Acting MEC for Education, Mrs Nontobeko Vilakazi
Senior Management of the Department
Member of the public tuned in through the various platforms
Members of the media
Ladies and gentlemen

I stand here today with mixed emotions as we are about to launch this online system. I feel greatly honoured and happy to launch this online system as per our commitment. Sad in a sense that the late MEC Jack is not here to share this milestone achievement with us and knowing how passionate he was about improving our Education system. Such an improvement starts with making our application system as smooth and effortless as possible. We do this launch in his honour and as a tribute to his memory.

As this new Administration we articulated a vision of building a Modern, Growing and Successful Province. Modern is a province that keeps pace with technology and it’s at the cutting edge of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). I also made the undertaking that there will be two immediate and important focus areas for this Administration, mainly in the areas of health and education, as these two Departments take up the bulk of the Provincial budget. These will be the critical areas of this government where we need to make changes and turn the situation around for the benefit of the people of the Province in general and the youth in particular. Today we are here to set the Department on a new growth and development path and I want to commend the Department of Education for moving with speed in implementing one of our 2019 SOPA commitments – to create an online application system for our learners.

Since we made that commitment, a coordinating structure was put in place led by the late MEC himself that conducted various fact finding visits to other provinces that had already implemented such a system. The launch today of this online admission system is not only at the centre of creating an admission system that will be without glitches but it also sets the tone and adds to our vision of creating that a government that keeps pace with technology. This initiative also ties in with the Department of Education’s re-aligned strategic focus, which is, "Building the Elements of Capacity for Momentum towards a Modern, Growing and Successful Education System in the Northern Cape”.

The launch of this system comes at an opportune time, when we as Government observe Public Service Month, which is held every September to promote a culture of pride and ethics in the public service and improvements in all facets of service delivery. It’s the public service ethics that should guide our conduct not to steal and loot what is meant for the people. We must fight corruption and looting in all its manifestations. In just less than a year we saved this administration millions because of concerted efforts to stop wastage. The people who have been benefiting from this wastage and corruption are cornered and are on a push back using lies and a gullible journalist to attack us. Not a single one of us shall be deterred and threatened through lies and slander. Now we shall intensify this justified fight against plunder and looting of public resources.

This system forms the basis for the provision of services to all communities with dignity and parents don’t have to spend nights queuing to get their children registered at a school. We are pleased to announce that the online admission system eliminates possible delays of over a 1000 applications per year. This implies not only a dignified service but also an efficient system and for that we reassure our society that we are a government that cares about your dignity.

Last week I had the opportunity to motivate the Grade 12 learners at a camp in Van Der Kloof Resort where I reminded the learners that education is the greatest equalizer in society. This implies that if we are to realise the objectives of a Modern, Growing and Successful Province, we must create an accessible education system.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are particularly mindful of the fact that our communities do not all have the same access to internet and related service. As a response to this challenge, we have in the interim directed that there must be walk in centres where parents will be assisted. Currently there are 199 walk in centres across all 5 Districts in the Province.

Allow me to also remind parents that the system also requires some cooperation from their side. In this regard, there is a circular which has been issued by the Department of Education and a copy of this Circular is available at all schools. We want to make an appeal to parents to take note that the success of your application will be determined by the following criteria:

1. Applicants being the learners that already have a sibling attending the school of application (sibling means a learner who has at least one parent who is also the parent of the learner already attending that school and he or she resides in the same household as that child already attending the school);
2. If the learners have a parent/ guardian working (an employee) at the school applied to;
3. If the place of residence of the applicant is in the same suburb with the school applied to;
4. If the place of residence (residential suburb) of the applicant learner(s) is adjacent (immediately next to) to the suburbs of the school applied to;
5. If spaces remain after all the above-mentioned applicants have been admitted; other applicants in the order of the position will be considered.

It is important for parents to make an effort to understand the admission criteria before the system officially opens on the 14th of September 2020 in order to avoid unnecessary appeals and delays on the system at the beginning of the year. I must highlight that the delays and the appeals have a tendency to be disruptive on the ability of the schools to effect learning and teaching on the first day of schooling.

For communities that do not have access to digital media, the Department will be distributing information sheets giving details of the online admission system at all 199 identified walk-in centres. Parents can also obtain all the relevant information regarding the Online Admission System from their nearest school.

Ladies and gentlemen, we will now have a physical demonstration of the system so that we can all see how easy the application can be done.

The system does require some basic information to be provided and parents who opt for the walk-in system must always remember the required documents, which will be detailed by the officials later. This is important to avoid being sent home because of incomplete information.

The Northern Cape Department of Education will be going online with the 2021 learner admissions from 14-30 September 2020 for all Grades. Parents must log on to the Northern Cape Department of Education’s Online Learner Admissions website at www.ncdoeadmissions.org to complete the application process which is made up of 3 steps, (1) Parent/ guardian registration (2) Learner profiling and (3) Application.

As we launch this system today, our core message to the people of this Province is to work with us to make the vision of a modern, growing and successful Province a reality. The Northern Cape of today cannot be the same in five and ten years from now. We therefore call on communities and businesses to work with the Department of Education to make this system as success.

Thank you
Released by the Office of the Premier