The first day of school has come and a total of 1.2 million learners start the new academic year on Wednesday, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) confirmed.
A total of 107,000 Grade 1 learners and 100,000 Grade 8 learners begin their new schooling journey alongside a total of 35,000 teachers in the province.
The WCED also sees the opening of nine new schools in the province which bring 265 additional classrooms in 2025.
In January, six new schools will be opening with 180 classrooms and in March a further three schools will be opening with 85 additional classrooms.
The WCED said it has placed 98% of learners who applied for Grade 1 and Grade 8.
“As of January 14, 2025, we have allocated places for 118,914, or 98%, of the learners for whom applications were received for Grades 1 and 8 for the 2025 school year by December 31, 2024. Placement is in progress for 2,478, or 2%, of Grade 1 and 8 learners. However, since the start of the year, new extremely late applications have been received for over 300 Grade 1 and 8 learners for the current school year,” the department said.
Parents who have applied are urged to make sure the WCED has their accurate and current contact details. The WCED said it was struggling to reach some of the parents who have applied for admission to schools when a place becomes available.
The department also urged parents who have not applied to immediately apply at their district officer so their child can be placed as quickly as possible.