GDE records more than 600,000 successful applications for grades 1 & 8 in just under 2 weeks

CAPE TOWN - The Gauteng Department of Education has recorded more than 600,000 successful applications for the 2026 academic year in just under two weeks.

The applications for grades 1 and 8 opened on 24 July and will run until 29 August.

The department said that the high number of successful applications demonstrated the smooth running of the online system.

Provincial department spokesperson, Steve Mabona, urged parents to upload certified documents upon completing registrations.

"The system supports document verification by schools. It will prompt schools to verify and update the status of documents, whether uploaded online or submitted physically. Parents will receive SMS notifications once schools acknowledge receipt and verification of documents."