The DBE has already commenced with plans for the 2022 admission process to accelerate learner placement amid COVID-19. According to Mr James Ndlebe, Director for Education Management and Governance Development, several Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) have increased their efforts to ensure the effective placement of learners ahead of the 2022 academic calendar. This has been achieved despite the late opening of the registration; admission process, as well as the extension of the closing dates due to the COVID-19 resurgence.

During the briefing session with the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education, Mr Ndlebe applauded provinces for having done a sterling job, under difficult conditions, as far as learner placement is concerned. “The only province which has experienced a slight delay in terms of learner placement in 2021 was the Western Cape Province, but it has since managed to get all of its outstanding learners placed in schools, from approximately 5,000 unplaced learners in March 2021.

Mr Ndlebe attributed to the delay in the placement of learners across all provinces to the following factors:

• Registration opened only in August 2020 instead of April due to the lockdown;
• The reopening of schools was delayed to 15 February 2021;
• Many learners attended public schools due to their parents’ inability to pay school fees in independent schools owing to economic challenges due to COVID-19;
• Many children were forced to relocate as they lost parents and guardians to COVID-19;
• There was a record number of new learners in popular provinces. Gauteng registered an additional 103,153 new learners in the province whilst the Western Cape registered 29,955 new learners; and
• Late applications in general.

Mr Ndlebe advises parents to start applying for 2022 early as it is the responsibility of every parent and guardian to ensure that their children are registered for the following year long before the end of the current academic year to avoid unnecessary delays and disappointments.  He said that the early registration of learners assists the Department to plan for the provision of teachers, learner teacher support materials, furniture; additional classrooms; and to ensure that teaching and learning commence on the first day of the school calendar. Parents are therefore urged to use the following provincial contact list for any matter relating to learner registration:

https://www.education.gov.za/Informationfor/ParentsandGuardians/SchoolAdmissions.aspx