projects to accommodate more pupils. The process will make about 599 additional classrooms available for primary schools and 698 for secondary schools.