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Speaker 1: Lunch with Kiver Hudson. We all have a voice, use

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Speaker 1: yours or zero to one, double four to six oh five,

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Speaker 1: six seven, Join the conversation on Cape Talk.

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Speaker 2: Let's get straight into the educational conversation, so we've got

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Speaker 2: time to take listener questions if they come through. We

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Speaker 2: wanted to give you a quick run through the procedure

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Speaker 2: for school applications. Given that the application window opened last week,

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Speaker 2: and if you are the parent or guardian of a

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Speaker 2: child who is going to be in grade are grade

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Speaker 2: one or grade eight next year twenty twenty seven, you

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Speaker 2: need to be getting your ducks in a row and

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Speaker 2: getting those applications in. You have got until the fourteenth

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Speaker 2: of April to do so, and I know that the

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Speaker 2: education officials are all encouraging parents to please start the

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Speaker 2: process early. Obviously, we don't want to see a massive

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Speaker 2: rush to submit thousands of applications on the final day

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Speaker 2: and even worse, not getting an application in time, because

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Speaker 2: late places are a huge headache for the department. But

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Speaker 2: I know, especially if it's your first time going through

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Speaker 2: this process, the process can feel a little bit overwhelming.

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Speaker 2: So we thought today we would just run you through

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Speaker 2: some of the basic logistics, what documents you need to

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Speaker 2: have to hand, what you need to know about how

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Speaker 2: the process actually works. Great pleasure to have with us

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Speaker 2: on the line, the w CED spokesperson Broner, Hammond and Broder,

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Speaker 2: We always appreciate your time on the show.

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Speaker 1: Great to chat to you.

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Speaker 3: Again, Hi Papa, thank you and thank you for making

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Speaker 3: well highlighting this because it's very important that we get

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Speaker 3: as many applications now as possible.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely, and the sooner the better, I think in this case,

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Speaker 2: I think the last time we spoke Broder, we were

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Speaker 2: touching base about enrollments for the current school year, perhaps

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Speaker 2: before we talk about the new next intake.

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Speaker 1: Let's just touch base.

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Speaker 2: Is everybody in place in a school as we speak

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Speaker 2: or are you still trying to find spots for any children?

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Speaker 3: We've got twenty three learners in grade R one and

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Speaker 3: eight to be currently placing, but please bear in minded

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Speaker 3: this includes learners that applied yesterday for instance. Okay, that's

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Speaker 3: what our live system shows us now. So yeah, we've

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Speaker 3: gone down to twenty three, which is fantastic at this stage.

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Speaker 1: Yes, Okay, that's good news. Indeed.

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Speaker 2: Okay, so on our fingers crossed that you're able to

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Speaker 2: help those remaining twenty three soon.

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Speaker 1: But that's good news indeed.

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Speaker 2: Okay, so for this new cycle, we are now looking

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Speaker 2: at those learners who will be in Grade are grade

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Speaker 2: one or Grade eight in twenty twenty seven. Let's talk

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Speaker 2: about the deadline and the timeline Brno, because when you

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Speaker 2: say please apply sooner rather than later, should we start there?

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Speaker 2: Do you want to give the audience a perspective on

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Speaker 2: the kind of pressures the department faces within this window

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Speaker 2: and then particularly if parents miss this window.

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Speaker 3: Yeah? Yeah. Our first protest is between the tenth and

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Speaker 3: the fourteenth of April, and I think that's important to

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Speaker 3: us because it allows us to determine areas of demand.

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Speaker 3: It allows us to see where we need increased capacity.

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Speaker 3: We did have a big shock this year. Grade hour

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Speaker 3: was a big jump for us. We've seen since twenty

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Speaker 3: twenty two, you know, tenth down and new applications for

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Speaker 3: Grade R since the Beller Acts has been put into

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Speaker 3: existence and it's introduced Grade are as another grade, so

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Speaker 3: we've relady had to struggle with in terms of Grade

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Speaker 3: are It was an unfunded mandates. We had to provide

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Speaker 3: additional capacity and I think because it's an entry grade.

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Speaker 3: We don't exactly know coming from the you know, especially

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Speaker 3: unregistered ECD time any learners are going to come into

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Speaker 3: the system four grade R. So it really is important

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Speaker 3: that we get those figures in as soon as possible

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Speaker 3: and not later. That we saw this year where we

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Speaker 3: saw this influx at the end of last year and

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Speaker 3: a huge influx in January and February this year, which

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Speaker 3: makes it very difficult for us to plan for as

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Speaker 3: you can imagine.

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Speaker 2: I'm sure, and Bernard, obviously you want a situation where

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Speaker 2: every child is in a classroom on day one, that

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Speaker 2: teaching can start on the very first day of the

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Speaker 2: very first term of the year, and the late applications

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Speaker 2: it's try, i know, make that difficult. Now you use

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Speaker 2: the terms identifying sort of capacity and constraints. Are there

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Speaker 2: particular parts of Capeesan where there is a particular constraint

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Speaker 2: issue where you have you know, a real bottleneck in

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Speaker 2: the system, or is it a fairly widespread issue that

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Speaker 2: in every district in the city and surrounds you have

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Speaker 2: a huge demand for limited places.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it's you know, we've been seeing growth in certain

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Speaker 3: areas and obviously we're trying to target those areas in

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Speaker 3: terms of school infrastructure projects, which we have been building

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Speaker 3: at a rapid pace through our rapid School World program,

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Speaker 3: additional classrooms of schools, new schools and targeting those areas.

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Speaker 3: But you know, you get a place that to noon

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Speaker 3: where there isn't even you know, you can't you know,

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Speaker 3: there's just no land whatsoever, and that inter noon that

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Speaker 3: we can build on. We've done all our investigations and

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Speaker 3: it's simply it is just not a possibility for us.

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Speaker 3: Are the areas that kaya Lecha expanding at a rapid pace,

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Speaker 3: kales Ra. The absolute growth in that area that we've

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Speaker 3: been trying to keep up with has been extreme. You know,

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Speaker 3: those are the and the le wand Lay area that

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Speaker 3: Gordon's Bay, that area as well has been growing at

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Speaker 3: a rapid pace. So those are the main areas that

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Speaker 3: we've been seeing massive growth and where we have had

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Speaker 3: issues in terms of the late placement of learners.

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Speaker 2: Okay, So I mean the message is there's pressure on

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Speaker 2: the system as it is. Broner will set aside the

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Speaker 2: conversation about building new schools for another day. Let's deal

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Speaker 2: with the realities of placing pupils into the system as

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Speaker 2: it currently exists.

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Speaker 1: What let's start with the documentation.

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Speaker 2: So a parent knows they are needing to apply for

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Speaker 2: a child to find space in grade are grade one

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Speaker 2: or grade eight next year? What documents do they need

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Speaker 2: to have ready to go when they start that application process?

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Speaker 3: Yeah? Look, any parents, including myself doing Edmond is my

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Speaker 3: word thing and trying to find these documents, but it

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Speaker 3: actually is. You know, this is very very very necessary,

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Speaker 3: and my best advice to you rather don't even go

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Speaker 3: onto the system until you've got those documents ready. And

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Speaker 3: that would include your copy of your child's ID. If

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Speaker 3: you can get it checked out at the SAPs police station,

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Speaker 3: please do so. And then we ask for the school

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Speaker 3: the last report card of the learner that specifically applies

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Speaker 3: to high school learners mainly, but if you have got

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Speaker 3: a preschool or grade our report card that would benefit.

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Speaker 3: And then the road to health certificates so the immunization

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Speaker 3: card for our primary school learners, and then proof of

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Speaker 3: address as well.

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Speaker 2: Okay, a couple of things there. So what did you say,

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Speaker 2: did you need to get an ID verified at the

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Speaker 2: police station?

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Speaker 1: Is is that what you're looking for?

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Speaker 3: Yeah? Yes, sorry, verified at the police station. If you

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Speaker 3: can't do it now, and you need to do it

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Speaker 3: to a later stage. You can upload that late at

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Speaker 3: a later stage if you needed.

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Speaker 2: Okay, so that's not absolutely crucials you don't have ADE

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Speaker 2: one to hand, you can get it certified at the police

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Speaker 2: station later. But okay, so the report card if you

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Speaker 2: have won the ID document, what about foreign learners you

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Speaker 2: aren't South African citizens, boner.

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Speaker 3: You can either give your proof of regency or your

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Speaker 3: study permits or your work permits, or you can actually

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Speaker 3: go to the police station and do an AFFID David

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Speaker 3: in terms of whether you've applied at Home Affairs and

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Speaker 3: your current status, and that is also accepted.

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Speaker 2: Okay, So you have those documents ready to go, and

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Speaker 2: then you log into the system online and a comment

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Speaker 2: in from Nick, who's just gone through the process. He's

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Speaker 2: just submitted our daughter's Grade one application. He says, what

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Speaker 2: concerned me is we had to do the application more

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Speaker 2: than five times because some of the drop down tabs

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Speaker 2: weren't allowing selections. Once we changed to Firefox, the whole

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Speaker 2: process worked fine. But this is his question or concern.

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Speaker 2: He says, I feel that for non computer literate parents

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Speaker 2: it must be a huge struggle. Well, does the department

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Speaker 2: offer any kind of mobile service to assist those who

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Speaker 2: are not computer savvy.

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Speaker 3: Well, I didn't actually raise that the issue was because

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Speaker 3: I haven't heard that. Janu knew. We had it on

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Speaker 3: the first day with some of the dropdowns, and it

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Speaker 3: was rectified by six a m. That morning. But if

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Speaker 3: he says he's just completed it now, I'm with concerned

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Speaker 3: about that. I will check up with our VP, but

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Speaker 3: I haven't heard of any further complaints since that first day.

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Speaker 3: And then second of all, yeah, of course we have

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Speaker 3: a technical assistance. You can phone our admission hotline on

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Speaker 3: eight sixty one eight one nine nine one nine for assistance.

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Speaker 3: Also on our website, we've actually got a video that

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Speaker 3: shows you how to do step by step, and then

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Speaker 3: we also got even a manual that you can follow.

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Speaker 3: Even you can print out that manual or check it

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Speaker 3: on our website and follow that manual step by step

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Speaker 3: as well.

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Speaker 2: Okay, Lisa immediately distressed because she says we misplaced my

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Speaker 2: child's road to card during a recent move. Is that

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Speaker 2: going to prevent them from finding a space, is her question.

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Speaker 3: I would also get any documentation that you can't get,

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Speaker 3: I would get a police affidavit stating that is missing,

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Speaker 3: and then try and get whatever document you can from

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Speaker 3: you know, your health practitioner that you used in the past,

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Speaker 3: anything that you can get to prove anything that proved

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Speaker 3: that you had gone through that that kind of medical certification,

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Speaker 3: and then actually the affidavid would suffice for now. You know,

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Speaker 3: we are required by laws to have these documents, so

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Speaker 3: we please ask that you have either that that affidavid

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Speaker 3: or those documents available.

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Speaker 2: Bruno, I mean, I'm mindful of the reason for that.

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Speaker 2: We've just heard last week about the fact that Captin's

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Speaker 2: facing measles outbreaks in several areas, including denn But what

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Speaker 2: is the legal impact if a parent has chosen not

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Speaker 2: to immunize or vaccinate their.

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Speaker 3: Child, they actually have to apply to the head of department,

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Speaker 3: so they can write to the head of departments and

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Speaker 3: he will make a decision. Are current is a male

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Speaker 3: and will make a decision in terms of you know,

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Speaker 3: whether that child can be accepted to the school.

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Speaker 2: Okay, and does that apply to primary as well as

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Speaker 2: high school and grade on.

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Speaker 3: Well, the rote to House certificate is in terms of

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Speaker 3: the entry grades into primary school. It's only required for

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Speaker 3: our primary school so yes, it only applies then.

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Speaker 2: Okay, So once you're enter the system, it should be

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Speaker 2: fine from there.

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Speaker 1: Okay.

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Speaker 2: So Lisa, it sounds like you need to to just

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Speaker 2: try and get an affidavit drawn up, or try and

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Speaker 2: call back to the clinic where your children were immunized

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Speaker 2: and ask if they can regenerate that card for you

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Speaker 2: in some way or send some kind of documentation confirming

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Speaker 2: what they had as part of this process. We are

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Speaker 2: in conversation with Berner Hammond of the Western Cape Education Department,

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Speaker 2: specifically around the application window for next year's grade are

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Speaker 2: grade one and grade eight places. If you have questions

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Speaker 2: around the process, if you've been struggling with something, please

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Speaker 2: do send a WhatsApp while she's with us seven to

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Speaker 2: five six seven five six seven Okay, soon of going

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Speaker 2: back to the application, So you've got your documents ready,

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Speaker 2: what else are you going to be asked to answer

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Speaker 2: or supply? Do you want to just talk us through

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Speaker 2: what the application process actually includes.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, So once you on the system, you then go

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Speaker 3: through the you know, you first register, that's the first thing.

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Speaker 3: So before you do anything else, you register yourself as

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Speaker 3: a parent or caregiver, and then you start the application process,

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Speaker 3: you go through other grade R one and eighth for

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Speaker 3: those that are applying for any other grades that will

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Speaker 3: be later on in the year on the third of August,

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Speaker 3: So please don't get confused if you want to apply

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Speaker 3: for grade four or for grade nine and a new school,

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Speaker 3: that will only happen in August, right, So if you're

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Speaker 3: a grade R one and eight, then you enter the system,

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Speaker 3: you can then it might generate a seamous number for

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Speaker 3: you if you've already been enrolled in the school for

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Speaker 3: that applies for grade are a grade one in grade

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Speaker 3: seven and even some great rs. We've been getting questions

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Speaker 3: about that. Parents are confused because there's ode learner ID

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Speaker 3: that's been created that is for that has been created

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Speaker 3: at some of our ECD centers where they are WCD registered.

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Speaker 3: So don't get alarmed if your child is already on

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Speaker 3: the system in that regard. And then yeah, it's basically

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Speaker 3: it's a bit different for your grades sevens when they

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Speaker 3: have got a history in the school where they've had

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Speaker 3: leadership roles, they've been part of cultural activities, and it

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Speaker 3: does ask if they have got sporting requirement, sporting successes

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Speaker 3: or teams that interests and you know, then their report cards.

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Speaker 3: I think I need to just inform the public that

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Speaker 3: in some schools are focused schools, and focus schools are,

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Speaker 3: but they can require more information from you. They may

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Speaker 3: even ask you to come in for an interviewer for

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Speaker 3: an examination that is allowed in terms of the so

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Speaker 3: African Schools Act in terms of the abilities in terms

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Speaker 3: of mathematics and science. For example, it's maths and science

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Speaker 3: focused schools, right and we've seen a lot of them

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Speaker 3: wand at these schools. You know, your schools are came

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Speaker 3: On High School, Spinal Road High School, One Dale High

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Speaker 3: School and Mitchell's Playing and a lot of parents getting

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Speaker 3: upset that they their child does not get into these schools.

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Speaker 3: You know, the number of applications that they are getting

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Speaker 3: is high. And then they also have to take into

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Speaker 3: accounts in fact in the in the maths and science

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Speaker 3: marks because of that focus that they have at their school.

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Speaker 3: So that's something to keep in mind. Another thing I'd

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Speaker 3: like to ask parents, you know, you can apply to

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Speaker 3: tange schools and a lot of parents at choosing schools

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Speaker 3: that are more popular than others. And in any country

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Speaker 3: in the world, you have schools that more people are

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Speaker 3: buying for due to academic or sporting success, be at

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Speaker 3: rugby or you know, hockey or whatever it may be.

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Speaker 3: But the thing is, please also look at schools in

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Speaker 3: your area. You'll be seeing parents that are applying to

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Speaker 3: these these schools of choice that are outside their area

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Speaker 3: or ten of them, and they're not even factoring into

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Speaker 3: any schools that they're in their area where they might

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Speaker 3: actually have a more opportunity to get into. And then

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Speaker 3: if they do not pro pride in that first round,

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Speaker 3: they actually use those opportunities completely if that school is oversubscribed.

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Speaker 3: So that's quite a big thing. Please make a mixture

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Speaker 3: of both schools in your area and your school for choice.

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Speaker 2: Brother, that's a hugely important one, I know, a very

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Speaker 2: contentious issue for a lot of people. Do you want

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Speaker 2: to talk a little bit about what a school is

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Speaker 2: either obliged to or not allowed to impose in terms

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Speaker 2: of the idea of catchment areas and vicinity to the school.

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Speaker 2: Must it be part of their consideration or must it

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Speaker 2: not be part of their consideration? Is that up to

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Speaker 2: the school governing body.

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Speaker 3: Well, in the Western Cape we do not have we

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Speaker 3: do not have prescribed feeder zone. So like thing for example,

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Speaker 3: they actually measure the distance you are from the school,

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Speaker 3: and the closest you are to the school, you will

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Speaker 3: get into that school, and you actually get allocated that school,

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Speaker 3: the closest school to you. We do not do that

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Speaker 3: in the Western Cape. We believe that we you know,

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Speaker 3: parents have choice and that they can exercise that choice

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Speaker 3: and also have opportunities, you know, to to apply to

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Speaker 3: schools in other areas. However, this African Schools Act at

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Speaker 3: the same time allows each school governing body to determine

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Speaker 3: their own admission policy, and some school governing bodies may

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Speaker 3: factor in proximity to the school. We also, you know,

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Speaker 3: community schools aren't very important and are very successful because

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Speaker 3: of the fact that the learners live by the school,

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Speaker 3: that can participate in after school activities, safety reasons, greater

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Speaker 3: parents participation in the school community. You know, there's a

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Speaker 3: lot of reasons why community schools are very important. But

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Speaker 3: then also we need to factor in the account into

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Speaker 3: account that you know, some people don't have the opportunity

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Speaker 3: to be coach to schools of excellence and want to

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Speaker 3: apply at those schools, and so we allow that choice

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Speaker 3: to happen. But at the same time, it is up

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Speaker 3: to the school governing bodies to determine who gets access

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Speaker 3: to their schools in terms of their capacity, and they

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Speaker 3: may take into account, for example, siblings that are already

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Speaker 3: in this school, they may be taken to the town's

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Speaker 3: proximity to the school, And there's various other factors that

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Speaker 3: they may have my considered. As I mentioned, focused schools

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Speaker 3: might look at maths and science results, or there are

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Speaker 3: arts focused schools you will participation in dance and other arts.

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Speaker 3: So there is a lot of factors that are going on,

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Speaker 3: and I think, you know, the w CD gets a

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Speaker 3: lot of flak for learners not getting into certain schools

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Speaker 3: when we actually have no power over that decision making

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Speaker 3: that's happening at the school at that time. And there

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Speaker 3: is a process that there needs to take place once

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Speaker 3: that first round of acceptances go through, because so many

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Speaker 3: learners do get access to more than one school they

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Speaker 3: have successful applications, and you'll see that a lot of

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Speaker 3: parents the initial reaction is, oh, my gosh, I didn't

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Speaker 3: get into these schools. But you know, as the weeks

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Speaker 3: and months go by, as stressful as it is, and

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Speaker 3: I do acknowledge that there are a lot of places

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Speaker 3: that do open, and those phone calls on their schools

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Speaker 3: do start happening, and we see a lot of those

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Speaker 3: parents that are freaking out, you know, when those first

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Speaker 3: results come and you know have actually got places in

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Speaker 3: the schools that they have a client you Brona.

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Speaker 2: On the subject of unsuccessful applications, I believe we have

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Speaker 2: received a voice note with a question about that.

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Speaker 1: Let's take a quick listen.

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Speaker 4: Papa, I'm just listening to the applications for placement and

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Speaker 4: I would just like to know if a learner is

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Speaker 4: not placed for a specific reason, is there a way

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Speaker 4: that the parents can then find out why that learner

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Speaker 4: was not placed and on what tia they were rejected?

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Speaker 4: Thank you?

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Speaker 1: Could you hear that bone? The question being if your

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Speaker 1: child doesn't get.

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Speaker 2: In, can you ask for a reason why they weren't accepted?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, certain, you can write to the school and ask why.

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Speaker 3: And that is something that's that lot of parents do.

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Speaker 3: I know that a lot of schools just right back

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Speaker 3: and say they're oversubscribed. They they're you know, you you

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Speaker 3: receive a school that came on receives three nine hundred

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Speaker 3: applications FO one hundred and twenty spaces. You know they

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Speaker 3: really are genuinely oversubscribed. There's just not enough fact and

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Speaker 3: they cannot expand any further, so that that is a

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Speaker 3: valid reason, and that's something that you know they cannot

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Speaker 3: they have no more further control over. But I think

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Speaker 3: if you want, if you need to ask the school

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Speaker 3: more questions and probe them more, you know, they should

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Speaker 3: be open and honest in terms of their application policy.

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Speaker 3: And you can also contact the district in terms of

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Speaker 3: any further advice on that. But we have to be

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Speaker 3: realistic about some of our schools and the numbers that

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Speaker 3: are applying and the fact that these schools cannot they

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Speaker 3: cannot physically accommodate more learners than they have in terms

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Speaker 3: of their admissions policy.

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Speaker 1: Okay, bonus, thanks.

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Speaker 2: We've covered an awful lot of ground, and I know

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Speaker 2: I'm mindful of the fact we haven't answered some of

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Speaker 2: the very individual questions that have come through on our

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Speaker 2: WhatsApp line. So I think what might be helpful, just

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Speaker 2: in closing, is to remind those parents whose questions I

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Speaker 2: couldn't get to today, where do they go to if

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Speaker 2: they have questions, if they're struggling to get a menu

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Speaker 2: to drop down, or if something is not working or

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Speaker 2: they need to ask for advice on how to navigate

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Speaker 2: a particular question. Do they go to the school, do

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Speaker 2: they go to the department. Is that helpline number you

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Speaker 2: mentioned the best place to start, well, that.

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Speaker 3: Hell helpline is definitely the best place to start if

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Speaker 3: you actually want to get actual face to face assistance.

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Speaker 3: We do have pop up centers at malls around the

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Speaker 3: specifically the Metro at least at the next few weeks,

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Speaker 3: So peace don't website. It actually gives you the malls

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Speaker 3: where we will have actual people there with computers and

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Speaker 3: it actually can help you to make your application. We've

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Speaker 3: also got another contact center that's that's the Western Cape

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Speaker 3: Government Contact Enter which is helping us with these technical queries,

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Speaker 3: and that is eight six one four two one four two.

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Speaker 3: This is in addition to that O eight six one

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Speaker 3: eight one nine nine one nine number. And then please

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Speaker 3: go to our website as well. There's a lot of

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Speaker 3: information on that video on how to apply is actually

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Speaker 3: very useful and it's very popular as well as the

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Speaker 3: manual that is on there.

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Speaker 2: And I'm a correct in saying that website is Westerncape

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Speaker 2: dot gov dot z a forward slash Education and you

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Speaker 2: then follow the.

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Speaker 1: Links through to the learner admission section. Is that correct?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, you're on our front page. You'll see the big

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Speaker 3: don't Wait application banner and you can just clicking on

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Speaker 3: there and it will bring you to that specific page.

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Speaker 2: We'll leave it there for now. Brown, I really appreciate

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Speaker 2: your time this afternoon. Thank you so much for your health.

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Speaker 3: Thanks for sure.

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Speaker 2: Berne Hammond speaking on behalf of the Western Cape Education Department,