STAFF REPORTER
Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane officially marked the start of the 2024 Online Admissions application period for Grade 1 and Grade 8 on Thursday, at Winterveldt Multipurpose Hall in Tshwane.
Education spokesperson Steve Mabona said as of Thursday noon, 161 407 Grade 1 and 8 applications were successfully processed by the Online Admissions System, reflecting a slight decrease compared to the 2023 application period where over 165 000 applications were made.
“We believe this decrease may be due to this year’s application period occurring at the start of the long weekend. Within the first hour of opening the system, a whopping 60 000 applications were received,” Mabona said.
He said the department has acknowledged the challenge faced by some applicants when entering their ID numbers onto the system.
“The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) verification mechanism used on the Online Admissions was unable to process certain ID numbers, However, this was effectively resolved within a few minutes as we discovered applicants only had to refresh their browsers and proceed to apply successfully,” he said.
A number of applicants who were applying for Grade 8 reported that they could not enter their previous schools on the system.
The department said this issue did not affect all Grade 1 and 8 applicants, but Mabona has assured parents and guardians that the problem has since been resolved and all previous schools are now appearing in the system for Grade 8 applicants.
The 2024 Online Admissions application period will continue until 14 July 2023.
Parents and guardians are urged to either upload the certified copies of the required documents onto the system, or submit them at the schools they applied to within 7 school days.
Parents can also visit District Offices and 80 decentralised walk-in centres to be assisted with the application.
Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane said he was happy with the online admissions on the first day and was proud of the smooth start and at the turnout of parents who succeeded in their applications.
“Many parents reached out to share their smooth experience when utilising the system. Other parents also said the system is faster than the previous years,” said Chiloane.
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