IT’S SCHOOL REGISTRATION FRENZY FOR NORTHERN CAPE

It is all systems go for this year’s learner registrations for 2019 academic year, according to the Northern Cape’s Department of Education. The admission application process officially takes off this Monday 7 May, ending on 31^st May 2018.

Departmental spokesperson Geoffrey van der Merwe says a new electronic system – Northern Cape Department of Education Electronic Admission System will be used to monitor the walk-in applications at all individual schools where parents are to enroll their kids.

“Each public school will publicise the date that the school will be open for registrations. Once the manual applications are done, the principal of each school and district based officials will then be able to track applications and do verifications by the click of a button. So we expect the process to be efficient,” asserted van der Merwe.

He also spelt out the criteria to be used in learners been granted preference. “Some of the key issues in eliminating complaints of the past, include considerations such as; if the learner has a sibling already attending that school, parent is an employee at that school, place of residence is within the same suburb as the school or adjacent, if places remain after all the earlier mentioned applicants have been offered places and followed by the order in which applications were received by the school.”

It appears the department has learned its lessons and has gone back to the drawing board hence it is making parents aware about the following:

Parents must insist on, and be provided with, a number indicating the sequence of their application;
- No school governing body or a school principal may authorize or administer any test, including an interview, related to admission of any learner;
- Schools may not use the academic performance, sport or cultural achievements, unpaid school fees, disciplinary record or process of interviewing of learners to determine admission to a school;
- The school principal will inform parents or guardians in writing by 20-24 August 2018 that the learner has been admitted to the school, or has not been admitted to the school; and that
- Where the learner has been accepted, parents/guardians must inform the school principal in writing within 7 days after receipt of the notification that they will accept/decline the grade place at the school.

Van der Merwe added that even though disputes or appeals are to be lodged with the MEC’s office, they would not guarantee placement at schools where applications were lodged.