Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) received more than 720 000 applications for Grade 1 and Grade 8 school placements for the 2024 school year. They were successfully submitted within the prescribed period from 15 June to 21 July 2023.
Gauteng education MEC, Matome Chiloane lauded the GDE’s online application system and how thousands of school admission applications were processed on time without any hassles.
I would like to thank those parents and guardians who took time to ensure that they play their part in ensuring that on time. By Thursday 20 July 2023, our system had recorded 310 994 Grade 1 and no less than 413 208 Grade 8 applications, bringing the total applications to 724 202.
Parents Urged To Submit Outstanding Documents
For those who successfully submitted their applications on or before 21 July 2023, the next step is to provide all required documents by 12:00 noon on 28 July 2023.
Failure to submit the necessary documents by the deadline will result in applications being considered incomplete, and applicants will forfeit the opportunity for placement once the placement period begins.
Required Documents
Applicants are reminded to submit certified copies, not older than three months, of the following documents:
- Copy of Child's Birth Certificate
- Proof of Parent's/Guardian's Residential or Work Address
- Immunisation Card for Grade 1
- Latest Report Card
- Parents'/Guardian's Copy of Identity Document
- Study Permit for Legal Immigrants
- Proof of Legal Guardianship if Not a Biological Parent
- Verification of Documents
Once all the required documents are submitted, the GDE will begin the verification process. The system will prompt schools to verify and update document status, whether uploaded online or submitted physically.
SMS notifications will be sent to parents to acknowledge submission and verification of documents. A report indicating the number of unverified documents per school will be generated on the School, District, and Provincial Dashboard.
Placement Offers and Acceptance Process
Upon successful completion of an application and verification of all documents, applicants must wait to receive placement offers. The placement period will begin on 4 September 2023, during which placement offers will be sent via SMS to parents and guardians with complete applications.
The department also acknowledged that it may not be possible to issue SMS notifications to all parents on the same day, so placement offers will be continuously sent until all learners have been placed.
Placement Subject to Criteria and Availability
All placements are subject to the priority of placement criteria and availability of space per school. In cases where schools have reached capacity, applicants will receive transfer offers for placement at the next closest school with available space.
Transfer offers are made only after confirming that none of the schools to which a parent applied has available space.
The department has further stated that the application process will now move forward with document verification and subsequent placement offers. Parents and guardians are urged to adhere to the deadlines and requirements to ensure a smooth and successful placement process for their children.
