By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Gauteng department of education has clarified that the “vaccination report” listed as one of the documents required for prospective Grade 1 learners during the 2022 online admissions application period does not refer to Covid-19 vaccinations.
“The ‘vaccination report’ mentioned in the 2022 online admissions presentation does not refer to the Covid-19 vaccination. Instead, it refers to an immunisation card, which is a record of immunisations (inoculations/injections) and growth rate given to mothers when their infant is born and it is used to monitor the development of the child until they are five years old,” said provincial education spokesperson Steve Mabona.
“We are aware of the confusion that might have been caused by using the term ‘vaccination’ instead of ‘immunisation’. Although these terms are related in that they both involve inoculation/injection, we agree that they carry different meanings, especially within the context of the pandemic we are currently facing.”
Mabona urged all parents and guardians who will be applying for their children for Grade 1 in phase two of the process to upload or submit their child’s immunisation cards.
On Sunday, Gauteng MEC for Education Panyaza Lesufi announced that online admissions for the province’s public schools will open on August 10. The process will be conducted in two phases which are expected to be completed in November.
This year, the Gauteng department of education has introduced new changes aimed at making the process easier and more manageable for parents, guardians, and public schools in Gauteng,” said Lesufi.”The applications for Grade 1 and 8 will take place in two phases.
The first phase is for Grade 7 learners currently in public primary schools applying for Grade 8 and the second phase for Grade 1 and 8 learners not in Grade 7 in public schools,” said Lesufi.The first phase will open on August 10 and close on September 3, 2021.
The placement of phase 1 learners will happen between October 15 and November 30 while phase 2 will be between November 15 and November 30.
Below is the statement from the provincial education department clarifying the confusion:
“The Gauteng Department of Education wishes to clarify the issue of a ‘vaccination report’ being one of the documents required for prospective Grade 1 learners during the 2022 Online Admissions application period.
The ‘vaccination report’ mentioned in the 2022 Online Admissions presentation does not refer to the COVID-19 vaccination.
Instead, it refers to an immunisation card which is a record of immunisations (inoculations/injections) and growth rate given to mothers when their infant is born and it’s used to monitor the development of the child until they are 5 years old.
We are aware of the confusion that might have been caused by using the term ‘vaccination’ instead of ‘immunisation’.
Although these terms are related in that they both involve inoculation/injection, we agree that they carry different meanings, especially within the context of the pandemic we are currently facing.
We urge parents/guardians who will be applying for their children for Grade 1 in Phase 2 to upload or submit their child’s immunisation card accordingly.”