By Selloane Ntshonyane
- Radical Movement Change helped parents who struggled with computers, uploading documents and checking whether their children’s online school applications had gone through.
- Gauteng received 805,688 applications for 346,877 children, with placements starting on 15 October and the department promising every learner a place.
For many Gauteng parents, applying for a school place for their child has become a stressful online battle.
Now that applications for the 2027 school year have closed, another anxious wait has started.
Parents want to know whether their applications went through and, most importantly, where their children will be placed.
The online application period closed on 4 September.
Before the deadline, some parents struggled to use the online system.
Sphamandla Zulu, founder of Radical Movement Change, stepped in to help after seeing how many parents were having problems.
The organisation worked with Soshanguve Mall to help parents complete their applications.
“Through RMC and our partnership with Soshanguve Mall, we played a hands-on role in making that process accessible to parents who needed extra support, especially elderly and first-time users and we’re still available to assist these parents,” Zulu said.
He said some parents did not have access to computers, while others struggled to upload the required documents or understand how the application system worked.
Zulu said elderly and underprivileged parents were among those who struggled the most with using the technology.
Even having a smartphone did not always solve the problem.
Some parents had smartphones but still struggled to upload documents or check whether their applications had been successfully submitted.
“The biggest worry for parents is, ‘Did my application actually go through, and where is my child going to be placed?’” Zulu said.
The Gauteng Department of Education has promised that every learner will be placed.
The department received a massive 805,688 applications from families applying for 346,877 children.
Parents and guardians who successfully completed their applications will start receiving placement offers from Thursday, 15 October.
But getting a place at the school parents wanted is not guaranteed.
The department said some schools are already full.
If none of the schools selected by a parent have space, the department will offer the child a place at another school nearby.
Parents do not have to simply accept that decision.
They can object to a placement and lodge an appeal if they are unhappy with the school offered to their child.
Parents and guardians will have seven days to accept or decline a transfer offer.
There is also an important final deadline for parents who submitted their applications on the last day.
Those who applied on 4 September have until 12pm on 11 September to upload all the required documents.
For parents who struggled through the online application process, the focus has now shifted from getting the forms submitted to securing a classroom for their children.
And while the education department says every learner will eventually get a place, many parents still face an anxious wait to find out exactly which school their child will attend in 2027.
Pictured above: Parents receiving help with 2027 online school applications.
Image source: Supplied
