Gauteng parents flood 2026 school admissions system with over 213 000 applications
More than 213 000 applications were successfully processed on the first day of the 2026 Gauteng online admissions period for Grades One and Eight, as parents rushed to secure placements for their children.
The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) processed more than 213 000 online school admissions applications within the first five hours of the 2026 application window opening.
According to Gauteng MEC for Education Matome Chiloane, the department’s online admissions portal went live at 08:00 on July 24, and recorded a surge of 78 645 applications in the first hour alone.
By 13:00, the number had climbed to 213 654 applications — 93 042 for Grade 1 and 120 612 for Grade 8.
Chiloane officially launched the 2026 admissions period at the YMCA in Ga-Rankuwa, where he assisted parents with navigating the online platform during a community engagement session.
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“Significantly, over 40 000 users attempted to access the admissions system before the official opening at 08:00, with some starting as early as 05:00,” the department noted in a statement.
“This early traffic caused temporary delays, which were resolved once the system went live.”
The GDE urged parents not to attempt logging in before the official opening time in future, as this can disrupt access for all users.
Applications are open until August 29. Parents and guardians must apply via the official platform at www.gdeadmissions.gov.za.
Once an application is submitted, all required supporting documents must be uploaded to the system or delivered to the selected schools within seven school days.
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To assist with applications, parents can visit any of the 81 decentralised walk-in centres across Gauteng or contact their nearest district office. The GDE call centre can be reached at 0800 000 789, or via WhatsApp at 060 891 0361.
Chiloane applauded the department for the smooth rollout and praised parents for their enthusiastic response.
“We are proud of this monumental achievement. It shows growing confidence in the online system, which has improved in performance and accessibility over the years,” he said.
