As the Western Cape Education Department’s (WCED) online school-admission application period passes its halfway mark, a renewed appeal has been extended to parents of prospective Grade 1 and 8 learners to apply without delay.
The on-time admissions applications window opened on Tuesday 11 March and closes on Tuesday 15 April, in just less than two weeks’ time.
The WCED confirmed receiving 116 466 applications for Grade R, 1 or 8 learners by last Friday (28 March), and thanked parents for their timely submissions. However, the department noted that more than 33 000 Grade 7 learners in the Western Cape have yet to apply for Grade 8 placement in 2026.
Parents are reminded of their responsibility to secure school placement for their children, especially in areas such as the Helderberg, where schools are already overcrowded and require additional educational infrastructure to support growing communities.
Highlighting this urgent need was member of Provincial Parliament Benedicta van Minnen who recently revealed at a public meeting that the last high school built in Somerset West was Parel Vallei High in 1985, 40 years ago, so perhaps a potential new high school for the community was called for (“Engagement on school for S-West,” DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette, 19 February).
The proposed 30-classroom high-school project on Steynsrust Road, intended for more than 1 000 learners, for now, remains a distant prospect, so parents must ensure their children are enrolled and so prevent placement challenges.
