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<a href="http://citizen.co.za/390222/education-loses-in-gautengs-plans/" title="Link to Education loses in Gauteng’s plans">
Education loses in Gauteng’s plans </a>
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Batlile Phaladi </div>
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<img src="http://citizen.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2014/07/00029885-595x400.jpg?091c3b" alt="FILE PICTURE: Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi. Picture: Werner Beukes/SAPA">
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FILE PICTURE: Gauteng Education MEC
Panyaza Lesufi. Picture: Werner Beukes/SAPA </div>
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Disgruntled parents of single-medium schools are
dragging Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi to court, saying his
decision to make parents apply for admission electronically was merely
an effort to take control of the placement of pupils. </h2>
<p>The Federation of Governing Bodies of SA Schools’
(Fedsas) chief executive officer, Paul Colditz, said Lesufi’s decision
undermined the Schools Act, which stated school governing bodies are
responsible for schools’ admissions policy.</p>
<p>The MEC announced earlier this year no parent should have to queue
outside school buildings to try to ensure admission to a school of their
choice. These application should be done electronically at all Gauteng
schools.</p>
<p>Fedsas had sent an urgent letter to the head of education in Gauteng,
Boy Ngobeni, demanding the allegedly irregular requirements of the
electronic system be retracted.</p>
<p>The education department insisted on moving forward with the
electronic admission selection, which resulted in Fedsas taking the
department to court. Colditz said the e-platform in its current form
does not allow for schools’ admissions and language policy, which also
goes against the Schools Act.</p>
<p>“The e-platform takes into account two criteria for placement:
whether a parent or guardian lives or works within the school’s area and
whether an applicant has a sibling in the same school.”</p>
<p>Colditz said Lesufi’s copy-and-paste project would destroy schools instead of building them up.</p>
<p>“Parents take their children to school looking at the culture,
language and the standard of the school. Letting this e-platform take
over would mean the school would not have control over who they admit.</p>
<p>“We request parents to apply at the school of their choice as a
matter of urgency and to avoid applying electronically. Applications via
the central e-platform will lead to schools having no record of
applications,” said Colditz.</p>
<p>“It is shocking that, even though Fedsas was successful with a court
case in which large sections of the admissions regulations were scrapped
in 2013, the department is still interfering with schools’ admissions
and language policies.</p>
<p>“We want to make it very clear Fedsas is in favour of cooperating with education role-players.”</p>
<p>Colditz said improved processes “should not complicate matters further”.</p>
<p>– <em><a href="mailto:batlilep@citizen.co.za">batlilep@citizen.co.za</a></em></p><p><em><a href="http://citizen.co.za/390222/education-loses-in-gautengs-plans/">http://citizen.co.za/390222/education-loses-in-gautengs-plans/</a><br></em></p><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature">**************************************<br>N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to its members<br>and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner or sponsor of the list as to the veracity of a message's contents. Members who disagree with a message are encouraged to post a rebuttal, and to write directly to the original sender of any offensive message. A copy of this may be forwarded to this list as well. (H. Schiffman, Moderator)<br><br>For more information about the lgpolicy-list, go to <a href="https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/" target="_blank">https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/</a><br>listinfo/lgpolicy-list<br>*******************************************</div>
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