Late applications for Gauteng grades 1 and 8 now open

The Gauteng Department of Education has opened late applications for grades 1 and 8 for 2024.

Only schools with space will take applications.

According to the department, parents must apply to only one school and they will be automatically placed at the said school.

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Documents must be submitted to schools when schools open on 17 January 2024.

“Yes we are ready [for the applications]. We are availing schools that have space, they will be in the system. We are encouraging parents who might have missed the boat to apply online. There are those who might have decided to come to Gauteng, we’re giving them until 31 January.

“They still have time to apply online. They need to submit documents at schools on 17 January when schools reopen,” spokesperson Steve Mabona told Newzroom Afrika.

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“In Gauteng we have enough schools, the only challenge is that they are not in the preferred areas.”

Western Cape applications

In the Western Cape, the department was still working on placing pupils as late applications continued to flood in.

As at 11 December 2023, the province had allocated places for 99.43% or 120 778 pupils for whom applications were received for grades 1 and 8 for the 2024 school year.

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“We understand that this is a stressful and anxious period for these parents. As a department, we are asking parents to work with us as we try to accommodate their children as soon as possible. We are exploring all available options to find a place for these pupils for the start of the school year,” said the department.

The province plans to build nine new schools to accommodate the pupils applying for the 2024 school year, as well as 496 classrooms in areas of high demand for placement.

“In total, our revised plan aims to deliver 608 additional classrooms across the province, which is still more than double the average number built annually before 2022/2023, despite the infrastructure budget cut,” it said.

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“We will work to place every learner for whom an application is received going forward, but we want to be clear that Western Cape schools are full, and thus we appeal for patience from parents submitting new applications as they may not be placed before the end of the first term.”