By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) will open online applications for Grade 1 and Grade 8 admissions for the 2026 academic year on Thursday, 24 July 2025.
Speaking at a media briefing in Johannesburg on Sunday, MEC of Education Matome Chiloane said the online system will only be open for grade 1 and grade 8 applications, while advising parents of learners from other grades to apply directly at schools.
Chiloane explained that the first step is to register on the department’s website and set up a profile, after which parents must upload the required documents.
These include both the parents’ and learners’ identification documents and permits for foreign nationals.
“It’s important that you put the correct details, correct and accurate, so all information must align, there should not be misalignment. Documents must be uploaded or submitted. There are two ways, either online or at the school, and you have.”
Chiloane also warned that parents who fail to submit the required documents within seven days of applying will have their applications marked as incomplete.
Required documentation includes:
- the parents’ ID or passport,
- the child’s birth certificate or passport
For foreign nationals, the following documents are required:
- refugee permits,
- asylum seeker permits,
- permanent residence permits,
- study permits, or parent work permits.
Grade 8 applicants need their latest Grade 7 report, while Grade 1 applicants require a clinic card or immunisation report.
Proof of home address emerges as the most critical document in the application process, as the system operates on a feeder zone basis.
“The proof of home address is the most important document because we work through the feeder zone system,” Chiloane explained.
For property owners, the department requires a municipal account not older than three months bearing the applicant’s full name.
Tenants must provide significantly more documentation, including the landlord’s municipal account, signed lease agreements, rental payment slips, and bank statements, all of which are not older than three months.
The department has authorised schools to conduct physical address verification visits. Chiloane defended this practice, stating that schools “have been given the right to go and verify” addresses to combat fraudulent applications.
“[There is] a rise in people using addresses where they don’t stay. As the GDE, we support the process where schools go and verify if the parent and the child stay in that particular home address,” he said.
The department has deployed youth volunteers at these centres to assist parents, particularly those less familiar with technology.
Chiloane also addressed concerns about internet connectivity, clarifying that all schools have internet access through various means.
“All our schools have access to connectivity because we do give transfers and subsidies. Some are using a GPN, some are using private, but all of them have access to connectivity,” he said.
No new applications will be accepted once the application period closes on 29 August 2025 at midnight.
Parents are advised to not fall for scams that charge a fee to assist with applying online.
For more information, assistance or comments: Call 0800 000 789, WhatsApp 060 891 0361 or Email: gdeinfo@gauteng.gov.za.