By Simon Nare
The Department of Basic Education has assured parents and the nation that all unplaced learners will be allocated schools when learning begins on Wednesday.
Minister Siviwe Gwarube’s spokesperson, Luvuyo Vangqa, told Inside Politics that provinces are making steady progress in clearing placement backlogs.
He said learner placement figures change daily and provinces have committed to accommodating all learners as schools reopen for the 2026 academic year.
“It might not always be the parent’s school of choice due to extremely high demand in certain areas. However, we are encouraged by the progress shown by provinces as they address the backlog,” Vangqa said.
As of Tuesday, January 6, Gauteng’s online admissions system recorded 4,858 unplaced Grade 1 and Grade 8 learners — comprising 1,381 Grade 1 and 3,477 Grade 8 learners.
Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane said the figures reflected sustained progress in learner placement for the 2026 academic year.
“This represents approximately 1.5% of the total 358,574 complete applications received for 2026, which include 175,792 Grade 1 and 182,782 Grade 8 applicants,” Chiloane said.
He added that placement and transfer offers are being released daily, supported by targeted interventions in high-pressure districts.
“The department continues to work to ensure that all remaining learners are placed as efficiently and fairly as possible, in line with regulated admissions criteria and available school capacity,” he said.
Chiloane noted that most unplaced learners are concentrated in urban areas, where population growth and infrastructure constraints continue to strain school capacity.
Ekurhuleni currently has the highest number of unplaced learners, followed by Johannesburg, Tshwane, Sedibeng and the West Rand. Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg remain priority districts for placement.
During the late application period, which opened on December 17, 2025, a total of 11,183 applications were received and processed.
Meanwhile, the Western Cape reported about 7,200 unplaced learners, while Mpumalanga said more than 9,800 learners still require placement.
INSIDE EDUCATION
