Vodacom Business, in collaboration with the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE), is proud of the outcomes from the upgraded Online Admissions platform for the 2026 school year.
The Online Admissions platform was launched on 24 July 2025, and the system had recorded over 78,000 applications for Grade 1 and Grade 8 within the first hour of opening. By the end of the day, over 210,000 applications had been successfully processed. Upon the completion of the registration period, 820,350 applications had been processed.
“Vodacom Business has been a longstanding technology partner to the GDE,” says Videsha Proothveerajh, Vodacom Business Director. “The project gave us the opportunity to provide our digital expertise to enhance the country’s education system. For parents, applying to schools can be an incredibly stressful process. Our aim for the platform was to support parents better and ensure that the application journey was simple while supporting the department’s goal of improving operational efficiency.”
The zero-rated platform features a range of new enhancements for parents registering their children for Grade 1 and Grade 8, as well as tools designed to streamline the process for department officials.
“The Online Admissions platform is one of the most important tools we have in ensuring fair access to quality education in Gauteng. By digitizing and streamlining the admissions process, we are reducing barriers for parents, increasing transparency, and strengthening accountability within the Department. This system plays a significant role in building a modern, responsive, and people-centered education sector that truly serves every child in our province,” says MEC for Education in Gauteng, Mr. Matome Chiloane.
Parents logging on will find that the platform has new filters to dynamically adjust qualification criteria based on the documents uploaded for applicants. This helps to eliminate irrelevant school options, assist with decision-making and follow compliance with application rules.
To reduce the risk of mismatched school placements, the platform now alerts parents if there is a conflict between their preferred language of instruction and the language offerings of their selected school. This new feature ensures that parents are fully informed of their school selections before finalizing their child’s application.
For GDE staff, the Online Admissions platform introduces new levels of visibility and control. A major update includes the removal of the previous 50% automatic placement rule. This change has helped to ensure that placement decisions are more equitable and transparent.
Other features include a Transfer Management Table, which provides staff with a comprehensive display of all qualifying unplaced applications for each learner. With this complete view of a learner’s application, staff will be able to make more efficient and informed transfer decisions at both district and provincial levels.
Also making a return is the automated transfer function, which offers unplaced learners a spot based on proximity, language compatibility, and school capacity. This feature significantly reduces manual workload and accelerates the placement process.
To ensure greater consistency and accountability, Vodacom Business also worked with the GDE to revise and update the objection letter template. The new version, issued under the authority of the District Director, strengthens governance across the appeals process.
“At Vodacom Business, we believe in the power of technology to transform communities and the lives of individuals. We’re proud to be using our tech capabilities to solve challenges in education, and we remain committed to supporting the department in driving digital transformation and connecting everyone to a better future,” concludes Proothveerajh.