Maile urged parents not to delay their applications, stressing that timeous registration helps the department plan its resources.
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More than 210 000 applications for Grade 1 and Grade 8 public school placements were submitted within hours of the Gauteng Department of Education’s (GDE) 2027 Online Admissions system going live, the department said on Wednesday.
According to the department, the system opened at 8am on Wednesday, 5 August 2026, and by 12pm, 210 055 applications had already been submitted.
Even before the system opened, 12 058 parents had joined the online queue between 7.30am and 7.59am in order to apply as soon as it became available.
Tshwane West school leads with 1k applications
The department said the process had run smoothly, with no major technical problems reported.
Gauteng MEC for education, sport, arts, culture and recreation, Lebogang Maile, welcomed the progress made on the first day and said improvements to the system were still planned.
“We are going to improve it further and resolve the problems that parents face,” Maile said.
He added that parents had submitted suggestions through email and social media. “We are considering all of them,” he said.
The Ekurhuleni South and Tshwane West districts recorded the highest demand so far.
Hoërskool Langenhoven in Tshwane West received the most applications among secondary schools, with 1 168, followed by Alberton High School with 1 098 and Hoërskool Akasia with 917.
Among primary schools, Rachel de Beer Primary School led with 474 applications.
Parents urged to apply early
Maile urged parents not to delay their applications, stressing that timeous registration helped the department plan resources. “The parents must not wait. They must register as soon as possible. They must not wait until the last moment,” he said.
Early data submitted through the system, he explained, allowed the department to determine future needs. “It helps us to know if we need more teachers… more teacher support materials… if there’s going to be more kids who need school transport, who need school nutrition,” Maile said.
Warning against fraudsters
The department also cautioned parents against fraudsters falsely claiming to represent the department or offering guaranteed placements for payment, stressing that Online Admissions was completely free.
Parents needing help were encouraged to visit any of the department’s 48 walk-in centres, 15 district offices or public schools, where trained officials were available at no cost.
Applications close at midnight on Friday, 4 September 2026, and can be submitted via the GDE admissions website.
