The ActionSA Gauteng Youth Forum has expressed serious concern regarding persistent issues with the Gauteng Department of Education’s online application system for Grade 1 and Grade 8 learners.

Despite the department’s of the system’s claims of efficiency, the system has continued to experience significant technical failures, resulting in numerous parents and guardians struggling to secure placements for their children.

IOL last month reported that Gauteng MEC of Education Matome Chiloane said around 828,364 applications for 2025 admission were received.

“From these applications, 344,890 were submitted by unique applications, which are individual parents, guardians or children,” Chiloane said.

“As a result, from the unique applications, 325,858 were complete applications while 19,032 were incomplete applications.”

The department has made efforts to address these issues, including extending the 2025 online admissions period to accommodate families affected by the technical difficulties.

However, the ActionSA Gauteng Youth Forum asserts that more comprehensive solutions are required to resolve the deeper, underlying problems.

“The system has been plagued with inefficiencies that have left parents and guardians being denied placement for their and children,” said Phiwokuhle Xulu, ActionSA Gauteng Youth Forum Provincial Secretary.

“Our concern is that, despite the department’s promises, the system still fails to deliver equitable access for all learners.”

The ActionSA Gauteng Youth Forum has identified several key concerns that they believe must be urgently addressed:

Inequitable Access: Many parents and guardians are left without placement for their children, raising serious questions about the fairness and accessibility of the system.

Corruption Allegations: Reports suggest that some principals may be prioritising placements for foreign nationals who can pay cash, often from undocumented sources, over South African learners. This practice has sparked concerns about fairness and transparency.

“We are deeply concerned about allegations of corruption, where principals prioritise foreign,” Xulu emphasised.

Technical Challenges: The online system has been fraught with technical glitches, creating a barrier for parents attempting to apply and access critical information.

To ensure that the Gauteng Department of Education takes steps toward resolving these issues, Xulu said that the ActionSA Gauteng Youth Forum plans to pursue answers through its representation in the Gauteng Legislature.

The forum’s Member of the Portfolio Committee on Education, John Moodey MPL, will seek detailed explanations for the following:

Total Applications: The number of applications received for the 2025 academic year.

Placement Success Rate: The number of successful placements and reasons for rejected applications.

Demographic Data: The number of learners of foreign nationality or born to foreign national parents who submitted valid identification.

Systemic Improvements: Planned improvements to the online application system for 2025.

Anti-Corruption Measures: Strategies to prevent the misuse of school placements by principals for personal gain.

Capacity Planning: Steps to address the increasing demand for school spaces in Gauteng while prioritising South African learners.

“We urge the department to provide transparent and comprehensive responses to these questions. It’s time for accountability and constructive solutions that genuinely serve the people of Gauteng,” Xulu said.

IOL Politics

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