A Cape Town mother has shared her distressing experience navigating the online application system for Grade 8 placement, describing it as a “nightmare” after her son was rejected by all six schools he applied to for the 2025 academic year. The 41-year-old, a mother of two from Kuilsriver, had been proactive in ensuring a smooth application process by logging onto the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) portal the moment online admissions opened in May 2024. Despite her efforts, she was met with disappointment when, by August, she received the news that her 13-year-old son had not been accepted into any of the schools due to over-subscription.
“I made sure I was online the moment the portal opened to avoid any issues. I applied to six schools, hoping for the best,” she said, recounting her frustration. However, when the rejection letters came, the situation quickly became stressful. In a bid to resolve the matter, she appealed to three of the schools directly and sent multiple emails, but only received responses that the schools were fully subscribed. One school even told her they had no waiting list because of the volume of applicants.
The mother sought help from the WCED district offices in Kuilsriver and Parow, only to be directed to continue her appeals online. “Two of the appeals were declined due to over-subscription, and one remains open,” she explained. The family’s frustration grew as they sat in long queues at schools, where parents expressed similar concerns about the overwhelming demand and limited spaces. “How does a school, for example, get 1,000 applications when they can only take 300? What happens to the 700 other children?” she questioned, calling on the education department to address these systemic issues.
The ongoing uncertainty also had a toll on her son, who grew increasingly anxious. “Every day he asked, ‘Mom, have you heard anything yet?’ At night, he prayed for a school placement after all the rejections,” the mother shared. The family did receive an offer from a school eventually, but they turned it down. The school, with a reputation marred by reports of violence, did not seem to align with their son’s needs. “He was terrified of the idea of going there,” she said. “I told my husband, we cannot force him.”
As the 2025 school year approached, the family faced the harsh reality of having no school for their son. They were left with little choice but to make a last-minute decision to send him to a private school, a costly option that many other families may not be able to afford. “We are fortunate to be able to pay for private schooling, but what about those who can’t?” the mother said, questioning why the WCED could not anticipate the volume of applications and prevent such a situation from occurring.
In response to IOL’s inquiry, WCED spokesperson Bronagh Hammond acknowledged the challenges, explaining that many schools are simply overwhelmed by the number of applications. She cited De Kuilen High School, which received over 2,100 applications for only 430 available spots. “If a parent applies only to schools with very high demand, it’s possible they won’t be offered a place at any of these schools,” Hammond said, emphasizing that the department works to find alternative placements for students who remain unplaced. Hammond further noted that the department had undertaken efforts to expand schools with high demand and is building new institutions in areas where placement pressure is particularly high.
Despite these measures, Hammond urged parents to remain patient and cooperative, as the department continues to work on placing students. “We understand how stressful this period is for parents,” she said, requesting that parents keep their contact details up to date to help facilitate communication. As of mid-January 2025, the WCED was still in the process of placing 2,321 Grade 8 learners, including those who applied late.
The situation has sparked ongoing discussions about the viability of the online application system, with over 114,000 parents applying for Grades 1 and 8 during the open period. Hammond pointed out that it is not the online system itself that allocates students to schools, but rather the individual schools that decide who to admit based on the applications they receive. However, as more parents voice their frustrations, it is clear that systemic changes are needed to ensure that students are placed in schools in a timely and fair manner.
