Gauteng MEC for Education urges parents to accept school placements before deadline looms

Gauteng MEC for Education, Matome Chiloane, has revealed that more than 11,866 learners and their parents have not responded to online application offers.

On Thursday, Chiloane briefed the media on the latest progress regarding Grade 1 and Grade 8 learner placements for the 2026 academic year.

This comes as the online applications, which have been cited for massive delays in learner placements, closed at the end of August, with parents receiving placement offers from October 16, 2025.

The MEC urged parents to accept the offers as time is running out before the schools reopen in January 2026.

"I have spoken earlier about the 11,866 offers. In the next seven days, we will automatically place these numbers. Therefore, I would urge parents to accept these offers, because this delays the conclusion of these processes," he said.

The MEC further said that as of December 3, 2025, more than 317,000 Grade 1 and 8 pupils have already secured school placement ahead of the end-of-year holidays.

He indicated that this number accounts for 89% of all applications in the province, a good sign despite the outstanding placement offers.

Chiloane said the department is confident that it will have accommodated all 11,866 outstanding learners by the end of next week.

"As of December 3, 317,988 Grade 1 and Grade 8 learners have already secured placement, which is 88.7% of all applicants. Placement and transfer offers continue to be issued daily, but more than 11,800 offers remain unaccepted. We remain on course to issue all outstanding placement offers by December 12. Appeals are managed directly at district offices, where each case is evaluated responsibly and on its individual merits," he added.

One of the parents who has not accepted the offer is Thobeka Masinga from Soweto. Masinga revealed that part of the reason she has not accepted the offer is that the current offer places her child in a school that does not have the right environment for her child. 

"I have received an offer, but the school we have been allocated is corrupt. It is very bad and does not have the kind of environment I want my son to study under. For someone unemployed, I do not have many options," she stated.

Another Soweto-based parent, Nomonde Zondeki, who applied at two local schools in Protea Glen, said there is a lot of frustration among parents who want to explore schools outside their locations, as their home addresses are used as an indicator of which school to go to.

"While we understand the system, there are other parents who cannot find suitable schools for their children because they are location-bound. This creates frustration if you cannot find a suitable school for your child within your allocated location," she stated.

Chiloane also shared an update on the matric Class of 2025, saying this year's cohort has been the biggest in recent times, with more than 1,040 exam centres across the province.

He thanked Education officials for ensuring a smooth matric exam process, stating: "This has been the biggest cohort spread across 1,040 exam centres, strong monitoring, enhanced security and rapid interventions ensured smooth and credible exams, even where communities faced disruptions."

Chiloane further indicated that, as things stand, marking is under way and on track ahead of the provincial matric results announcement on January 13, 2026. 

siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za