All systems go for the 2026 school year in the Western Cape!

14 January 2026 – Statement by Minister David Maynier, Minister of Education Western Cape

This morning I joined Premier Alan Winde at Tamboerskloof Primary School to welcome Western Cape learners to school for the 2026 academic year. 

We have 73 000 Grade Rs and 102 000 Grade 1s starting “big school” today, and we wish them all the best as they begin their school career. We also have 97 000 Grade 8 learners starting high school, a crucial next step in their journey toward their future studies and careers. 

Premier Alan Winde celebrated the start of the school year, saying:

“We wish all Western Cape learners well as they kick off the new school year. Whatever challenges lie ahead, we will overcome them together. We will be behind you every step of your education journey.

These young people will go on to be South Africa’s doctors, traffic police, retail professionals, technicians, tradespeople, accountants, farmers, engineers and businesspeople. School is a critical first step towards independence and we are delighted to see the future in such good hands.

To our teachers and school staff, you are the backbone of the education system. Your hard work, dedication and sacrifice never goes unnoticed. Thank you for all you do in preparing young people for their careers, ensuring they are adequately equipped to become an active part of our economy.”

Infrastructure and resources

In total, we will have 1.2 million learners in Western Cape schools in 2026. We continue to face increasing demand for places in our schools, so our Rapid School Build programme continues to expand access to education in our province at an incredible rate in order to meet this demand. 

9 new schools that were opened in a phased approach have been fully completed for the 2026 school year. These schools are located in Lwandle, Wallacedene, Blue Downs, Philippi, Tafelsig, Darling, Fisherhaven, and Plettenberg Bay.

We are opening the first phases of another 2 new schools: Ilitha Park High School in Khayelitsha and Brantwood High School in Kuilsriver. 

Additional brick and mortar classrooms have also been added to 12 existing schools, and in total, we have added 175 new classrooms to the system. 

A further 21 classrooms are in construction by School Governing Bodies, using funding provided by the WCED. 

Schools were able to order top-up textbooks in May 2025, with full delivery completed by October 2025 at a cost of R58.7 million.

Stationery for non-Section 21 schools, valued at R25.3 million, was delivered by November 2025, and an additional R31.6 million worth of school-related goods was delivered by December 2025.

Admissions   

We will continue to work to place all children seeking a place in our schools. This is a challenging task, as hundreds of new applications are arriving each week. 

We appeal to any parent who has not yet applied to do so immediately at their district office. Details of our district officials who can assist are available on the WCED website: https://www.westerncape.gov.za/education/service/learner-admissions

Crucially, we appeal to parents to ensure that they provide accurate, current contact details to our districts so that we can reach them when a place becomes available for their child. 

We understand that this will be a frustrating period for some of our parents, but we assure them that we will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to find places for every learner in the Western Cape.