A Mitchells Plain mother is worried about her 12-year-old daughter’s future after their applications to four local high schools were all met with rejection.
A desperate Claire Paige, 31, says her daughter, who is currently in Westpoort Primary has been rejected by Beacon Hill, Portlands High, Oval North and Wynberg Secondary schools, leaving the meisie disheartened.
“My daughter is very upset that she has not been accepted because she thinks she is not smart enough, and to make matters worse, she is being teased by the other children in her school because they all got into schools except her,” says Claire.
“I applied on March 17 (applications opened on March 15) to four schools and they all said they are oversubscribed, but how can Beacon Hill deny us when we live just three roads away?
“Oval North asked her to come to the school to check it out but they also rejected her.”
The Eastridge mom says she’s unemployed and is worried sick about what school her daughter will attend next year due to rising transport costs.
“I was dismissed from my job in February and both of my parents are pensioners so there is very little money for transport.
“Also, with all of the kidnapping going on, I feel very unsafe to send my daughter to a school where she must travel far,” she says.
“Right now we are paying R35 a day for a lift to take her to primary school and that price will be higher next year.”
Claire says after enquiring about her daughter’s rejection, she was told to appeal the decision at the education department but had no joy.
Western Cape Education Department spokesperson Bronagh Hammond says they want to ensure all applicants are placed by June 17.
She says the issue lies with people who got accepted at multiple schools who must still make a decision: “Some parents are fortunate to be accepted at more than one school, but hold onto more than one place, while making their decision,” says Hammond.
“In the past, this could take months. We are now encouraging parents to make that decision by 17 June so that places are ‘freed up’ at other schools so that learners, like Ms Paige’s daughter, will have the opportunity to enrol at a school.”