EFF Steps In as Parents Struggle with Gauteng School Placements

The Gauteng school placements process for 2026 has sparked deep frustration among families across the province as thousands of learners await placement confirmations weeks after schools have reopened. In response, the EFF (Economic Freedom Fighters) has stepped into the fray to support parents, highlight breakdowns in the placement system, and advocate for learners’ constitutional right to education. 

Why Gauteng School Placements Are Still a Challenge in 2026

The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) uses the Online Admissions System to allocate Grade 1 and Grade 8 placements each year. While officials report that a large majority of learners receive placement offers, many parents continue to grapple with uncertainty. As of early January 2026:

• 4,858 learners remained unplaced on the system, despite broad rollout of offers. 
• In broader figures, over 15,000 pupils were still without confirmed school places as of December 2025, even though about 95.56% of applicants had been placed. 

These backlogs are concentrated in high-pressure areas such as Ekurhuleni North and Johannesburg East, where school capacity consistently struggles to meet demand. 

Experts say the core issues driving this recurring annual problem include rapid urban population growth, limited school infrastructure, and inadequate forecasting, which together create bottlenecks, especially at the Grade 8 level. 

EFF’s Intervention: What Are They Doing?

#UmntanaEskolweni Campaign

The EFF has launched its #UmntanaEskolweni initiative — a campaign aimed at defending learners’ rights and assisting parents whose children have not yet received school placements. This intervention includes:

• Oversight visits to schools to assess readiness for the academic year and identify placement gaps. 
• Direct engagement with parents to help navigate placement challenges and bureaucratic delays.
• Advocacy to ensure every child’s constitutional right to basic education is upheld.

According to party statements, the campaign focuses on providing not just oversight, but also practical support where possible, from offering guidance on applications to liaising with officials. 

Pressure on the Education Department

The EFF has publicly criticised what it calls a failed placement system and demanded accountability from the Gauteng Department of Education. Their argument centres on the idea that an efficiently functioning system should not leave children without placements when schools are open and the academic year has begun. 

EFF leaders have demanded quicker action and better communication from the GDE, urging authorities to finalise placements without unnecessary delays. 

What Officials Are Saying

GDE officials acknowledge pressures on the system and encourage parents to remain patient, explaining that placement offers and transfers continue to be released daily via the official online system. 

The department stresses that unplaced learners remain in the queue and that the system is designed to automatically accommodate all children with complete applications, sometimes by offering spaces in nearby schools outside of a family’s first choice. 

Officials have also warned parents against scams by individuals offering to secure placements for cash, reiterating that all placement processes are free and only handled through official channels. 

Final Take

The Gauteng school placements system remains under intense scrutiny as thousands of learners enter the school year without confirmed placements. The EFF’s involvement underscores growing civil pressure for equitable access to education and for systemic fixes to longstanding bottlenecks. As parents, policymakers, and civil society continue to engage on this issue, effective communication and transparent processes will be crucial to ensuring that every child starts the year in a classroom — not waiting at home.