Almost 5k Grade 1 and 8 learners await school placement, says Gauteng Edu Dept

The Gauteng Education Department (GDE) has confirmed that 4,858 learners remain unplaced in the province.

This was revealed in a statement that the department released on Tuesday.

It noted that the bulk of the unplaced learners are in urban and metropolitan areas.

This comes as the school year is set to begin next Wednesday.

As of Tuesday, more than 1,300 Grade 1 learners are yet to be placed in a school, while 3,477 Grade 8 learners are not yet enrolled.

The department said that it is continuously releasing placement and transfer offers.

GDE spokesperson Steve Mabona said the learners who have not yet been placed comprise a small percentage of the total number of applicants.

“We have placed over 358,000 already of learners already, so we continue with this process, and we are comforted that we should be in a position to accommodate the learners. We reflect the high-pressure areas. We are recording high numbers of high pressure.”

Mabona added that the late application period, which commenced on 17 December last year, will close end of this month.

Parents are urged to visit selected schools from 14 January 2025 to submit all required documents.

All late applications that are processed will receive final placement in schools selected by parents, subject to availability.

Mabona further explained only schools that have capacity will appear on their system.