Johannesburg - The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) opened online applications for Grade 7 learners in public schools starting Grade 8 in 2022 on Tuesday with some glitches.
Phase 1 of the 2022 admissions opened for Grade 7 learners currently enrolled in Gauteng to apply for Grade 8 until September 3. The GDE’s online admissions application process for Grade 1s and 8s was split into two phases this year to ensure that the high placement demand is managed more efficiently.
“We are initially looking at over 183 000 registered candidates that are currently in Grade 7. That system opened at 8am (yesterday) and at this point we are happy that over 13 266 parents or applications have been successfully completed,” department head Edward Mosuwe said.
The figure increased to more than 17 057 completed applications by midday and over 132 000 SMSes, with application links sent to parents and guardians.
Learners outside the public schooling system eligible for Grade 8 and 1 will have to wait until September 13 to apply.
The head of department said the GDE experienced some glitches, including parents reporting that they were unable to log onto the system.
“We also want to advise parents that in the event that a parent has not complied with providing proper or complete details at the site of the school, the system will kick them out. We encourage parents and learners that the details they provided at the school where their child is currently enrolled are correct because it is that information that the department has taken and transported it into the currently online system.
“We give learners a choice of up to five schools, we are quite confident that we will have space and more beyond the over 183 000 we are talking about,” Mosuwe said.
Khume Ramulifho, DA Gauteng spokesperson for education, urged parents to use this opportunity to start applying immediately and not to wait until the last minute.
“The DA will continue to monitor the online admission process to ensure there are no glitches. We cannot have a repeat of previous years where deserving children are denied access to basic education on the first day of the new academic year because of the department’s incompetency to ensure all learners who applied on time are prioritised and placed in school,” Ramulifho said.
The Star