SAHRC to investigate Gauteng Education’s online system

The commission said it received several complaints from many disgruntled parents ahead of the 2025 academic year.

SAHRC Gauteng Manager Zamantungwa Mbeki said the online system only catered for grade one and eight learners. As a result, the investigation will partly focus on unplaced learners in other grades. 

“Complaints were mainly from parents who do not fit the category of grade one and eight applications. These parents are sent from the district to the school, from the school to the district offices,” Mbeki said. 

“This means some parents end up not having placements. Learners now have to go to online schools or private schools or, in worse cases, learners forfeit a year of education due to not being placed in a school.”

The commission has since called on parents and guardians of unplaced learners to lodge complaints so that the extent of the problem can be determined.

“We’re also concerned about the placement of learners with special needs in LSEN schools and the availability of those schools," Mbeki said. 

In a statement released on Wednesday, the Gauteng Department of Education said it made all possible interventions to ensure the smooth placement of learners. 

The department admitted it could not place every learner in their desired school.

“Despite these efforts, it is important to note that it was not possible to place all applicants in their preferred schools due to capacity constraints. As a result, applicants who could not be accommodated in oversubscribed schools were placed in the next closest schools with available space,” department spokesperson, Steve Mabona said.

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