Concerns over school admissions timetable in South Africa’s richest province

Parents remain in the dark because the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has yet to release the 2027 online admissions timetable for Grade 1 and Grade 8 learners.

This is the warning from Sergio Isa Dos Santos, a member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature and the Education Portfolio Committee.

“The department’s lack of communication and delays are creating uncertainty, threatening another admission crisis in Gauteng,” he said.

Dos Santos said that such a crisis will negatively impact learners and lead to missed valuable school time.

He called on the Gauteng Department of Education to announce the opening and closing dates for the 2027 Grade 1 and Grade 8 online admissions process.

“It is concerning that, year after year, parents are urged to prepare early to secure placements for their children,” Dos Santos said.

“However, the department responsible for managing the admissions process is failing to communicate even the most basic admissions timetable.”

This lack of communication confirms that this is not an administrative glitch but a pattern of poor planning and weak leadership.

He pointed to the 2026 admissions cycle, where many learners only received placements after schools had reopened.

In many cases, learners missed a term of teaching and learning due to the province’s admission crisis.

“As the time available to finalise placements shortens, the department comes under pressure to place learners before the start of the academic year,” he said.

“This often results in learners being placed at schools that were not among their parents’ preferred choices or at schools located far from their homes.”

Another concern related to the delay is that it raises concerns about the Gauteng Department of Education’s claims of available capacity.

“Although the Education Portfolio Committee was told that 53,234 Grade 1 and 8 spaces were available across Gauteng, many schools remain overcrowded,” he said.

“The longer the department delays announcing the admissions timetable, the less time remains to process applications, verify information, and finalise placements.”