​Rofhiwa Marubini
The Gauteng Department of Education's admission for the 2022 academic year commerce's today. 
The process will be conducted in two phases which are expected to be completed in November.
The first phase is for Grade 7 learners currently in public primary schools applying for Grade 8. Applications for this category will run from 10 August until 3 September 2021 at 00h00. 
Phase 2 of the 2022 admission period will commence on 13 September 2021 at 08h00 and close on 8 October 2021 at 00h00. This will target Grade 1 and 8 learners not in Grade 7 in public schools. 
Gauteng Education has introduced this two-faced approach to avoid high influx. 
"This year, the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has introduced new changes aimed at making the process easier and more manageable for parents, guardians, and public schools in Gauteng," said MEC for Education Panyaza Lesufi. 
To ensure access to applicants who are unable to apply from the comfort of their homes and or offices, the department has identified 47 decentralised walk-in centres across the province.  
In addition to this, some District Offices and the Head Office will serve as walk-in centres, this information will be made available to the public via the GDE Website and social media platforms.
Before parents or guardians apply, they must provide accurate parent and learner details to schools where their children are currently in Grade 7. 
It is important that parents provide one reliable cell-phone number which will be required to verify before starting the 5-step application process. 
The documents required for applications are: Parent and Child ID or Passport; Refugee Permit; Asylum Seeker Permit; Permanent Residence Permit; Study Permit; South African Birth Certificate; Proof of Home Address; Proof of Work Address; Latest School Report and Clinic Card/Vaccination Report (Grade 1 only)
The 'vaccination report' mentioned does not refer to the COVID-19 vaccination, instead, it refers to an immunization card which is a record of immunizations (inoculations/injections) and growth rate. 
Panyaza said the criteria for allocating a school will be based on home address within the school's feeder zone, sibling and or previous schools, work address within school's feeder zone and home address which is within 30km radius.  
"Parents will receive SMSes notifying them about the outcome of their application between 15 October and 30 November 2021. The parent must accept an offer to confirm placement," he added. END