Relief has finally arrived for hundreds of anxious families after the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) confirmed the placement of the last 484 unplaced Grade 1 and Grade 8 learners in Ekurhuleni, officially bringing the 2026 admissions process to a close.
GDE spokesperson Steve Mabona said by Tuesday evening, March 3, the department had successfully placed all remaining learners at alternative schools in Tembisa and Kempton Park.
Mabona revealed that a total of 392 224 Grade 1 and Grade 8 learners have been placed for the 2026 academic year through Gauteng’s Online Admissions system. Of these, just 8.5% (33 650) applications were submitted during the late application window between 17 December 2025 and 30 January 2026.
“The main application period, which ran 24 July to 5 August 2025, accounts for a majority of these applications. Meanwhile, 8.5% (33 650) of these applications were made during the late application period from 17 December 2025 to 30 January 2026,” he added.
The department said schools will implement catch-up plans to help affected learners recover lost curriculum time and thanked parents for their patience while placements were finalised.
Meanwhile, Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane reaffirmed the province’s commitment to strengthening the online admissions system and expanding school infrastructure to meet growing demand.
“The Online Admissions system remains an important transformation tool to ensure all our schools are accessible to all our children. We are pleased to have demonstrated this through the placement of all applicants who applied online. However, we are determined to improve the system to ease some of the frustrations that are encountered during this process.
In addition to system improvements, the Gauteng government will be constructing 18 additional new schools to increase capacity in the high-pressure areas that we have identified,” said Chiloane.
The Star