Gauteng MEC for Education, Matome Chiloane, has announced the complete placement of all remaining Grade 1 and Grade 8 learners whose parents and guardians applied through the 2026 Online Admissions system.

Approximately 484 Grade 1 and Grade 8 learners in Ekurhuleni, specifically in Thembisa and Kempton Park, had initially remained unplaced.

By Tuesday evening, March 3, 2026, the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) confirmed that all outstanding learners had been successfully placed at alternative schools within their respective areas.

In total, 392 224 Grade 1 and Grade 8 learners have been placed for the 2026 academic year through Gauteng’s Online Admissions system. The majority of applications were received during the main application window, which ran from July 24 to August 5, 2025.

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Meanwhile, 8.5% (33 650) of applications were submitted during the late application period, from December 17, 2025, to January 30, 2026.

The department expressed sincere appreciation for the patience and resilience shown by parents and guardians while efforts were underway to secure placements for all remaining learners.

Schools will implement appropriate catch-up plans to assist learners in recovering any curriculum time lost.

“The Online Admissions system remains an important transformation tool to ensure all our schools are accessible to all our children. We are pleased to have demonstrated this through the placement of all applicants who applied online.

“However, we are determined to improve the system to ease some of the frustrations encountered during this process. In addition to system improvements, the Gauteng government will be constructing 18 additional new schools to increase capacity in the high-pressure areas that we have identified,” said Chiloane.