Latest news with #MatomeChiloane
IOL News
a day ago
- Politics
- IOL News
GDE must stop victimising Pretoria High School for Girls Principal
The DA calsl on MEC, Matome Chiloane, to reverse this decision and put an end to the ongoing harassment and humiliation of this dedicated principal who is unjustly denied the opportunity to teach and guide learners at Pretoria High School for Girls. The Gauteng Department of Education's (GDE) continued persecution of Pretoria High School for Girls' principal, Mrs Philippa Erasmus, who has now been found guilty on a frivolous charge because her husband assisted with landscaping at the school as a voluntary act is unacceptable and delays progressive learning and teaching at this school. As the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng, we once again call on the GDE MEC, Matome Chiloane, to reverse this decision and put an end to the ongoing harassment and humiliation of this dedicated principal who is unjustly denied the opportunity to teach and guide learners at Pretoria High School for Girls. This disgraceful outcome reinforces our consistent assertion: under MEC Matome, the department will go to great lengths to justify its political vendetta against Mrs Erasmus. The initial investigation focused on allegations of racism, from which she was cleared. However, instead of accepting this outcome, the department, represented by Mdladlamba Attorneys, strayed from the original terms of reference in a desperate attempt to find evidence that could prove the principal's guilt and subsequent punishment. Finding a principal guilty of her husband assisting the school, without compensation, is not only absurd but also shows a department more focused on saving face than on achieving justice or improving educational outcomes. The department's handling of disciplinary issues has become increasingly erratic and inconsistent, often appearing to be influenced by political agendas. It is perplexing why the department has been slow to respond to many damning cases, particularly those that threaten learner safety, but decided to move with unusual speed and vengeance in this instance. A DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government would ensure that all disciplinary processes are conducted fairly, transparently, and in the best interest of education, rather than resorting to power abuses. Sergio Isa Dos Santos MPL - DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education
The Herald
a day ago
- The Herald
20 pupils injured in scholar transport crash near West Park Cemetery
'The learners were treated and discharged into the care of their families,' the department said. One pupil from Greenside High remains in hospital and is scheduled to undergo surgery. Most of the pupils had been booked off from school for the rest of the week by doctors, the department added. Psychosocial support has been arranged for the pupils and their families. Education officials visited schools and hospitals on Monday to verify the pupils' conditions and offer support to the families. 'We are grateful there were no fatalities and we extend our gratitude to emergency personnel, school management teams and our officials who responded swiftly,' said education MEC Matome Chiloane. 'We continue to engage relevant authorities to determine the cause of the accident and ensure accountability. We urge scholar transport drivers, whether public or private, to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our learners remains a priority. We wish all learners a speedy recovery.' The cause of the crash is under investigation. TimesLIVE
The South African
6 days ago
- General
- The South African
Grade R learners NOT guaranteed placement, says Gauteng department
The Gauteng Department of Education has claimed that Grade R learners will have to re-register for Grade 1 in their respective schools, as they are not guaranteed automatic placement. This comes as the province is set to launch the process of online admissions for the 2026 school year. Speaking at a media briefing on the launch of the 2026 online admissions applications, Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane urged parents to be aware of the process of placements at public schools for grades 1 and 8. For current Grade R learners, Chiloane warned that automatic placement at the same school was not guaranteed. He said: 'Learners who are currently in R at schools have to apply at the same school or any other school of your choice. It does not mean that if your child is in Grade R, they will be automatically placed. There are no automatic placements. You have to apply and comply with everything parents must do to get their child admitted in our pubic schools for grade 1'. @newsnexussa #incaseyoumissedit #newsstories #newsnexussa #southafricatiktok🇿🇦 ♬ original sound – NewsNexusOfficial On Thursday, 24 July, online admission applications for the 2026 school year in Gauteng officially opened. The online system is specifically for grades 1 and 8. The department has notified parents that placement in schools will not be on a first-come, first-serve basis, but on the following criteria A home address within the school feeder zone, A sibling at the school or a previous school, Parents' work address within the school feeder zone, A home address within 30km. Applications will close at midnight on 29 August. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
6 days ago
- General
- The Citizen
Grade 1 and Grade 8 online admissions for 2026 now open in Gauteng
Applications for Grade 1 and Grade 8 placements at public schools close on 29 August, with 81 walk-in centres across the province. Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane officially launched the 2026 online school admissions system for Grade 1 and Grade 8 pupils on Thursday morning at the Ga-Rankuwa YMCA in Tshwane. The launch marks the start of applications for placements at Gauteng public schools for the 2026 academic year. Speaking at the event, Chiloane said the system had gone live successfully, despite some initial confusion among parents. 'There are some parents who logged in earlier and expected the system to change immediately, but everything came online on time. Now, as we speak, applications are going through,' he said. The online admissions window opened on Thursday and will close at midnight on Friday, 29 August 2025. Parents and guardians can apply using any internet-enabled device by visiting Walk-in centres for assistance The Ga-Rankuwa YMCA is one of 81 decentralised walk-in centres across the province aimed at helping parents without access to smart devices or internet connectivity. 'We're making sure that every parent, regardless of their location or means, can apply. These walk-in centres are key to ensuring no child is left behind,' said Chiloane. ALSO READ: These are the Gauteng school application walk-in centres No prioritisation of foreign pupils Responding to concerns about school admissions being skewed in favour of foreign pupils, Chiloane insisted that the system prioritises local children. 'The system is open to all children, but priority is given to South African children,' he explained. 'Foreign nationals must be in the country legally with the correct documentation. If any school is prioritising foreign learners unfairly, bring it to my attention.' He said the system also takes into account proximity, feeder zones, and previous schools attended. 'For example, an early childhood development centre may feed into a particular primary school, and that is factored into the placement algorithm.' As the number of applications is expected to rise significantly later in the day, Chiloane urged parents not to panic. 'So far, so good with the system,' he added. NOW READ: Gauteng schools scale down private security and anti-bullying programme amid budget cuts
IOL News
6 days ago
- General
- IOL News
Urgent action needed as Ga-Rankuwa parents protest unsafe school on wetland
Gauteng MEC for Education, Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Matome Chiloane, visits Bachana Mokwena Primary School, which is built on a wetland in Ga-Rankuwa. Image: Oupa Mokoena / Independent Newspapers A group of parents in Ga-Rankuwa, Pretoria, staged a protest outside the YMCA centre, where Gauteng MEC for Education, Matome Chiloane, was launching the 2026 online admissions system, to express their concerns about the construction of a local school on a wetland. The parents, from Bachana Mokwena Primary School, have kept their children home from school since it reopened for the second term on Tuesday due to the unsafe conditions. The classrooms for Grade R and Foundation Phase, which accommodate around 400 learners, are surrounded by underground water, sparking fears that the buildings could collapse at any moment. Chiloane has just kicked off the application process for parents and guardians seeking to enrol their children in Grade 1 and Grade 8 for the 2026 academic year, when the group of parents arrived at the centre and began protesting. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Protesters demanded that Chiloane come out to address their concerns about the school's safety. Chiloane assured the parents that he would visit the school to assess the wetland situation and then address their grievances afterwards. According to Agnes Mashibymi, the school governing body chairperson, children in Grade R and Foundation Phase cannot play outside due to the excessive water surrounding their classrooms. "Parents are anxious, fearing the school buildings could collapse at any moment, and worried that the unhealthy environment could lead to children falling ill," she said. A group of parents in Ga-Rankuwa staged a protest over concerns about the safety of Bachana Mokwena Primary School built on a wetland. Image: Oupa Mokoena / Independent Newspapers Mashibymi claimed that parents have approached various departments to voice their concerns about the school's unsafe environment, but their pleas for assistance have been met with indifference. "We were at the Department of Education in Johannesburg yesterday, and the HOD told us that this matter has not reached his office. We decided to take advantage of the MEC's visit to confront him about our issues," she said. Moses Makhubela, one of the parents, lamented that despite escalating the issue to the relevant authorities since 2021, no one appears to be taking it seriously. "It's like they are not taking the lives of our children seriously. I am worried about my child's education, but I can't replace my child if he gets injured at school," he said. After assessing the situation at the school, Chiloane noted that the presence of water is causing the classrooms to deteriorate rapidly. He announced that the department will cordon off the affected classroom area and deploy mobile classrooms to accommodate learners starting next week. Grades 4 and 7 learners have been instructed to report to school on Friday. Chiloane also cautioned parents against closing schools, saying that doing so is against the law. He said the department will send a hydro-geologist to the school next week to assess the situation. Local councillor Violet Phalwane said the core issue is the underground water, and she had previously escalated the matter to the City of Tshwane, which promised to send engineers to the school. "Unfortunately, the learners can't come to school because it is unsafe for them to attend school. My problem is that the problem has affected other learners from other grades," she said.
