Last call for online applications for Grade 1 and 8 at Gauteng schools. Parents and guardians have until midnight on Wednesday to submit online applications for placements for the 2025 academic year.
The Gauteng education department has also appealed to parents and guardians who have not completed their applications to also do so by midnight on August 14.
Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane said the department has 96, 411 incomplete applications on its system.
The department uses a five-step application system. This must be complied with in full for the application to be considered complete.
August 21: Deadline for outstanding documents submissions
Majority of the incomplete applications, 67, 237, comprises applications that do not contain application documents. The documents include certified copies of ID documents, birth certificates, proof of address, academic reports and immunisation cards.
Briefing the media on progress of the online applications on August 11, Chiloane reminded parents and guardians to submit the supporting document for the application by midday on August 21.
“A certified copy of the proof of home address is an essential document. It is used to determine placement,” said Chiloane.
“Applicants who have not submitted or uploaded certified copies of proof of home address by 21 August 2024, will have incomplete applications and therefore, will not receive any placement offers,” he added.
He warned parents and guardians against using fraudulent or invalid documents. The MEC said this could result in forfeiting the opportunity to receive placement offers.
The department has already received 768,666 Grade 1 and Grade 8 applications as of August 9. With 325, 712 for Grade 1 and 442 954 for Grade 8.
Application numbers up by 11,9k from last year
Chiloane noted that the number was up by 11, 991. This was from the 757, 075 applications received last year for the 2024 academic year.
“Parents and guardians who have already applied to schools are reminded of certified copies of documents. These must be submitted to schools or uploaded by 12:00 noon on August 21,” he said
The application deadline was initially August 12. But it was extended to make up for the system being down due to maintenance.
The department attributed the shutdown of its system to the State Information Technology Agency (Sita). It was upgrading the electrical infrastructure at its data centre.
The department said the upgrade necessitated a complete shutdown. This affected all applications and equipment at the Sita’s Centurion Data Centre August 8.
“As a result of this maintenance, the online admissions system was temporarily inaccessible,” the department said.
