Enrolment: Parents' experience

GEORGE NEWS - A number of parents who wrote to Group Editors expressed dismay at the struggle they are having to get their child in their preferred school.

Parent wishes to remain anonymous: "It's been an absolute nightmare of an ordeal and still no success in getting my son into any of the preferred schools we have chosen. We have been turned away at the gates of the school, and been told that we cannot make appointments with the school. We have appealed the school's decision to reject my son's application, but have been advised that the appeals will only be looked at if there is ever a cancellation. I still don't have a school for my son to go to next year for Grade 1. I believe we have sufficient grounds to have my son enrolled at this school as it is situated less than 1 km away from my house. We don't get any feedback on why our applications were rejected and were told we won't be seen or heard until further notice. This is extremely stressful. Nothing has been done to resolve this. We cannot prepare for any school uniforms or other items for school, because I have no school for my son to go to."

SJ Fourie: "Last year, we applied late for my sister's twins who had to be in Grade 1, and they could not get placed. This year, I applied again to every possible school, but we are still unsure if they have been enrolled somewhere. I phoned each school and they all say they are full. I have also contacted the local office of the Education Department where an official told me to hang on and be patient, he will try to find space for them, but I have not had feedback. This is nerve-racking and totally unacceptable."

Eugene Gunn: "I applied at Outeniqua High by completing a form that I collected at the school, but I was told that I had to apply online as well. That was a huge struggle and only after four or five attempts, did I manage to submit an application, however, the dropdown menu where you can choose alternative schools, did not work and I could not select any other options. According to a progress report that I received from the system at that stage, the school (Outeniqua) was already over-subscribed."

Parent wishes to remain anonymous: "Every child deserves to be treated fairly and according to merit by the Department of Education as per the standards and rules set by the department and not based on personal relationships that may or may not exist between persons involved in private and public schools. Parents want to take their children out of their current crèche and put them in the associated crèche, because they are promised to be enrolled at a certain school," says the mother of a five-year-old boy who is in Grade RR this year.

Sulette van Wyk says she applied to three schools for each of her two children, a five-year-old who has to go to Grade R and a 13-year-old that must go to Grade 8. They were not accepted at any of the schools. "I've contacted how many schools and everyone's story was exactly the same ... 'Sorry, but there are too many children who have to get placement and too few schools'. I appealed to the schools, but all response I have received back was a thank you for the email. I've phoned the Education Department here in George several times, but they could also not tell me what to do. It is a sad state of affairs. I was forced to enrol my children in private schools. Then, after a lot of struggles and to and fro, my five-year-old eventually got placement in a main stream school. My sympathy to each parent in George who cannot even get a place in our own schools."

Gaysley Frans says her Grade 7 son is a good rugby player and they hoped that he would be accepted at a certain high school, but they also applied to two other schools outside George. "I applied within the required time frame, but our application was unsuccessful. I submitted an appeal on 31 May, following which I was told that my son has been placed on a waiting list. I hope we get certainty soon, because he was also not placed at the two other schools, so he still has not been placed."

Jacqueline Boshoff: "I have applied to two schools for my child for Grade 4 for 2024. Both are situated two blocks from our address. The one school is already overfull and at the other we were placed on a waiting list. We hope that someone will move and a space will open up for us. Our only other option is a private school which, at R6 000 per month plus extras, is way above our budget. I have explored all options. There seems to be not enough schools to accommodate all the children in George."

Katrina Mostert says they can't find space for her fiancé's daughter, a Grade 9 learner from Melkbos Strand High School. "We've been to all the schools – even to the department, and nobody wants to help."

Nancy Visser says her son who is in Grade 8 next year still does not have placement. He is a learner of Parkdene Primary. "I applied to Eden Technical School and Outeniqua High during the application period, but he was not accepted at either school as they were overfull. I am at my wit's end. There has been no response to my emails to the department."

Aden Baartman: "My daughter is going to Grade R next year, but I cannot find her a place in school and worries are beginning to grow. She is on a waiting list at one school, but the chances of her getting a place there are small."

Clivia: "I applied for my daughter at three schools. She has to enrol for Grade 1 next year. One school placed her on a waiting list and the other two applications were unsuccessful. I have been told to write a motivational letter to all three schools and take it to them personally."

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