Grade 1 and Grade 8 applications: Still 77 000 pupils unplaced in Gauteng

Gauteng Department of Education said it is making progress despite the "significant" number of unplaced pupils in the province The Gauteng Department of Education on Sunday said there are almost 80 000 pupils who have not been placed in either Grade1 or Grade 8 for the 2027 school year. The department said it received 346 495 applications for the 2027 academic year, with 169 182 of those for Grade 1 pupils and 177 313 applications for Grade 8. 77 000 pupils unplaced While the department said it has made “significant progress” in placing those pupils, only 267 742 pupils have been placed so far. With 137 471 Grade 1 pupils placed, it represents a placement rate of 81.26%. For Grade 8, the 130 271 placements so far is only 73.47% of what’s needed. In total, 77 414 school applicants remain unplaced (30 527 in Grade 1 and 46 887 in Grade 8). “While this number is significant, it must be understood within the context of space availability,” said Gauteng MEC for Education Lebogang Maile. He said while there are 139 024 available spaces, they might not be at the schools or in areas where demand is highest. “Gauteng does not experience uniform pressure across its schooling system. Some schools have available capacity while others receive substantially more applications than they can reasonably accommodate.” Population growth in Gauteng Maile blamed the high population growth in the province. “Gauteng not only has the highest population of any province in the country, but it also experiences significant migration as it attracts families seeking employment opportunities, improved livelihoods and access to public services,” he said. The MEC said 278 schools have reached capacity in Gauteng. “Unplaced applicants that cannot be accommodated at these 278 schools are being transferred to the next closest school with available space.” Maile said applications are concentrated in the cities, with the highest volumes seen in the metros of Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni. School admission system Maile defended his department’s online admission system, saying it promotes greater transparency and fairness in allocating school spaces. He emphasised that placement is not determined by a first-come, first-served approach. “The process takes into consideration applicable admissions criteria, including feeder zones, the location of a learner’s residence or a parent’s workplace, sibling relationships and other relevant circumstances.” Maile, however, said some parents are also partly responsible for the backlog in school placements. He said 10 983 school offers have not been responded to by parents, while more than 1 300 offers have only been provisionally accepted. The MEC said parents are normally required to respond to these offers within seven days. “Together, this represents 12 322 offers that have not reached final confirmation. When an offer is not accepted or declined within the prescribed period, a space may remain temporarily unavailable to another learner who needs placement.” Maile added that all pupils will be placed in schools, “but unfortunately not all [of them] will be placed at their parents’ preferred school due to practical space constraints”.