The Gauteng MEC for Education, Matome Chiloane, has dismissed the claims that the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) prioritises foreign nationals when placing children at the expense of South African learners in public schools.
Chiloane described the allegations as misleading and false information: “We wish to reiterate that, the department does not have a directive that instructs schools or officials to prioritise foreign nationals during learner placements. On the contrary, South African learners are prioritised in line with applicable legislation, as well as the Department’s admissions and placement processes.”
According to Chiloane, inner grade applications (Grade 2-7 and Grade 9-11) are managed directly at school level and are not processed through the GDE Online Admissions system as it caters for Grade 1 and Grade 8 only.
“Some Gauteng schools are currently facing challenges in accommodating inner grade applicants, and as such we urge schools to work collaboratively with district offices to manage the placements of these grades. This approach will ensure that learners are placed efficiently,” he said.
Chiloane urged public schools to prioritise South African learners ahead of foreign nationals: “No school is permitted to prioritise foreign national learners ahead of South African learners. Any school or official found to be contravening admissions policies will be subjected to consequence management. We will not tolerate any claims that suggest foreign nationals are prioritised at the expense of South African nationals,” he concluded.
