‘It doesn’t work’ - Parents reject online school placement system

Eyewitness News

14 January 2026 | 17:10

While some parents and pupils celebrate the milestone of a first day of school, others are left frustrated, with desperate parents forming long queues outside district offices in search of placements for their children. About 3,000 Grade 1 and Grade 8 pupils in Gauteng have yet to be placed at a school.

• Gauteng Department of Education
• Back to school

Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane during a media briefing in Johannesburg on 15 October 2025. Picture: @EducationGP1/X