Some Limpopo learners still without placements as term 1 nears end

A number of parents in Polokwane and the surrounding areas in Limpopo have raised concerns about the delay by schools in admitting learners for the 2025 school year.

Over 30 learners remain at home without schooling.

Although the learners were given placement by the Department of Education, they have yet to receive admission to schools. These include learners who have been placed at Piet Hugo, PEMPS and Noordskool primary schools.

Parents say they are worried as their children’s education is being delayed.

“We applied for the child last year, but the application was rejected due to unavailability of space, we appealed in November last year at the department, and the child was placed at Piet Hugo. When we went to Piet Hugo they said there are no classes to accommodate our children. Until today, children are not in classrooms and what hurts the most is the treatment we are subjected to when we enquire about the admissions,” one parent expresses their frustrations.

The Limpopo Department of Education has yet to comment on this matter.

Lack of infrastructure

Meanwhile, the manager of the Federation of School Governing Bodies in Limpopo Hennie Combrink has attributed the delay in learner admissions to a lack of enough schools and infrastructure.

“As we FEDSAS, we are aware that there are currently still learners who are awaiting to be placed in schools specifically in hotpot areas such as Polokwane, Mokopane, Lephalale, Tzaneen, Phalaborwa and we understand that it’s a capacity issue which requires a long term solution. It must be investigated, where schools should have been built years ago,” says Combrink.