Grade 1 and 8 placements to be completed by end November, says Education Dept

JOHANNESBURG - The national Department of Education says pupil placements for the 2025 academic year will be complete before the end of November.

It’s added that due to an influx of pupils entering the system and minimal capacity, Grades 1 and 8 are particularly challenging to complete. 

Gauteng and the Western Cape have been flagged as provinces with the most pressing overcrowding issues.

Education Department’s Elijah Mhlanga: “Every year in January we have to battle with spaces for learners regarding late applications and those matters of unresolved admission processes where applications would have been made but a dispute would have arisen between the parents and the school in terms of the choice of the school. But all of those things will be resolved.”