Parents and guardians in Gauteng can expect to receive placement offers for Grade 1 and 8 pupils starting Monday, as the province’s Education Department begins its placement process for the 2025 academic year. Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane announced the start of this phase during a media briefing on Sunday, encouraging parents to take swift action once they receive offers.
Grade 1 and 8 placements “Happy SMSs” to roll out on Monday
The placement process, which follows the online application period that closed on 14 August, will see parents receiving notifications via SMS informing them of which school their child has been placed in.
“Tomorrow [Monday], we are starting with our placement offers to parents, as we indicated that we would start releasing what we call ‘happy SMSs’ to those who have applied for Grades 1 and 8,” Chiloane said. He explained that parents have seven days to accept the placement offer, provisionally or as final.
Furthermore, parents are encouraged to log onto the department’s admissions platform to verify the placement if they do not receive an SMS immediately.
“If you do not get an SMS as the parent, go to the GDE admissions page and check if you have not been offered a space,” Chiloane urged.
Over 800 000 applications processed
The 2025 online application process, which opened on 11 July, saw over 800 000 submissions. Of these, 340 000 have been classified as unique applications, with an additional 19 000 deemed incomplete. Despite some initial delays caused by technical glitches, Chiloane emphasised the department’s focus on ensuring the placement of the first batch of successful applicants before turning attention to those yet to be placed.
Additionally, Chiloane outlined the importance of acting quickly on placement offers. “The parents can provisionally accept the offer, meaning that space allocated for the child will be kept by the system, awaiting other offers,” he said, noting that parents have a limited window, typically 14 days, to secure their child’s place.
What’s next for parents?
As the Grade 1 and 8 placement process begins, parents who have applied to multiple schools are advised to accept offers from up to five schools.
“It must be noted that when a parent accepts an offer from a school as final, the learner is placed at that school. Placement offers that are accepted as final cannot be reversed,” Chiloane cautioned.
Do you think this online placement system ensures a fair opportunity for all learners, or are improvements still needed?
Let us know by clicking on the comment tab below this article or by emailing [email protected] or sending a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. You can also follow @TheSAnews on X and The South African on Facebook for the latest news.
