The e-platform for school applications in Gauteng will go live on Monday (20 May 2019) for applications for 2020. This follows after the platform had to be revised to address issues pointed out and brought to the attention of the Gauteng Education Department by the Federation of Governing Bodies of South African Schools (FEDSAS).
           
“FEDSAS met with the Department again yesterday (15 May 2019) and we are satisfied that the platform now provides parents with the necessary options as determined by the Constitution,” says Mr Paul Colditz, CEO of FEDSAS. Colditz says FEDSAS’ Manager: Education Technology, Mr Riaan van der Bergh, took part in a number of meetings and test-runs together with the Department.
           
“FEDSAS and the Gauteng Education Department really worked together as partners to see to it that parents can exercise their right to choose a school that is in the best interest of their children. This is how we will improve the quality of education in South Africa,” says Colditz.
           
Colditz says with the platform now providing parents with options when selecting a school, it is the responsibility of parents to make sure that they understand how to use the platform as well as to get the necessary information about aspects such as the language policy and subject options of the schools in which they are interested.
Colditz encourages parents to watch the video on the platform before starting with the application process. “It provides step-by-step instructions on using the platform to ensure that applications are done properly and dealt with as soon as possible.”

Initial problems with the platform included that not all schools in an applicant’s feeder zone were listed properly. Colditz says the Department has also made an appeals process available to applicants who wish to contest the result of an application.

“The number of learners and the available spaces, especially in schools that provide quality education, complicate the admissions process. It therefore remains FEDSAS’ main priority to ensure that more and more schools function properly. More good schools will ease the burden on the applications process.”