Inside Gauteng’s school placement crunch as 4,858 learners wait

Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane has confirmed that 4,858 learners are still awaiting placement in the province’s 2026 Online Admissions process for Grade 1 and Grade 8, as the department continues efforts to finalise placements ahead of the new academic year.

The Gauteng Department of Education said the unplaced learners consist of 1,381 Grade 1 applicants and 3,477 Grade 8 applicants. This represents approximately 1.5% of the 358,574 completed applications received for 2026, which included 175,792 Grade 1 and 182,782 Grade 8 applications.

The department added that placement and transfer offers are being issued daily, with particular focus on high-demand areas, to ensure that all learners are placed fairly, efficiently and in line with school capacity and admissions regulations.

Unplaced learners concentrated in urban districts

Ekurhuleni remains the district with the highest number of unplaced learners, with a total of 3,169 still awaiting placement. Of these, Ekurhuleni North accounts for 1,741 learners (381 in Grade 1 and 1,360 in Grade 8), while Ekurhuleni South has 1,181 unplaced learners (569 Grade 1 and 612 Grade 8). Gauteng East has 247 learners still unplaced, including 85 in Grade 1 and 162 in Grade 8, with pressure particularly high in Grade 8 at Ekurhuleni North.

In Johannesburg, the remaining unplaced learners are concentrated in a few districts. Johannesburg East has 1,173 learners still awaiting placement (95 Grade 1 and 1,078 Grade 8), followed by Johannesburg South with 352 learners (250 Grade 1 and 102 Grade 8). Johannesburg North has only three unplaced learners, all in Grade 8.

Tshwane is close to completing its placements, with just 14 learners still unplaced (one in Grade 1 and 13 in Grade 8). Sedibeng and the West Rand have also made significant progress, with remaining cases largely stabilised. Sedibeng East has 70 unplaced learners, all in Grade 8.

Late applications still open

The Late Applications period, which opened on 17 December 2025 and closes 30 January 2026, has received 11,183 applications so far:
Grade 1: 5,701
Grade 8: 5,482

MEC Chiloane urged parents and guardians to take advantage of the system for late applications, particularly for those who missed the main application window or submitted incomplete applications.

The Department reported that a total of 6,736 placement appeals have been lodged, with only 637 objections pending adjudication. The process is advancing, with outcomes being communicated directly to parents and guardians.

“We are encouraged by the steady progress made in placing learners across Gauteng. We once again urge parents and guardians to remain patient and cooperative as the Department continues to work tirelessly to ensure that every Grade 1 and Grade 8 learner is placed for the 2026 academic year,” said Chiloane.