Chiloane encouraged invited parents to attend the meeting. He said he was happy to talk about the work they have done so far, and that they were in a better position than they had ever been since they started with online placements.
“I know that there will be people who are questioning here and there, but in terms of grade 1, we have placed all the completed applications. When you are incomplete, we didn’t place you. We can’t place a person that we don’t know. So they didn’t give us [enough] information. We are left with 124 only,” he said.
There were areas in Gauteng where people were moving from into the inner centre because of employment opportunities, he said. “For example, I will speak about the Merafong area, people are moving from those areas into the inner centre. As they move in they bring their children and some of their schools will be left empty.”
Chiloane said Kempton Park was one of the fastest-growing areas in the province, particularly in Thembisa, because of the developments that are taking place there. He said when pupils are placed at the school that they choose within the five options, he would not entertain their appeals because they chose those schools.
“We only work with those that are placed in schools which they did not apply for. Those are the appeals we entertain. Those that chose the schools, we place your child in one of those schools — it is non-negotiable.”
Another problem was parents who would go to the department and indicate that they just realised their children are placed at a school where they cannot afford to pay fees, he said.