Parents in the Western Cape have until midnight to submit their online applications for Grade 1 and 8 admissions for next year. Applications were opened on March 11. 

Education MEC David Maynier says the department has already received over 80 000 Grade 1 and 8 learner applications. However, the department received over 125 000 applications for this academic year, and Maynier fears that this means that thousands of parents have not yet applied for 2025’s placements.

He says that receiving all the applications on time will make a big difference to the department’s planning. The WCED also uses the data from the process to determine where the demands for education are in the province and has led to the construction of more schools or classrooms to accommodate them.