Centralised school placement system in Gauteng is failing schools, parents and learners
AfriForum is of the opinion that the centralisation of Gauteng’s online school placement system is the main reason why thousands of Grade 1 and Grade 8 learners are still uncertain about where and even whether they will start the 2026 school year.
The civil rights organisation warns that if the current system remains unchanged, the same placement problems will repeat year after year and children’s right to access quality education will be violated time and again.
“This situation shows exactly why a centralised system cannot work in a complex education environment like Gauteng. The Department of Education has taken control of school placements but has not accepted responsibility for the fallout and has therefore shifted the consequences of the failed system onto schools and parents,” says Carien Bloem, Head of AfriForum’s Education Projects.
AfriForum points out that schools are deliberately kept out of the placement process, despite these schools having the best understanding of their capacity, infrastructure and learning environments. In addition, schools are not informed in a timely manner about applications or possible placements, while parents are left in the dark about their children’s prospects.
The Gauteng Department of Education’s own management plan stipulated that placements should have been communicated from 16 October 2025. In reality, notifications only started going out sporadically and unpredictably from November, with the majority only being received in December. This mismanagement has caused great uncertainty and emotional stress for families.
According to the Department, there are 4 858 learners who applied on time but are still unplaced, while more than 11 000 applications that were received late have not even been processed yet.
“The consequences of this failed centralisation are far-reaching. Parents are now being forced to show up at schools this week without confirmed placements, while schools are now forced to try to solve a problem they did not create,” says Bloem.
The situation is further exacerbated by the fact that many parents do not want to place their children in dysfunctional or substandard schools where there is space. This puts additional pressure on schools that are functioning well but are already overcrowded.
The solution lies not in further centralisation, but in decentralisation and accountability.
“School placements – including online applications – must be placed back in the hands of schools, with clear guidelines and support from the Department. At the same time, the Department should focus its energy on improving underperforming schools, so that parents have real choices,” Bloem concludes.
