146 kids still not in school
Eindhoven Secondary School. File photo
Education MEC Debbie Schäfer confirmed that there are still 146 learners who have not yet been placed.
These learners haven’t been attending school since the beginning of the year, one of whom is Surayna Baker’s son, Ezra, 13.
Two weeks ago, more than 3000 learners were still unplaced.
The 28-year-old mom from Delft South says: “My son has attended Eindhoven primary since Grade 1. He passed Grade 7 and was supposed to get a place at Eindhoven secondary.
“I had many difficulties with the online registering system and sought assistance, but the deadline caught me,” says a frustrated Baker.
She is adamant her son is not lazy and that she has done everything to get him in a school.
“Ezra loves going to school. He often asks me if I’ve heard anything from a school and each time I have disappointing news.
“It saddens me because I've literally tried all schools in Delft.”
Schäfer says they are aware that learners have missed a full term's work, and says that lesson packs for the first term will be made available to these learners.
Baker says she also went to the department and filled in an ‘unplaced learner information’ form and was told she will be contacted within seven days, which never happened.
Last month she called again only to be told the same thing.
Schäfer says if the trend of in-migration to the Western Cape continues without additional funding from the national government, the problem of unplaced learners “will become insurmountable”.