| The South Africa Schools Act (SASA) 84 of 1996, Chapter 2, section 3 makes provision for compulsory attendance for learners. Section 3 (1) mandates that “every parent must cause every learner (of school going age) for whom he/she is responsible to attend school from the first day until the last day of school year in which such a learner reaches the age of 15 years or ninth grade, whichever occurs first”. Thus the department has a constitutional mandate of ensuring that everyone’s right to basic education is responded to as enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996.
Hence the North West Department of Education deems it significant that learner registration should be concluded before the commencement of 2022 academic year. This will enable schools to be ready, resourced and have informed plans that will allow smooth operations at the beginning of the year. Children may be registered at any public school nearer to their homes if space exists. Children residing near the school should be given first preference if applied within set timeframes. It should be noted that only the Head of Department will confirm and declare schools full to capacity. |
This commitment serves to inform Departmental Officials, School Managements and Governing Bodies of early enrolment of learners for the year 2022 and it covers learners registering for the first time, learners changing schools and those starting their secondary schooling. All schools should have their admission policies that are consistent with the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (No. 108 of 1996), the South African Schools Act (SASA) 84 of 1996 as amended and any applicable provincial law in place and correctly implemented to ensure that they serve the children’s requirement without any unfair discrimination. Schools are also encouraged to establish admission committees and develop admission management plans The School Governing Bodies are not allowed to administer any admission tests before admitting learners except in special cases where suitable placements are needed SASA 84 of 1996 as amended. section 5(2).
Departmental officials will be managing and monitoring learner admission process to ensure the availability of learner registration policies in all schools and the implementation thereof. Reports of all queries registered and admission statistics submitted by the schools should be collated by the districts’ Learner Admission Coordinators and forwarded to the director’s office on monthly basis according to the management plan. In addition to Provincial and District learner advocacy initiatives, all schools should plan their admissions advocacy, advertisements and registration information within the specified time frames. Schools should use all means of communication available to advocate and inform parents about learner registration for 2025. |
| LEARNER ADMISSION PROCESS |
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