The child eventually started attending the school as from January 30.
A very concerned mother registered her child at a local high school as early as July 2013, to ensure that her daughter has a place in this school for 2014.
The father went to the school and handed over the registration form, together with all the needed documents.
By October he went back for a follow-up, and the school showed him that their child is on the list, but he doesn’t have to pay the registration fee until they receive a call or SMS from the school.
However, the parents have never received any response from the school.
On January 15, when school started, the mother went to the school, only to find out that her daughter has never been registered, because they never paid the registration fee.
By then, the parents have already bought the uniform and stationary for this specific school.
“Why do I have to go early to register if I struggle like this?” the mother asks.
On Tuesday, January 28, the parents ended up registering their child at another school, but the next day the mother got the news from the first-choice school that her daughter has been placed.
Spokesperson of the Gauteng Department of Education, Phumla Sekhonyane, says that no child should be refused registration due to non-payment of registration fees, and that this is definitely illegal.
“We encourage the parent to lodge a formal complaint with us and we will investigate this matter.
“When considering placement for learners the department looks at the following: The proximity of the learner’s place of residence or parent’s workplace to the school.
“There is also a feeder school system that is taken into consideration. However if the school is full the department will provide alternative schools to the learner as per the admission policy.”
