A Mother from Mitchells Plain says she needs help after her daughter’s application for Grade R 2019 was first accepted but then summarily withdrawn.
Mom Chentricia Wagner, 32, says in February she applied at Mitchells Plain Primary, Parkhurst Primary and Ridgeville Primary schools for a spot.
In April, she and other parents went online at the Western Cape Education Department’s website to track their applications and she was happy to see that Mitchells Plain Primary had accepted her daughter.
She even took a picture of the screen to show her family.
PROOF: Application was indicated as successful. Photo: Supplied
But her joy was short-lived, because when she went online two weeks later, she found the application was deemed unsuccessful.
“I immediately contacted the school and asked what was going on. They told me they had accidentally loaded all applications as successful and my child was not one of the children accepted.
“I could not believe it. My child is excited to attend school. We have already told her she is going to Mitchells Plain Primary, but now because of an error made by the school, my daughter does not have a school,” Chentricia says.
The Daily Voice contacted principal Alan Frenchman, who referred queries to the WCED.
WCED spokesperson Bronagh Hammond says Chentricia can appeal to the SGB.
“The parent should also
contact their district office (in this case Metro South) for assistance in this regard. Should these routes be unsuccessful they have the right of appeal to the Minister of Education,”
said Hammond.
“The system was only implemented this year, so there may be some applications whereby errors have been made as schools get used to the system.
“However, it is the responsibility of the school to ensure they correct these errors and/or provide explanations to the parents concerned.”