Over 1 600 Limpopo learners unplaced as school year begins | Review

POLOKWANE – The start of the 2025 academic year has seen long queues of parents at education circuits, anxiously seeking placement for their children in local schools.

Many parents, despite having applied on time last year, claim their children have not been placed in their preferred schools.

Parents voiced frustrations about the rejection of their applications and expressed a preference for ‘fee-paying schools’ due to their better facilities. Some even suggested overcrowding classrooms temporarily until additional space becomes available.

According to Department of Education spokesperson Mike Maringa, the province has over 1 600 unplaced learners, concentrated in hotspot circuits like Polokwane, Mokopane, Tzaneen, and Lephalale.

The bulk of these cases stem from unmet criteria during initial applications, leading to appeals and late applications still being processed.

Maringa assured parents that the department has been working tirelessly to address the backlog, with 33 661 learners already placed across all grades in the hotspot circuits. He said the remaining 816 learners in the Polokwane circuit would be prioritised.

Maringa furthermore raised a concern about parents submitting falsified documents and fraudulent addresses to bypass the feeder zone criteria. He cautioned parents against forcing admissions, as such practices could compromise the integrity of the placement process.

While the department had set a goal of finalising placements by Wednesday, some parents remained in queues on Tuesday afternoon, still hopeful for resolution. The department reassured parents that all children would eventually be placed.