South Africa Primary Schools – When to Apply this 2023

South Africa Primary Schools – When to Apply this 2023

It is important that both parents and guardians enroll their children for the 2023 academic year as early as possible and not wait for the last minute to act. Here’s when you should apply for the 2023 school year.

When this year started, there had been high volumes of unplaced learners in many provinces around the country.

According to a Department of Basic Education (DBE) presentation in December 2021, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), and the Western Cape had the highest number of unplaced learners for 2022.

It is best to know when to apply for your child who’ll be in Primary School in the next school year.

Each province has its own dates for admissions and thus far, the following two provinces have confirmed dates for their school’s admissions:

  • Western Cape: 14 March 2022 – 15 April 2022
  • Kwa-Zulu Natal: 1 March 2022 – 30 September 2022

As public schools have closed schools for their first term, Eastern Cape Department of Education spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima said their department will confirm admission dates as soon as schools open after the first quarter.

For the full school calendar, click HERE.

Parents have been encouraged to keep their eyes open for other provinces that are still to announce their admission dates.

It is advisable that parents and guardians apply to at least three schools (including a school that is closest to the residential address of the learner), indicating the order of preference in the online system.

DBE has advised parents to check progress with their application immediately three months after making an application.