‘Online must fall’ - angry parents confront Lesufi
Frustrated parents gathered at the East Education District Office in Sandton on Sunday to voice their grievances about the lack of placement in schools for some Grade 1 and 8 pupils.
Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi met with the parents to provide clarity on the department's plans to ensure that all pupils are placed for the 2020 academic year.
The department's deadline for the process to be complete was at the end of last month, but a large number of offers had not been accepted or declined.
Lesufi urged parents to be patient, as they’re dealing with large numbers of applicants needing assistance.
"You are not suppose to be subjected to this inhumanity and I truly from the bottom of my heart apologise. I'm going to work on this, all the relevant managers resposn for this mess, I will tackle them on your behalf."
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Parents please take note that majority of our ‘good schools’ are full and we are trying to find proper alternatives however there will be no learner without a school. Be assured
— Panyaza Lesufi (@Lesufi) November 3, 2019
We are working around the clock to place remaining learners. This is our latest placement report pic.twitter.com/KuS4fDrGCY
— Panyaza Lesufi (@Lesufi) November 3, 2019
He maintains that no pupil will be without a school next year but the unimpressed parents continued to chant "online must fall".
District offices around the provinces were open on Sunday to deal with the backlog.
During the impromptu address to parents, Lesufi also condemned acts of violence against several district officials who had been intimidated or attacked by angry parents.
Listen below:
The problem is that our staff members were intimidated and in some instances attacked. We’ve to persuade them to go back to work.We’re trying to resolve the impasse as soon as possible.The major problem is parents who didn’t accept offers and those who didn’t submit documentation https://t.co/muQlNIkOpp
— Panyaza Lesufi (@Lesufi) November 3, 2019