MEC Dlamini condemns prioritisation of white learners, calls for equal treatment -‘all learners must be treated the same.’
MIDDELBURG – Scores of black parents are determined to secure placement for their children at Middelburg Hoërskool (MHS) in the Steve Tshwete municipality.
The parents, who possess placement letters from the Department of Education, have faced significant challenges in getting space at predominantly white schools. They have staged protests at MHS since the school’s reopening on Wednesday, January 15.
They told Highveld Chronicle that they began applying for their children as early as last year. However, the responses from the schools were disheartening. “We were told in September that our child was regretted. We then went to the circuit to register for placement. When the schools reopened in January, we returned to the circuit, where they told us there was no space. However, they gave us placement letters, but when we got to the school, they told us there was no space,” said one of the parents, who requested to remain anonymous.
Another parent said their children were denied space based on their race. “There is no justice as far as black children are concerned,” she said. “White children are given preference over black children. My child is stressed at home; I don’t know what to say to him.”
Hoër Tegniese Skool (HTS), Kanonkop Hoërskool, and Steel Crest are also said to be part of the dilemma, according to the parents’ allegations.
This drew the attention of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), who pledged solidarity with the distressed parents. The party said it was acting through its back-to-school campaign, #UmntwanaEs’koleni, loosely translated as A child at school.
“On Friday, we even went to the circuit offices to apply pressure, because it cannot be that only black parents are struggling with placement at these schools. Whites, Indians, and Coloureds come and go,” said the party’s chief whip in Steve Tshwete, Joseph Ngubeni.
“We have been with these parents from day one since the reopening of the schools, listening to their concerns and supporting them at MHS,” he said. “We have had meetings with the circuit and applied pressure on them. The feedback from the schools was that they are going to reconsider their decision to exclude black children.”
Mpumalanga Education MEC Cathy Dlamini acknowledged that certain schools in Middelburg remain problematic. “There are a few elements of prioritising white learners. Even if black learners are on the A-list, they are still not accepted. Instead, they take white learners from farms who are on the C-list. That is not acceptable,” she said.
“All learners must be treated the same.”
Dlamini also praised the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA), which seeks to enhance governance and management in schools, improve the quality of education, and address issues related to school admissions.“We must appreciate what this government has done by introducing the BELA Act. The act addresses this issue. The final person who has a say on the admission of a child is the head of department (HOD), no longer the chairperson of the school governing body or the school principal
