Education Department still processing online applications

The Gauteng Department of Education calls for patience from parents who haven’t received SMS offers pertaining placement of Grade 1 and 8 learners.
This comes after the Department announced that it is still processing over 89 236 applications, which is the reason why other parents have not received placement offers.
“We would like to appeal to parents to allow the placement process to run its course and hereby assure parents that online applicants for Grade 1 and 8 that were received in April and May, will be placed by end of October 2018,” said MEC Lesufi.
MEC Lesufi also said that the Department’s Online Applications call centre has been inundated with calls, which has given parents a false impression that call ring unanswered.
“The reality is that call centre agents spend on average between 15 and 20 minutes on a call. Eighty percent of the calls received assist with resetting passwords, whilst twenty percent assist with pending district processing,” said MEC Lesufi.
The department has made 193 587 offers of placement to applicants and over 74 421 of the offers were accepted. However, 119 166 offers of placement must be accepted by 16 August 2018, as failure to accept these offers will result in applicants losing their space at the school.
In addition, MEC Lesufi said that parents who haven’t received any offers will receive them once the department checks all the de-activated offers which will create more spaces on the schools’ waiting lists for further placements to be offered.
There are over 322 schools that have been classified as high pressure schools and they have received 500 and more applications (Ekurhuleni 104, JHB 113, Tshwane 75 and Sedibeng West 30).
These schools include Alberton High Boksburg High, Sir John Adamson High, Mondeor High, Pretoria Boys High, Hoёrskool President, Parktown Boys, Parktown Girls, Sunward Park and Laerskool Theresa.
Moreover, MEC Lesufi said that the department is doing everything necessary to work with speed to ensure that all learners who applied during the application period, 16 April to 28 May 2018, for the 2019 learner intake, are placed on time.
Meanwhile, in latest developments, Gauteng parents have one day left to accept or decline school placement offers, the Department of Education said on Thursday.
This comes after the department extended the deadline by one day due to last week’s public holiday.
The department’s spokesperson Steve Mabona said that there remained 83 699 offers which parents had not accepted or rejected.
“If parents have not accepted or rejected their offers by Friday, August 17, the department may accept on their behalf, in accordance with the admission policy and criteria.
“It is important noting that, when an offer is accepted, all other remaining offers will automatically become inaccessible.”
Mabona further said: “Parents whose applications were not successful will be placed by district offices; moreover, the department will communicate with these parents in due course”.
He added that the date for late applications would be announced in due course.
Adding to this was Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi who said: “We want to take this time to thank parents who have accepted their offers of placement and encourage them to proceed to the school to finalise their application and make the necessary arrangements for 2019”.
Applicants who have lost or forgotten usernames and passwords, may contact the call centre on
0800 000 789, OR log on to
www.gdeadmissions.gov.za