Latest news with #GautengMECforEducation
The Citizen
6 days ago
- General
- The Citizen
Gauteng 2026 Grade 1 and 8 online school admissions open July 24
The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has announced the 2026 Online Admissions for Grade One and Grade Eight Application Period, which will open on July 24 at 08:00 and close on August 29 at midnight. Gauteng MEC for Education, Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Matome Chiloane said it had been 10 years of online admissions. Since its introduction in 2015 in Gauteng, the GDE Online Admissions Application System has successfully assisted hundreds of thousands of parents and guardians in securing a space for their children entering Grade One and Grade Eight at Gauteng public schools. • This system has proven to be much more advanced than the previous manual application approach, which led to thousands of parents and guardians camping outside of certain schools, especially in high-pressure areas, for days when seeking placement. • Accordingly, the system has a 98% placement rate of all complete applications submitted online for 10 consecutive years up to and including the 2025 academic year, when close to 400 000 learners were placed. • For the 2026 academic year, the department intends to continue to ensure that all learners in the Gauteng Province are placed in schools based on reasonable, fair and just admissions criteria. Online admissions system The Online Admissions Application System was created with the intention to achieve the following objectives: • Easy online submission of Grade One and Grade Eight applications by parents and guardians from the comfort of their homes, offices or any one of the Decentralised Admissions Walk-in Centres across the province; • Queue elimination – eliminating the need for parents to wait in long queues at schools during application periods; • Timely placement – all learners are placed within specific timeframes using a sophisticated system; • Capacity-based placement – schools place learners according to their capacity, adhering to infrastructure norms and standards (learners are placed according to the admissions regulations and the school's entry grade capacity, adhering to infrastructure norms and standards); • Efficient management – streamlining of admissions processes across Gauteng; • Provision of accurate statistics for planning and reporting purposes; • Immediate access to data and statistics to facilitate a transparent admissions process; • Centralised database to inform resourcing needs across all functions. The process All parents and guardians in Gauteng with children going to Grade One and/or Grade Eight in the 2026 Academic year must apply online to be admitted to a Gauteng public school. • All applications for Grade One and Grade Eight learners will be processed through the GDE Online Admissions System only. • Parents and guardians applying for Grade One and Grade Eight must all apply during the application period (July 24 to August 29). • Parents must apply within the application period because schools become full and will not be available for late applications. Parents applying late do not have a wide choice of schools. • Entry grade for 2026 admissions is Grade One. • Parents with children who are currently in Grade R must also apply online for their children to be admitted to Grade One (there's no automatic progression to Grade One). • All Grade One applications will be processed and qualified in line with the admissions regulations. • Parents are reminded that the GDE Online Admissions System currently only services applications to Grade One and Grade Eight. • Applications to other grades must be made directly at the school(s) of your choice. 2026 online admissions application period To apply, parents and guardians must first register on: which will go live on July 24 at 08:00 for applications • Parents will not be able to access the system before it goes live on July 24. • All parents are expected to register, as previous login details will no longer be valid. • Only parents with children going to Grade One and/or Grade Eight seeking space at a public school in Gauteng for the 2026 academic year will be able to register and apply online. • Applications will then close on August 29 at midnight. • No new applications will be accepted once the application period has closed. • After registering on the system will prompt parents to create login credentials (username and password), which they will use to access the Online Admissions System to view and manage their application details. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
01-06-2025
- General
- The Citizen
Register for 2026 academic year
The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has announced the 2026 Online Admissions for Grade One and Grade Eight Application Period, which will open on July 24 at 08:00 and close on August 29 at midnight. Gauteng MEC for Education, Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Matome Chiloane said it had been 10 years of online admissions. Since its introduction in 2015 in Gauteng, the GDE Online Admissions Application System has successfully assisted hundreds of thousands of parents and guardians in securing a space for their children entering Grade One and Grade Eight at Gauteng public schools. • This system has proven to be much more advanced than the previous manual application approach, which led to thousands of parents and guardians camping outside of certain schools, especially in high-pressure areas, for days when seeking placement. • Accordingly, the system has a 98% placement rate of all complete applications submitted online for 10 consecutive years up to and including the 2025 academic year, when close to 400 000 learners were placed. • For the 2026 academic year, the department intends to continue to ensure that all learners in the Gauteng Province are placed in schools based on reasonable, fair and just admissions criteria. Online admissions system The Online Admissions Application System was created with the intention to achieve the following objectives: • Easy online submission of Grade One and Grade Eight applications by parents and guardians from the comfort of their homes, offices or any one of the Decentralised Admissions Walk-in Centres across the province; • Queue elimination – eliminating the need for parents to wait in long queues at schools during application periods; • Timely placement – all learners are placed within specific timeframes using a sophisticated system; • Capacity-based placement – schools place learners according to their capacity, adhering to infrastructure norms and standards (learners are placed according to the admissions regulations and the school's entry grade capacity, adhering to infrastructure norms and standards); • Efficient management – streamlining of admissions processes across Gauteng; • Provision of accurate statistics for planning and reporting purposes; • Immediate access to data and statistics to facilitate a transparent admissions process; • Centralised database to inform resourcing needs across all functions. The process All parents and guardians in Gauteng with children going to Grade One and/or Grade Eight in the 2026 Academic year must apply online to be admitted to a Gauteng public school. • All applications for Grade One and Grade Eight learners will be processed through the GDE Online Admissions System only. • Parents and guardians applying for Grade One and Grade Eight must all apply during the application period (July 24 to August 29). • Parents must apply within the application period because schools become full and will not be available for late applications. Parents applying late do not have a wide choice of schools. • Entry grade for 2026 admissions is Grade One. • Parents with children who are currently in Grade R must also apply online for their children to be admitted to Grade One (there's no automatic progression to Grade One). • All Grade One applications will be processed and qualified in line with the admissions regulations. • Parents are reminded that the GDE Online Admissions System currently only services applications to Grade One and Grade Eight. • Applications to other grades must be made directly at the school(s) of your choice. 2026 online admissions application period To apply, parents and guardians must first register on: which will go live on July 24 at 08:00 for applications • Parents will not be able to access the system before it goes live on July 24. • All parents are expected to register, as previous login details will no longer be valid. • Only parents with children going to Grade One and/or Grade Eight seeking space at a public school in Gauteng for the 2026 academic year will be able to register and apply online. • Applications will then close on August 29 at midnight. • No new applications will be accepted once the application period has closed. • After registering on the system will prompt parents to create login credentials (username and password), which they will use to access the Online Admissions System to view and manage their application details. • Parents must remember to read and accept the terms and conditions. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
29-05-2025
- General
- The Citizen
Gauteng education drops 2026 school admission dates
According to the department, all applications must be submitted via the GDE Online Admissions System. The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has officially announced the dates for the 2026 online admissions for Grade 1 and Grade 8 pupils. This was announced on Thursday by Gauteng MEC for Education, Matome Chiloane, during a media briefing at Greenside High School in Johannesburg. The application window will open on Thursday, 24 July 2025, at 8am and close on Friday, 29 August 2025, at midnight. According to the department, all applications must be submitted via the GDE Online Admissions System. 'All parents and guardians in Gauteng with children going to Grade 1 or Grade 8 in the 2026 Academic Year must apply online,' the department said. Here is how to apply Parents are urged to apply within the designated period to avoid limited school choices. It further highlighted that school capacities fill quickly. 'Parents applying late do not have a wide choice of schools,' the GDE warned, To ensure a successful application, parents must complete the five-step online process: Register parent/guardian details Register home address Register the student's details Apply to a maximum of five schools Upload or submit supporting documents within seven school days Failure to complete all five steps will result in the application being deemed incomplete. 'Applicants who have registered their details without applying to any school will not be considered for placement,' the department cautioned. ALSO READ: More issues at GDE: Principal probe, school fires, and budget tug-of-war unpacked Documents required According to the department, the certified copies of the following documents are needed: Parent ID, Child's birth certificate, Proof of home and work addresses, Grade 7 report (for Grade 8 applicants), and clinic card (for Grade 1 applicants). These can be uploaded online or submitted in person at selected schools. Placement SMSes will be sent to parents from 16 October 2025, and the department has committed to placing every learner. 'The placement period will continue until the very last learner is placed,' it confirmed. ALSO READ: Jobs for cash, missing millions and fire chaos: Gauteng education responds to school scandals Free help available According to the GDE, to support applicants without internet access, the department has set up 81 decentralised walk-in centres across Gauteng. Assistance at these centres is free. 'Parents should not go to businesses that require them to pay a fee under the guise of helping them apply,' the department stressed. For more details, parents are urged to visit the Gauteng Department of Education's website or call 0800 000 789. NOW READ: Snakes and poor conditions for learning: Parents fear for their children's lives at Gauteng school
IOL News
07-05-2025
- Automotive
- IOL News
New Ribane-Laka School of Specialisation opens in Mamelodi, focusing on automotive and electronics skills
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi was flanked by two learners at Ribane-Laka Maths, Science and ICT School of Specialisation in Mamelodi during its launch on Wednesday. Image: Supplied The newly-launched Ribane-Laka Maths, Science and ICT School of Specialisation in Mamelodi township, rebuilt at a cost of R148 million, will offer learners an opportunity to gain skills in electronics and automotive sectors from an early stage, marking a new chapter for them. Gauteng MEC for Education, Matome Chiloane, announced during the school's unveiling ceremony that the school of specialisation will focus on automotive and electronics, aiming to advance the 4th Industrial Revolution. 'As much as one learner said it will improve their employability, our objective is not to be employed; it is for them to create jobs for themselves and others,' he said. He encouraged learners to make use of the skills they acquire at school to economically acquire themselves. 'Once you know how to fix a car, that skill you can actually use to benefit yourselves economically. We are giving you skills that will empower you not only in terms of a career path, but practical skills that you can use if there is a need for them,' he said. The school, converted from a secondary school, features state-of-the-art technology, including advanced laboratories for scientific experiments, modern ICT infrastructure, and a multi-purpose auditorium. He urged community members to protect the facility from vandalism and break-ins by taking care of it. 'This infrastructure must last for long; it must not only benefit the current cohort but it must benefit many for many years,' he said. Chiloane explained that the school was chosen for conversion to a school of specialisation due to its strong performance, citing a 98% pass rate in the first term of the current academic year. Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said in his keynote address: 'Today we are launching education for purpose, where our children are not going to be taught things that are not going to assist them. Where our children are not going to be taught things that are going to be irrelevant when they leave the school.' He said the school earned its spot as the 36th school of specialisation due to its strong performance, rather than being arbitrarily chosen. He explained that when schools of specialisation were launched three years ago, the goal was to identify and build on high-performing secondary schools. 'We chose Ribane-Laka because at one stage they gave us 100% success,' he said. He said the Gauteng government had resolved years ago to differentiate its schools through the schools of specialisation programme, aiming to address unique challenges and avoid uniformity. 'There are many people who don't understand when we fight for equal education and education that transforms our society. They don't get it. Never before that anyone thought that a Ford Ranger would be inside the school premises not to boast but to teach our children how to repair it when it is broken. No one thought that we could have an engine inside the school premises where our children can explain its meaning; where our children can explain to you how an engine functions,' Lesufi said. Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone (Tasez) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the school to offer support. Tasez leader, Bheki Zulu, said the entity has launched an academy, which will give learners opportunities to advance their studies and achieve automotive excellence. 'Over and above that we want to expose these learners to industries so that by the time they exit the school they have a fair understanding of what automotive and ICT is all about,' he said. [email protected]
