The Gauteng Online Admissions for Grade 1 and 8 for the 2023 academic year will officially commence on 22 July 2022 and will close on 19 August 2022.

In a statement on Monday, the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) said that it has reviewed the online system, as well as the previous two-phased approach.

Following an analysis of various online parent surveys and stakeholder consultations, the system has now been enhanced to follow a single application process, allowing all applicants to apply at the same time during the application period.

The GDE said that it believes this overall simplified applications process will satisfy everyone.

“The application period will start on 22 July 2022 at 08:00 AM for Grade 1 and Grade 8 applications, and it will close on 19 August 2022 at 00:00 AM. To apply, visit: www.gdeadmissions.gov.za. Parents and guardians will receive SMS notifications of placement offers to either accept or decline from 3 – 31 October 2022,” the GDE said.

Gauteng Education MEC, Panyaza Lesufi, said they are hopeful that these implemented enhancements will be helpful to all applicants.

He urged parents and guardians who will be seeking space for their children at Gauteng schools for Grade 1 or 8 in 2023, to make sure they diarise the announced dates as they are very important.

“Officials incorporated inputs from our stakeholders on how to improve the system. Indeed, we are hopeful that these implemented enhancements will be helpful to all applicants. Accordingly, we must reiterate that capacity remains our challenge in Gauteng, and a factor that applicants must always bear in mind when applying,” Lesufi said.

The department said that Grade R learners will not automatically be accepted to Grade 1 without application, even if they apply to the schools where they are currently enrolled in.

“This means that all learners that are 5 years old turning 6 years old by 30 June 2023 and are currently enrolled in Grade R in a school or ECD centre, as well as learners that are not in any type of school, must apply for admission at a minimum of three and a maximum of five schools,” the department said.

Important documents to submit

Parents and guardians are urged to upload or submit certified copies of the following documents within 7 days of applying:

• Parent and Child ID or Passport
  · Refugee Permit
  · Asylum Seeker Permit
  · Permanent Residence Permit
  · Study Permit
  · South African Birth Certificate
  · Proof of Home Address
  · Proof of Work Address
  · Latest School Report and Clinic Card/Immunisation Report (Grade 1 only)

Parents and guardians will be given up until 26 August 2022 (7 days after application period ends) to upload or submit their documents.

However, the GDE said that documents that are uploaded or submitted after the application period closing date will be considered as incomplete applications and will only receive placement at available schools between 1 – 15 December 2022.

To eliminate the risk of overlooking an applicant with uploaded documents by a school, during and up to 7 days after the end of the application period, the department said that schools will receive an auto alert each time new documents are uploaded. The system will highlight all uploaded documents for verification.

“In order to hold schools accountable for verification of all received documents, the system will prompt schools to answer the question whether an applicant submitted documents or not. If verified, the system will prompt the school to verify and update document status. If not verified, the system will create an alert on the parent’s profile and an SMS will be sent to parent to submit or upload documents,” the department said.

As part of the system enhancement process, applicants will be afforded the opportunity to make informed choices regarding languages offered when applying to a school.

Language of Learning and Teaching, Home Languages, and additional languages offered by each school will be visible on the system to applicants during the application period.

“All applicants will be granted an opportunity to apply to a school of their choice, according to the selected application option. This is an improvement as previous complaints we received stated that schools were not available for certain application options and, as such, all schools will remain open for applications for all during the application period,” GDE said.

For all applicants to submit completed applications, electronic messages will be sent via SMS reminding parents and guardians to complete their application, and the same notifications will be created on the parent’s profile on the system.

The department said that SMS notifications informing applicants whether their application was successful or unsuccessful will be sent from 3 – 31 October 2022.

Therefore, parents are urged to note that it is highly important that applicants provide ONE reliable and working cellphone number when applying in order to receive notifications and complete their application.

Schools of Specialisation

Schools of Specialisation will admit learners based on an aptitude or talent from 20 May – 20 June 2022, said the department.

Admission tests, written assessments, trials and auditions will also be conducted by Schools of Specialisation for applicants from 20 May – 26 August 2022.

“The outcome of these tests and trials will be communicated to applicants from 20 June 2022 – 9 September 2022. Parents who have applied to Schools of Specialisation are urged to accompany their children to these tests and trials to complete the process,” the department said.

Parents and guardians applying to boarding schools in Gauteng are encouraged to apply directly at identified schools. Applications to boarding schools will take place from 1 June 2022 – 19 August 2022.

Admission Regulations

The department said that placement of applicants with documents uploaded / delivered within the regulated period will be prioritized.

It must be noted that placement will be conducted as per the following admission regulations:

• Home address within feeder zone
  · Siblings
  · Work address
  · Within 30 km Radius
  · Beyond 30km Radius

Decentralised Walk-In Centres

To ensure access for applicants who are unable to apply from the comfort of their homes and or offices, the department has identified Decentralised Walk-In Centres in different areas where applicants will be safely assisted.

The department said that some District Offices and the Head Office will serve as walk-in centres.

This information will be made available to the public via schools, districts, the GDE Website and social media platforms.

“Parents and guardians who will be experiencing challenges during the application period are encouraged to visit our District Offices and Decentralised Walk-In Centres or call the GDE’s Contact Centre 0800 000 789.”

Source: South African Government News Agency