WCED implements learner placement plan for 2018

Officials of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) are working closely with schools to accommodate thousands of learners still looking for places in schools in the province.

At this stage, parents will not be guaranteed their first school of choice if their children have not yet been placed. Parents should accept places they have been offered,, or apply to schools that the district advises them to apply to. The majority of our schools have indicated that they are full. We can therefore only refer parents to schools where there is availability - these are only in certain areas and certain grades.

Our officials worked tirelessly with schools during the third and fourth terms last year to place as many learners as possible for 2018 and have reduced the number of learners looking for places by December 2017 from 19 910 to 11 249 by Monday, 8 January.

We are especially struggling to accommodate learners in Grades 1 and 8. While we have placed 99% of the learners needing place in our schools in this past year (about 1.1 million), 11 249 still need placement - 68% of these learners (7 668) need places in Grades 1 and 8.

Therefore the challenge now is to place the remaining one percent - focusing on Grade 1 and 8.

More than 130 000 learners have moved to the Western Cape from other provinces over the past five years, mainly from the Eastern Cape, placing the education system in the Western Cape under considerable pressure. The challenge arises when people move to the province without planning in advance or without enrolling their children at a school. It therefore makes it impossible for the WCED to foresee and plan accordingly.

These challenges are made even greater by the concentrated areas into which learners move at short notice.

In 2018, the WCED implemented a placement plan to accommodate continued growth in 2018.

Parents had to apply for places in 2018 by 24 March last year. Schools had to inform parents of the outcome in writing of their applications by 3 June 2017. Parents had to confirm acceptance by the end of the second term, by Friday, 30 June 2017.

Officials and schools planned ahead during the third and fourth terms for 2018, based on known and projected learner numbers.

They have also collaborated to place learners who still needed places. The department is only offering places where places are available and cannot guarantee places at schools of choice.

Each district has officials who are working full time to help parents to place their children as we expect further late arrivals in January and February

To accommodate growth the WCED ordered additional mobile classrooms last year following the approval of the provincial adjustment budget.

Contractors are currently installing mobile classrooms to accommodate growth in rapidly growing communities, and we have some in reserve to allow for flexibility as the department responds to changing demand.

Most of the new mobile classrooms are already in place while others will be ready for occupation during February and March. It takes about six weeks to install mobile classrooms.

District officials will work with schools to inform parents of alternative arrangements while contractors complete the remaining installations.

The WCED will redeploy teachers in excess of requirements at certain schools to schools seeing rapid growth, where possible, depending on the teachers' qualifications.

We do encourage parents who plan to move to the Western Cape not to deregister their child/ children from their current schools before securing a place at a school in the Western Cape.

We urge parents who have arrived in the Western Cape this year to please report to their nearest district office on Monday to register their learners details so that we can place them as quickly as possible.

A list of District Offices and their contact details can be found on the WCED website - https://wcedonline.westerncape.gov.za/branchIDC/Districts/Districts.html

Please also see a list of officials in each district that are responsible for managing admissions.