Wider school placement options for Gauteng learners in 2019

The province's education MEC Panyaza Lesufi launched the 2019 admissions period in Johannesburg on Thursday.

 Lesufi said parents will have four options to choose from when trying to find placement at the school of their choice.  

 The changes are meant to eliminate a function where the system automatically selects a preference. Lesufi said this will give parents a wider array of schools to choose from. 

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"You have four categories that you can use: The work address, home address, having a sibling at the school and your school of choice."

 The online application system has also undergone an upgrade which the department hopes will halve the amount of time spent online.

 "You will see that the first time we have modernised the system. Previously we said it might take you almost ten minutes or fifteen minutes to fill all the information. We are quite convinced now the manner in which we have mordenised the system, will take a parent far less than five minutes," Lesufi said. "As soon as you punch your ID number, it will automatically load all your names and details.

 "So because we are linked to Home Affairs, the validation takes less than one second. As soon as you put in your ID number, you press enter we know who you are now."

 The online application process for the 2019 academic year will open on April 16 at 8:00am and close on May 28.