As the 2015 school year commenced on Wednesday, many children and parents in Mitchell’s plain are still struggling to get placed in schools, as the number of children starting school and high school increases year on year. The Mitchell’s Plain Education Forum’s (MPEF) chairperson Colleen Horswell said even after pressure on the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), their cries has fallen on deaf ears. Horswell said they have been trying to sit down with the department’s metro south office to discuss the matter, however it never materialised.

“I am not sure as to what the reasons were as we just wanted to work with them to find an answer or a solution to the matter. Even this year, many school aged children are still not placed in school,” said Horswell.

Horswell said it was difficult to say the exact number of children that would not be placed by this year. While parents are trying to make life easier for themselves by registering their children at more than one school, often times the list does not indicate whether or not the child has been accepted at another school, and it doesn’t guarantee that they have a place at school since they have been on the list.

“For us this is a serious problem as one child that is not in school is one child too many. Many parents already smsed me to say that they cannot find place for their children at schools in Mitchell’s Plain and this is of great concern to us,” said Horswell.

The forum called on the department to address the issue before it is too late. The department has previously indicated a few options towards resolving the matter, such as providing container classes or building more schools in the area.

The WCED has not yet responded to a request for comment. VOC (Imogen Vollenhoven)