An ID holds the key to your future

Written by Samona Murugan

Apply for an ID now

An identity document (ID) holds the key to your future. It is required when you write your examinations, apply for further study or enter the job market. It is also essential when opening a bank account, applying for loans or acquiring assets. Learners who are completing Grade 12 or who are turning 16 this year are therefore urged to apply for their ID as soon as possible.

The Department of Education, together with Home Affairs, has launched a campaign to encourage all learners to start the process of applying for IDs now. This will avoid the last minute rush before their final exams. Officials from the Department of Home Affairs will visit schools in all provinces to assist students to complete application forms for their IDs. Learners in Grade 12 who do not have IDs and learners turning 16 in 2011 will be able to apply for their IDs through the campaign.

Parents are encouraged to help their children to apply for their IDs at their nearest Home Affairs offices.

Part of the preparations for your final examinations later this year, is to ensure you are in possession of a green bar coded identity document.” said Home Affairs Minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.

Call centre

To apply for your ID, you will need your birth certificate and two ID-sized photographs of yourself. A 24-hour call centre has been established to assist matriculants with applications for their IDs.

Learners who have already applied for their IDs, but have not yet received them can also phone the call centre to track progress. When making inquiries, matriculants wishing to track the progress of their ID applications, must provide the following:

their full names, surname and identity number as it appears on the birth certificate
an examination number
an examination centre number
a contact telephone number.

Mpumalanga gets more no-fee schools
More than 460 schools were declared no-fee schools in Mpumalanga this year. This means that parents whose children attend these schools do not have to pay any school fees. The Department of Education increased the number of no-fee schools from 952 last year, to 1 416 this year to help parents who struggle financially and cannot afford to pay school fees.
Education spokesperson for Mpumalanga, Jasper Zwane, said 75 per cent of the province's schools were now no-fee schools. Schools in Manyeleti, White River, Middelburg, Piet Retief, Emalahleni and Bushbuckridge are among the newly-named no-fee schools.
To ensure the smooth transition of the schools, government officials visited the new no-fee schools. The schools have received their learner material and lessons have commenced successfully. Parents were overjoyed and relieved that their children could continue schooling without paying school fees.

For more information, contact the call centre on: 0800 601190 or 0800 204476. You will receive an SMS informing you when to collect your ID

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