By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
9 April 2025- The Northern Cape Department of Education (NCDoE) said it will be opening the 2026 Online Learner Admissions from 14 April 2025 at 9am until 23 May 2025, at 00:00, only for Grades R, 1 & 8 applications. The department said parents/legal guardians can apply directly to schools for admission and placements for all other grades.
The Northern Cape Department of Education spokesperson, Geoffrey van der Merwe said parents must log on to the NCDOE Online Learner Admissions website at www.ncdoeadmissions.org to complete the application process, which consists of 3 steps. Van der Merwe said the form consists of parent/ legal guardian registration, learner profiling and application.
“Parents must complete all three steps for the application to be completed. The following documents must be submitted within 7 days after making an application. If you’re a South African citizen, a copy of the parent/legal guardian ID (or sworn affidavit in a case, where the parent/legal guardian does not have an identity document.
“Proof of Home address (A Municipal Account in the name of the parent with the home address used during application or a legal lease agreement between the tenant and the owner of the property/landlord),” he said.
Van der Merwe further said a child’s birth certificate or an affidavit or a sworn statement, clinic card/proof of immunisation (Gr R and 1) will be needed. He added that the most recent Grade 7 learner progress report is also necessary.
“If you are a non-South African citizen, a valid study permit/asylum seeker/refugee permit/ temporary or permanent residence issued by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) are needed.
“Parent/legal guardian passport/asylum seeker/ refugee permit/temporary or permanent residence issued by DHA are necessary. Proof of home address (A Municipal Account in the name of the parent with the home address used during application or a legal lease agreement between the tenant and the owner of the property/landlord), proof of immunisation (Gr R and 1) and the most recent Grade 7 learner progress report needed,” said van der Merwe.
He said all the applications will be considered and recommended as successful or unsuccessful applications based on ranked criteria such as, if the applicant learner(s) already has (have) a sibling attending the school of application in the year of submission (sibling means a learner who has at least one parent who is also the parent of the learner already attending that school).
Van der Merwe said, if the place of residence of the applicant learner(s) is in the same suburb as the school applied to and if the place of residence (residential suburb) of the applicant learner(s) is adjacent to the suburb of the school applied to.
“If applicant learner(s) whose parent/ guardian is an employee at the school applied to. If places remain after all the above-mentioned applicants have been offered places, other applicants, in the order of the position of the application should be recommended.
“The above-mentioned directives with regard to the criteria shall not apply to special schools, schools of skill or industrial schools. We are cognisant of the fact that the Northern Cape is a rural province, where certain areas/towns are experiencing challenges in terms of internet connectivity,” he said.
Van der Merwe said to mitigate these and other factors which may have an impact on the Online Admission process, they identified 94 walk-in centres to assist parents/legal guardians without a device/gadget or internet connectivity to complete their application. He said in preparation for the 2026 learner admissions, the department has issued Circular No 10 of 2025 to guide schools and amend the timeframes to manage the online learner admissions process in Public Ordinary Schools.
“For further information visit the NCDoE’s website at: http://ncdoe.ncpg.gov.za. Please contact the Call Centre on 053 874 7012/64 or 053 874 7161/89 and 053 874 7239/92. We further appeal to all parents/legal guardians to adhere to the stipulated time frame for application for admission of learners for the 2026 school academic year from 14 April 2025 – 23 May 2025,” said van der Merwe.
The Guardian 