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School online admission site to stay

Simnikiwe Mzekandaba
By Simnikiwe Mzekandaba, IT in government editor
Johannesburg, 20 Jan 2017
The GDE plans to continue with online applications for learners going to grades one or eight in the 2018 academic year.
The GDE plans to continue with online applications for learners going to grades one or eight in the 2018 academic year.

Despite public outcry, as well as thousands of grade one and eight learners left unplaced for the 2017 academic year, the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) will not do away with its online registration system.

Last April, the department introduced its online learner admissions Web site that required parents of leaners entering grades one and eight in 2017 to use the portal for school placement.

The GDE said the move to introduce the admissions site was to ease pressure during school registration time and modernise placements for learners going to grades one and eight.

On debut, the online admissions process was beset with issues ranging from the site crashing, parents experiencing technical glitches when trying to register their children and a high number of hacking attempts. The department also faced allegations that the idea for the site was stolen.

However, all the teething problems with the admissions site have done little to sway the department.

In a statement, the GDE says although it received numerous requests from parents to revert to the manual system, it will not return to the old system.

The statement reads: "While we understand the frustration caused by the delays in placement, the department is not prepared to revert to the manual system.

"It must be remembered that 80% of learners were placed by the end of August 2016."

The department further explains it opted for the online applications for grades one and eight for ease of planning and elimination of queues at schools by parents seeking to apply for their children.

"Despite the initial teething problems, the objectives set for the system have largely been met."

The department plans to continue with online applications in 2017 with respect to the 2018 academic year, for applications for grades one and eight, it says. "Important lessons were recorded with the 2016 experience and the system will be refined to incorporate these lessons."

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