South Africa: The Mpumalanga Department of Education issued regulations to schools relating to the admission of learners for the 2023 school year.
These regulations make it mandatory for every public school within the Province to ensure that learners of school-going age are duly admitted and registered to schools before 31 August 2022.
Principals are expected to manage this process in a fair and professional manner, keep learner admission registers and also capture all learners’ information in the SA-SAMS.
The required learner data must at all times be accurate, authentic, reliable and valid.
No learner may be denied admission to a public school on the basis that his or her parents are unable to pay school fees or do not subscribe to the religious policy of the school.
Children who seek admission without the required documents (like birth certificates, identity documents, study permits, passports, proof of residence, etc.) must not be denied admission.
The principal of a school must accept alternative proof such as an affidavit or a sworn statement signed by the parent, caregiver or guardian of the learner concerned and thereafter help to liaise with the relevant sister departments towards the attainment of such documents.
Schools are equally expected to establish functional and active admission committees to ensure that the admission of learners for 2023 takes place in a fair, just, and professional manner Parents are advised to seek admission in nearby schools to mitigate against situations where learners will travel long distances to schools.
Parents are also urged to apply for admission before the deadline so as to ease the administrative burden on schools to enable them to plan properly for the year ahead.
This process will also assist schools in focusing on their basic mandate of offering to teach and learning on the first day of the re-opening of schools.