The Gauteng Department of Education has announced that it has processed 213 000 applications for learners who will be in Grade 1 and Grade 8 next year.
Applications were done online on Thursday, and these were quickly processed by 1pm after the online admission registration was officially opened.
According to the MEC of education, Matome Chiloane, the first batch of close to 80 000 registrations was done in an hour, just after 8am.
“The 2026 Online Admissions application period for Grade 1 and Grade 8 in Gauteng commenced on Thursday at 8am.
“Within the first hour alone, the system had recorded a total of 78 645 Grade 1 and Grade 8 applications. This translates to 32 584 Grade 1 applications and 46 061 Grade 8 applications recorded within the first hour,” said Chiloane.
He added that by 1pm, the number had risen to 213 654.
“This comprised of 93 042 Grade 1 applications and 120 612 Grade 8 applications. As part of the start of the much-anticipated application period.
Chiloane led the official Switch-On at the YMCA in Ga-Rankuwa, Tshwane, where he assisted parents and guardians in navigating the online application process for the 2026 academic year.
Rush to register
As a sign of dedication for the education of their kids, over 40,000 users, who are mostly parents and guardians of the pupils, had made a point to try access the system even before the official 8am opening time, with some starting as early as 5am.
“This early surge caused temporary delays for some users, who had to refresh the page before gaining access once the system went live.
“We therefore urge parents and guardians in the future to refrain from trying to log in before the official start time to avoid unnecessary access issues,” said Chiloane.
The department said that the 2026 online admissions application window will remain open until August 29 2025.
“Parents and guardians can apply by visiting www.gdeadmissions.gov.za, also upload required documents to the system or submit them directly to the schools applied to within seven school days of applying.
The department also urged parents and guardians who require assistance to visit their nearest district office or one of the 81 decentralised walk-in centres across Gauteng, as well as calling the Gauteng department of education call centre on 0800 000 789, or by sending a message on WhatsApp to 060 891 0361.
“We are proud of this monumental achievement, processing such a high number of applications on the first day.
“This success reflects the improvements made to the system, which operated smoothly overall, despite a brief delay experienced by users who tried accessing the site before it officially opened. We encourage parents not to panic. The system will remain open until 29 August, giving ample time to apply,” said Chiloane.
