Who and what is AfriForum?

AfriForum is an Afrikaans civil rights organisation that protects the rights of minority groups at national as well as provincial level, and anyone who can identify with AfriForum’s principles and objectives may join the organisation. AfriForum’s community plan focuses on mobilising communities to thus take control of their own streets and neighbourhoods again. AfriForum ensures that your constitutional and civil rights are recognised and protected at national level.

Wie en wat is AfriForum?

AfriForum is ’n Afrikaanse burgerregteorganisasie wat die regte van minderheidsgroepe op sowel nasionale as provinsiale vlak beskerm, en enigiemand wat met AfriForum se beginsels en doelstellings kan identifiseer, mag by die organisasie aansluit. AfriForum se gemeenskapsplan fokus daarop om gemeenskappe te mobiliseer om só weer beheer terug te neem oor hul eie strate en woonbuurtes. AfriForum verseker dat jou grondwetlike én burgerregte op nasionale vlak erken en beskerm word.

New closing date for grade 1 and 8 applications in Gauteng ‒ AfriForum advises parents not to wait

AfriForum welcomes the new deadline for the applications for admission of learners to grades 1 or 8 in Gauteng public schools next year. The initial closing date for applications has been extended by a week to 21 July 2023 and parents will then have time until 28 July 2023 to submit the required documents online or at the schools of their choice.

According to Alana Bailey, AfriForum’s Head of Cultural Affairs, this is good news for parents who would like to submit the documents in person at schools but are hampered by the lack of time before the start of the winter school holidays. However, she advised parents to complete the registrations as soon as possible to ensure that their children will be placed in the school of their choice.

“Due to the Gauteng Department of Education’s inability to build sufficient schools to meet the demand in the province, it is a fact that many children will once again not immediately get a place in schools this year. Applying as soon as possible and submitting certified copies of the documents at your preferred school is the best course of action,” she says.

In addition, Bailey believes that Minister Angie Motshekga’s comments earlier this week that Afrikaans mother-language education has positive outcomes should not create the illusion among parents that the Department of Basic Education is going to protect single-medium Afrikaans schools henceforth.

“Repeated statements by the minister and provincial MECs, as well as feedback from schools across the country make it clear that the Department is using Afrikaans schools as convenient scapegoats to lay the lack of sufficiently functional schools at the door of someone other than themselves. Parents must ensure that public single-medium Afrikaans schools are full and that strong parental control bodies fend off attacks to transform schools into dual or parallel-medium institutions,” she adds. “More opportunities for mother-language education in all indigenous South African languages is an answer to our numerous education challenges, not more dual or parallel-medium ones.”

Applications can be submitted online until 21 July 2023 on the Gauteng Department of Basic Education’s website (www.gdeadmisions.gov.za).