Pretoria: Gauteng MEC for Education, Matome Chiloane, has announced the complete placement of the remaining Grade 1 and Grade 8 learners, whose parents and guardians applied online through the 2026 Online Admissions system.
According to South African Government News Agency, the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) revealed that approximately 484 Grade 1 and Grade 8 learners were initially unplaced in Ekurhuleni, specifically in Tembisa and Kempton Park. However, by Tuesday evening on 3 March, all remaining learners had been successfully placed in alternative schools within the respective areas.
The total number of Grade 1 and Grade 8 learners placed for the 2026 academic year through Gauteng's Online Admissions system is 392,224. The main application period, which ran from 24 July to 5 August 2025, accounted for the majority of these applications. Meanwhile, 8.5% of the applications, totalling 33,650, were submitted during the late application period from 17 December 2025 to 30 January 2026.
The department expressed its appreciation for the patience shown by parents and guardians during the placement process. It assured that schools will implement catch-up plans to help learners recover any curriculum time that was lost. Chiloane highlighted the importance of the Online Admissions system as a tool for ensuring accessibility to all schools in the province.
Chiloane also mentioned ongoing efforts to improve the admissions system to alleviate frustrations experienced during the process. Additionally, the Gauteng government plans to construct 18 new schools to increase capacity in identified high-pressure areas.