Parents take placement frustration to Western Cape Education Department offices

A long queue of anxious parents and learners formed outside the Western Cape Education District office on Thursday morning as families sought urgent answers about the placement of their children.

Just one day after schools reopened for the 2026 academic year, parents with children ranging from Grade 1 to high school level stood outside the gates, many visibly distressed and frustrated. Several declined to speak to the media, citing stress and exhaustion after months of uncertainty.

One parent, Sasha Juter from Portland, said she has been engaging with the district office since last year in an attempt to secure placement for her child. On the first day of school this week, her 13-year-old daughter stayed at home while her siblings prepared for school, missing the start of her high school journey.

"It really feels like I have failed my child because she has not been able to return to school," Juter said.

According to Juter, her family completed the application process on time and without difficulty when applications first opened. However, all applications to schools in and around Mitchells Plain, as well as to schools outside the area, were unsuccessful.

The only placement offered was at a school in Tafelsig, an option Juter said she could not accept due to safety concerns.

"We currently reside in Portland. Tafelsig is a gang-ridden area, and I am not willing to expose my young daughter to the dangers that come with that," she said.

Juter referred to a violent incident at the school last year, in which a Grade 10 learner allegedly stabbed fellow learners with a screwdriver.

After formally appealing the placement decision with both the department and the school, Juter stated that she personally visited schools with motivational letters to appeal again in June. These efforts were unsuccessful.

An appeal to the Minister of Education also failed to resolve the matter. "The response was to send me back to Tafelsig. They also offered a school in town, but my daughter would not be able to travel there on her own," Juter said.

She expressed little confidence that the department would resolve the issue within the next 10 days, citing what she described as a lack of concern for learners’ safety and well-being.

"After applying on time and following every appeal process, I was still left without assistance by the first day of school," she said.

"All I am asking is for the department to review their placement decisions and consider putting children in schools that are safe."

Another parent, Zimmy Mandela, in a telephonic interview, said that her child, who should be in Grade 8 this year, is also still without a school.

"Both of the schools we selected rejected her, saying they are overprescribed," Mandela said.

She added that communication from the department has been slow and unhelpful.

"One school has been ‘pending’ since we applied last year. When I went to the school to enquire last week, I was given the same answer. As it stands, my daughter has no school and is sitting at home," Mandela said.

In response to questions about the long queues outside district offices and the placement of children, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) said that some schools cannot accommodate all learners who wish to attend.

"The reality is that the demand for certain schools far exceeds availability, and disappointment is inevitable in some cases. While spaces may open up in the coming weeks due to movement in the system, this cannot be guaranteed and remains subject to Governing Body decisions based on admission criteria."

The department continued to urge parents to accept reasonable placement offers to ensure their children's education is not disrupted.

Cape Times