Lebogang Maile, Gauteng MEC for education, sport, arts, culture and recreation. (Photograph by GDE)
Gauteng education department MEC Lebogang Maile has announced the “successful” start of the 2027 online admissions application period for grades one and eight.
This year marks the 11th anniversary since the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) introduced its online admissions application system for the respective grades.
Marking the “switch-on” for 2027 at Sam Ntuli Sports Centre, in Thokoza township in Ekurhuleni, this morning, Maile said the department had already received over 1 000 applications, stressing that the system is working.
“We did tell people that the system will work and it has not crashed,” he noted. “We hope it doesn’t [crash], but we have done our best to make sure things run smoothly. We’re improving the system and will continue to do so, making sure it resolves the problems that parents usually encounter when they apply.
“Some parents have approached us with suggestions; they’ve sent e-mails and reached out on social media…we’re considering all of those. For now, we’re working on the system that we’ve put together.
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“We’ll definitely come up with a much better system in the coming years,” he stated, urging parents to not delay submitting their applications, or wait until the last moment to apply.
“Receiving applications timeously helps us to plan and determine if we need more schools, more teachers, desks, teacher-support material and scholar transport solutions.”
According to the GDE, the system has, over the years, “fairly and transparently” secured school placements for millions of grades one and eight learners at public schools close to their parents’ or guardians’ homes and workplaces.
The provincial education department introduced the school online admissions system for grades one and eight learners in 2016, under leadership of premier Panyaza Lesufi. This was part of the department’s effort to prevent long queues and encourage a tech-savvy school registration process.
The system, however, has often been prone to hiccups, ranging from the inability to handle multiple users at a time and the department failing to communicate on time with parents on the status of their children’s applications, to finding schools for unplaced learners at the start of every academic year.
It’s also been reported that the system was prone to manipulation by some officials in schools and district offices. Past MECs have previously acknowledged the system’s teething problems.
The online applications portal is here. For more information and queries, parents and guardians are urged to contact the department on 0800 000 789, or via WhatsApp on 060 891 0361.
Alternatively, they can send an e-mail to [email protected].
