No learner should be denied access to a school for any reason other than a lack of space – ministry
The Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture in late August reiterated that no learner should be denied access to a school for any reason other than a lack of space or that the field of study “is not offered at the school.”
Sanet Steenkamp, the Ministry’s Executive Director in a statement emphasized that some schools subject learners to entry tests, either written or oral, to select the best learners, noting that such practices are discriminatory in that they deny some learners access to schools of their choice.
She noted that regions began regional admission campaigns in May and that between May and July, parents/guardians should have obtained an application form from the school, “which should have been completed in conformity with the guidelines provided.”
Schools must inform parents about application outcomes by August, and parents whose children do not find a school should contact the regional office of the Directorate of Education, Arts and Culture, Steenkamp said.
Meanwhile, regional admission committees, according to her, are required to identify feeder schools to make projections for the placement of learners while also taking into consideration potential unsuccessful learners.
“Learners that are already attending a school where the next grade exists will automatically have a place in the next grade, except in cases where parents move from one region to another. In such cases, applications should be supported by a letter of transfer from parents/guardians or employer. The principal of the new school where such a child is being transferred should request the cumulative record card of the newly enrolled learner from the previous school,” according to a recent media statement issued by the ED.
Steenkamp stressed that, according to Circular Form. Ed. 8 of 2010, which guides school principals, “at least 20% of the learners to be admitted should be learners who did not perform well.”
The ministry annually releases a circular on the admission of learners in state schools to guide regional directors, Inspectors of Education, school principals, and parents to plan and administer the admission process.
