Johannesburg - More than 600 000 applications for admission into the 2017 school year have been received on the Gauteng Education Department's system.
Since the launch of the online application process in April, at least 673 911 applications have been received and processed, the department said.
Of these, 109 121 applications were for Grade 1, while 83 113 applications were for Grade 8 pupils.
Parents have until midnight tonight (June 1) to apply for admission for children who will be in grades 1 and 8 next year.
Parents who want to apply for Grade R and special-needs education still have to do manual applications.
Some parents have used the online system to apply for other grades. Acting Gauteng education spokesman Oupa Bodibe said 17 167 applications for grades 2 to 7 had been received.
Once registered on the website, parents still have to go to schools and submit their supporting documents, like proof of address and birth certificates. They will then be informed on June 24 and 25 whether their children have been placed at their schools of choice.
Parents would then be given seven days to accept or reject their placements.
If they don't confirm the placement within that period, the space will be given to the next pupil.
The system, which was first piloted last year, had a rocky start when it crashed under the pressure as a large number of parents trying to log on to it all at once. MEC Panyaza Lesufi had to push back the start of the application process because of the high volume.
Bodibe said: “ The department would like to extend a special gratitude to parents who have thus far heeded our call to register online and for affirming their confidence in the system. Their show of confidence has been a great source of inspiration to the department to continue to work hard to provide modernised systems that allow us to provide quality basic education for all.”
Parents who want to apply for space but don't have internet connection can go to public libraries and district offices for assistance.
Bodibe said parents who apply after today's closing date would be processed only once all the other pupils had been placed.
The Star