On 10 October 2025, representatives of the Pestalozzi Trust, Mrs. Karin van Oostrum and Mr. Christopher Cordeiro, met with Mr. Alan Meyer, Deputy Director-General: Institution Development and Coordination, and Mr. Deon Louw of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED).
The purpose of the meeting was to address ongoing delays in the processing of applications for registration and the issuance of registration certificates to Pestalozzi Trust members. The Trust raised concerns regarding the significant number of families who had applied for registration but had yet to receive their certificates despite meeting all requirements.
In response, the WCED undertook to apply Section 51(6) of the South African Schools Act, which deems applications approved if not processed within 60 days. The Department committed to issuing certificates to all applicants who had submitted their applications more than 60 days prior to October. The WCED indicated that this process would be completed by the second or third week of November 2025.
The WCED is pioneering an online registration system that they believe will ensure that registrations can be processed within 60 Days. This will come online in the near future and the WCED is confident that this will allow them to review each and every application.
The meeting marked an important step towards resolving administrative delays and ensuring that home education families in the Western Cape receive timely recognition of their registration status and the Trust is grateful for the WCED’s time and the constructive discussions.
In the picture: Mr Alan Meyer, Mr Christopher Cordeiro, Mrs Karin van Oostrum, Mr Deon Louw
