Equal Education and the Equal Education Law Centre are celebrating after the Western Cape High Court ordered education authorities to find spaces for unplaced learners.

Western Cape Education MEC David Maynier says legal action taken against his department to resolve cases of unplaced learners could have been easily resolved out of court.

He also said that most previously unplaced learners had now found places in schools.

Maynier was reacting to a joint statement issued by Equal Education (EE) and the Equal Education Law Centre (EELC) on Tuesday in the wake of a Western Cape High Court order on Friday 17 May. The Western Cape government was ordered to find spaces in schools for learners who remained unplaced in this academic year.

EE and the EELC filed papers in April against the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) and the national Department of Basic Education (DBE).

Maynier said the matter could have been resolved through engagement with the WCED.

"Most of the learners named in Equal Education's initial application were placed, or were in the process of being placed, at the time of their application," he said.

Where EE included additional names through their court papers, Maynier said they had moved quickly to resolve the new cases.

"We remain committed to providing quality education to all learners, and we are working hard to build more schools...