Picket against learner admission refusal

MASAKANENG – A group of community members gathered outside Laerskool Julian Muller on Tuesday 25 January 2021 in a picket against alleged refusal to admit some learners at the school.

This after learner admission issues recently sent a mother in Masakaneng settlement frustrated over her child’s education.

The parent allegedly made an application for her child’s admission at the school last year but it was unsuccessful because she stayed a distant from the school.

The parent, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the minors, said she already had 3 children in grades 2, 5 and 7 learning at the school as she has been staying in Masakaneng settlement since 2015.

She said she had been attempting to find reasons for her fourth child’s admission refusal since last year from relevant Limpopo Department of Education (LDE) offices at the district and circuit levels without success.

The LED said that all children were admitted at schools but due to a high number of admissions, they have criteria for selection, for an example, a child needed to be staying within 1.5km radius to be given preference for admission at that school.

The LED said if parents felt that refusal for admission of a child at a school was unreasonable, they have the right to appeal.

Mzwandile Bolotini, Bolsheviks Party of South Africa (BPSA) Convener, said that some learners have been denied admission at the school and reasons for that were not known.

Bolotini said the district manager and the LDE were not doing anything about the matter even after complaints.

“This is a clarion call to the public of areas surrounding Groblersdal, active youth of Moutse, parents of affected learners, political organizations, traditional leaders and concerned residents to join hands and voice their grievances,” said Bolotini.