The education department officially opened its online school admissions platform for the 2024 school year on Monday, 13 March 2023.
According to the WCED in the first 24 hours, it had already received 15 843 learner applications for various schools across the province for the 2024 school year.
The department said parents are applying at more than one school for placement, with the total number of individual applications to schools received on the first day reaching 54,910, which is 12,000 more applications than what was recorded on the first day during last year’s roll out.
Provincial Education Minister, David Maynier noted that the online system is running smoothly, with only a handful of parents experiencing technical difficulties.
We urge parents not to be alarmed if they face any technical difficulties. We do have high volume of users online at the moment, and parents may find that they are able to access the site after a few minutes.
Maynier said that should any issues persist, parents are able to log queries using the “contact us” option at the top of the admissions website page.
Additionally, Maynier noted that any problems can also be resolved with the help of WCED staff as the department hopes for a smooth and issue-free application process.
Parents have been urged to have the following certified documents ready:
- The last official school report card (for learners who have been to school)
- Proof of identity, either the learner's ID, birth certificate or passport.
- In the case of a foreign learner: a passport, a study permit or proof of application for a study permit, or a copy of the parent’s asylum-seeker or refugee permit. (Or a police affidavit if these documents are not available).
- Proof of residence (rates account, lease agreement, an affidavit confirming residence).
- Immunisation card (road to health chart) – for primary schools only.
Further information on how to apply, with step-by-step registration and application guidelines and videos, are available on the WCED website.
Parents and guardians can also contact the admissions contact centre on 0861 819 919 between 8 am and 4 pm to get assistance with general queries.
The 2024 application period in the Western Cape closes on Friday, 14 April 2023.
