Nearly 3,000 pupils still without school placements in Gauteng

Parents and anxious pupils are spending hours and in some cases days in queues as nearly 3,000 learners remain without school placements in Gauteng. At the Morningside Teaching Centre, families from Midrand, Alexandra, Ivory Park and Tembisa arrived before sunrise, hoping for answers for the 2026 school year. Some parents say they have been queuing since Monday, with education officials working late into the night to try to keep up. The Gauteng Department of Education says 2,919 pupils are still unplaced but insists all learners will be accommodated by the end of this month. Parents, however, are raising red flags over long travel distances, language barriers and schools they feel are already stretched beyond capacity. Phemelo speaks to Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane about when the placement issues will be resolved.