The MEC expressed confidence in reaching 100% placement before the end of November.
Parents have been urged to thoroughly research schools before accepting placement offers as Gauteng prepares to send admission notifications from 16 October for the 2026 academic year.
MEC for Education Matome Chiloane emphasised that parents must understand school fee structures and other details before making decisions.
He warned that changes of mind after accepting placements will not be accommodated.
“It is also very important that parents should have done their homework when they choose schools. Because the issue of fees is no longer non-negotiable, especially from ourselves as a department,” Chiloane said.
Chiloane revealed that the province has achieved an 88.39% placement rate for grade 1 and 8 pupils.
Nearly 90% of parents will receive SMS placement offers. However, 51 947 applications remain incomplete and will not be placed during this round.
Fee-paying schools non-negotiable
Chiloane issued a stern warning about fee-paying schools. He said parents who applied to such schools must pay the required fees.
The MEC rejected requests for exemptions or transfers based on affordability concerns discovered after placement.
He recounted a recent call from a parent who sought a transfer after discovering high school fees at their assigned school. He firmly rejected the request.
“And I was very frank with her; How am I going to do that? Now, where am I sitting? So I must go to some school, force them to remove a learner so that I can put you, your child?” Chiloane questioned.
Financial pressures across the education system make fee compliance essential. He told of instructing a teacher at a fee-paying school who refused to pay fees, leading to their salary being garnished.
“I told the school to take their salary. Don’t pay here. Take your salary and pay the fees. Because it’s not gonna work. It’s not working. It’s collapsing some of our former model-c schools,” he said.
He further emphasised that parents who take children to fee-paying schools but refuse to pay are contributing to institutional collapse.
The MEC highlighted that several no-fee schools appear among the province’s top performers, including Pumlani Secondary, Kaalfontein Secondary School, Ekurhuleni Technical High School, and Vuwani Science schools.
“So it does not matter whether it’s a no-fee or fee. But if you’re taking a child to a fee, you’re going to have to pay. I’ve given schools leeway to do whatever it takes to get your fees back,” Chiloane said.
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School selection not a priority ranking
The MEC clarified a common misconception about the application process. When parents select multiple schools, the department does not consider the order as a priority ranking.
“When you were applying and you chose schools, it does not mean that if you’ve started with Parktown Girls High, to us it’s your first choice. If you choose Parktown Girls High and choose another school and choose another school and choose another five schools, for us, we take it as saying I am happy if my child can go to any of the five schools,” he explained.
Chiloane said appeals will only be accepted from parents whose children were placed at schools they did not select.
“The only parents who will be allowed to appeal are those who would have placed their pupils at schools that they did not apply for. Anyone else, their appeal will not be accepted at all,” he stated.
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High-pressure schools and capacity limits
The province received approximately 820 000 applications for 354 916 grade 1 places and 465 434 grade 8 places. These figures include multiple applications from single parents.
According to the department, grade 1 has approximately 40 000 available spaces. Meanwhile, grade 8 faces significant pressure with only 6 640 spaces remaining.
The department identified 408 schools that received applications exceeding their capacity, representing approximately 40 762 excess applications.
Chiloane said when schools reach full capacity, students will be placed at nearby schools. He said the department works within reasonable distances from the schools it applies to.
Incomplete applications excluded
Complete applications require all necessary documentation, including proof of residential address that is valid, legible and authentic.
Applications without the required documents will not be considered.
“If you have not completed the application and you’ve just registered on the system and left it, we are not going to place. We’re not even going to consider your child now. We’re dealing with completed applications, parents that have complied,” Chiloane said.
Parents with incomplete applications can only access available spaces when the system reopens on 11 December.
Acceptance process and timeline
Parents have seven days to accept or reject placement offers. After this period, placements become automatic.
Some pupils may receive offers from multiple schools.
“Once they’ve chosen one, the other three school spaces will then automatically open, allowing us an opportunity to bring in more pupils,” Chiloane explained.
The MEC expressed confidence in reaching 100% placement before the end of November.
Parents should check the online system if they do not receive SMS notifications. They can contact the toll-free hotline at 0800 000 79, use the WhatsApp line at 060 891 0361, or visit district offices and schools for assistance.
The department has identified 223 schools to receive 786 mobile classrooms. Approximately 10 new schools are expected to open between the end of 2025 and the first term of 2026.
“For quite a number of years, we’ve struggled with the pace of building schools. Now that we’ve turned the corner, we are starting to see schools,” Chiloane said.
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