Educaion
With reference to the written complaint sent to his Department by a certain person whose name has been furnished to his Department regarding the placement of her two sons and regarding the ongoing issues with school placements in the province:
(1) Whether her two sons have been placed in schools suitable for their educational needs; if not, (a) why not and (b) when will they be placed; if so, where have they been placed;
(2) given that this person received a response “made in fulfilment of the Department’s obligations towards your sons”, (a) what process does his Department follow when placing a child in a school, (b) what considerations, such as mental health needs, are taken into account when placing children in schools and (c) what factors determine the “fulfilment of the Department’s obligations”;
(3) (a) what is the total school capacity in the province for each education phase and (b) what is the projected capacity demand for (i) 2026, (ii) 2027 and (iii) 2028 for each phase respectively;
(4) which catchment areas in each school district were unable to accommodate the demand or applications in their district;
(5) what options are available to learners who are not accommodated at schools within a reasonable distance of where they live;
(6) how many learners have not been placed in schools for the 2026 school year as at the latest date for which information is available?
(1) The parent has lodged a formal appeal with the Ministry of Education. As the provincial minister is the appeal authority in such cases, it would not be
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appropriate to provide detail regarding the merits of a specific appeal that is currently being considered.
(2) Please see answer to (1).
My department has informed me of the following:
(3) (a) The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) does not report on a fixed measure of total school “capacity” across all education phases, as capacity is influenced by a range of dynamic factors. These include:
• the availability and configuration of classrooms,
• curriculum offerings and subject choices,
• staffing allocations,
• infrastructure conditions and temporary arrangements,
• learner demand/population in certain age categories and phases, and locations.
Given these variables, capacity is not recorded as a static or standardised provincial figure. However, the WCED continuously monitors actual learner enrolment across all phases as a reliable indicator of utilisation of available schooling resources.
Enrolment across phases (Annual School Survey):
Foundation Phase (Including Grade R)
Intermediate Phase
Senior Phase
Further Education and Training Phase
2023
378 578
303 090
289 314
225 796
2024
374 971
307 871
289 872
232 881
2025
371 033
311 855
284 669
241 764
*Enrolment for Public Ordinary Schools. ASS data for 2026 still to be finalised.
(b) Projections of capacity demand are subject to multiple uncertainties, including:
• birth rates and cohort progression,
• migration to and from the province,
• economic and settlement changes, and
• infrastructure development timelines.
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The WCED does track enrolment trends and implements infrastructure programmes where there is greatest demand, budget permitting.
(4) As at the latest available reporting date, all Grade R, 1 and 8 learners who applied during the official admissions process for the 2026 academic year have been placed. This outcome was achieved through coordinated planning, ongoing monitoring of application trends, and targeted interventions where capacity constraints were identified. District offices and schools worked collaboratively to manage demand, ensure equitable access, and prioritise timely placement across all affected areas. As a result, no learner remained without placement for the 2026 academic year.
(5) Where learners cannot immediately be accommodated at schools within their immediate residential area, the WCED explores a range of interventions aimed at ensuring access to education.
These may include:
• placement at the nearest school with available space;
• placement at schools in neighbouring circuits or districts;
• utilisation of additional classrooms where feasible;
• ongoing infrastructure expansion projects;
• placement support through district admissions teams; and
• consideration for inclusion in the Learner Transport Scheme, subject to the applicable policy criteria and operational availability.
The WCED continues to work with schools and districts to minimise travel distances where possible, while balancing available capacity and learner demand across the province.
(6) As at the latest available reporting date, all Grade R, 1 and 8 learners who applied during the official admissions process for the 2026 academic year have been placed.
The WCED continues to process extremely late applications submitted after the closure of the admissions window, as well as placement-related changes arising from transfers, relocations, withdrawals, and other learner movement throughout the year.
District admissions teams remain operational to provide ongoing placement support where required.
