Parents and pupils on the first day of school at Tumang Primary School in Meadowlands, Soweto on January 11, 2023 in Soweto. (Photo by Gallo Images/Papi Morake) 
As inland schools re-opened on 11 January, more than 1,300 pupils remained at home as the Department of Education had yet to place them in schools in the province. Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga has pleaded for patience from parents.
Motshekga said the education MEC in the province, Matome Chiloane, promised that the placement backlog will be resolved within 10 days.
“So, we are saying in 10 days we will have done the best we could. He is finding spaces in churches, he is finding spaces in old schools. They are even going to open a closed college. We are doing everything to assist parents,” Motshekga said.
Motshekga was speaking in Diepsloot, having planned to visit four schools in the province including Cosmo City primary and secondary schools, Diepsloot Primary and Sunrise Secondary School.
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Bheki-back-to-school4.jpg "Pupils on the first day of reopening of schools at Cosmo City Primary School on January 11, 2023 in Johannesburg. (Photo by Gallo Images/Luba Lesolle)")
Motshekga acknowledged that placement shortages and overcrowding in schools were annual problems. She said the issues will be resolved through ongoing engagement with Chiloane and other key education figures.
Ahead of schools opening during the 2022 academic year, the provincial department scrambled to find places for an excess 1,465 learners. The number dropped slightly to 1,394 unplaced learners for the start of this year.
Motshekga said almost 100% of grade 1 and grade 8 pupils had been placed.
Spate of complaints
The 2023 academic year has been marred by numerous complaints regarding the inefficiency of the online application system. According to the department’s provincial officials, 1,394 primary and high school pupils are yet to be placed.
Upon encountering difficulties with the online application system, some parents said they were advised to go to their local education district offices to ask for help. However, upon arrival, they were given vague referrals to approach alternative district offices in their province.
“When I asked why I was being turned away, I was told that the district I was referred to was the one where my child got a place, not one aligned to the school where I applied to. As parents, not all of us know the procedure and the department must take it upon itself to educate communities, especially with the complications presented by the online application system,” Nonhlanhla Mkhize, a parent from Soweto said.
A small number of parents said they successfully got help in their local district offices.
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Recurring problems
Since its inception, the online application system has received criticism for its inefficiency, with many parents arguing that applying for the 2023 calendar year was even more frustrating than in previous years. Last year when schools opened in the province, some parents were faced with the same problem where their children could not be placed.
Officials blame the problem on semigration from other provinces.
Additional problems associated with the online application system, some allege, is that it favours more privileged families who can afford devices and internet connections to make online applications. Some parents who spoke to Daily Maverick on Wednesday said that while they might have smartphones, in some instances, they simply cannot afford the data.
“When we sometimes sleep on empty stomachs, where will I get the money to buy data even if I have a smartphone? I still prefer the walk-in registration system because you were guaranteed space,” Mthokozisi Mathe from Orlando in Soweto said.
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Bheki-back-to-school2.jpg "Parents and pupils on the first day of school at Tumang Primary School in Meadowlands, Soweto on January 11, 2023 in Soweto, South Africa. (Photo by Gallo Images/Papi Morake)")
Other parents accused the system of favouring pupils from white families.
“Have you heard that white parents and their children go through the anxiety and frustration of online school placements? The system is meant to benefit rich white parents more because they are regarded as having the muscle to pay for their children’s fees,” one mother said.
“I am not taking a racist stance on the issue but merely highlighting the inequality in the county’s education system between white and black communities,” she said.
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Bheki-back-to-school1.jpg "Pupils' first day back in the classroom at Tumelo Primary School in Meadowlands, Soweto on January 11, 2023 in Soweto,. Schools in the inland provinces begin the 2023 academic year on January 11th. (Photo by Gallo Images/Papi Morake)")
Rolling blackout challenges
Many parents from parts of Soweto said preparing their kids for the first academic year had been hamstrung by rolling blackouts, which ended at 6am. Some of the parents Daily Maverick spoke to said the power outage prevented them from properly preparing their children for school on time and as a result, they were subsequently late for work.
“What is worse is that as you drive to work you again have to put up with dysfunctional robots and more delays due to the ongoing power cuts,” Siviwe Mahobe, a Soweto father said.
Mahobe said despite all the challenges he encountered in preparation for his daughter’s first day at school, he was very excited for her and was looking forward to her asserting her own independence.
“It’s a bitter-sweet moment because you are a bit cagey about letting her go but at the same time you can’t wait to see her embark on her journey,” said Mahobe. DM