Lobby group Abahambe National Civics Movement together with Progressive Forces of South Africa met the Department of Basic Education directors regarding the crisis prevailing at schools countrywide on Tuesday.
“We also included the issue of unemployed teachers, infrastructure and skills development whereby learners would receive vocational education like woodwork and Science, “said the movement’s convener Thabo Ngayo.
“We are challenging certain clauses in the BELA Act, like the one which dictates that undocumented children of illegal foreigners have the right to be admitted to our schools and we are saying that South African learners must be prioritised ahead of undocumented children of foreigners,” said Ngayo.
Ngayo stressed that children of undocumented foreigners must only be considered after all South African learners have been admitted to schools that are preferred by their parents.
“We respect the BELA Act, but it must not exclude it’s citizens because all countries worldwide put their citizens first, what is so difficult with us?” asked Ngayo.
“We agreed that a steering committee should be set up to comprising the Department of Basic Education, Labour and Home Affairs to speed up the duties of the Department of Basic Education,” he said.
“We need to unite and deal with the issue of illegal foreigners who are in our country whereby some of them have established bogus schools with bogus teachers, and we must therefore shut down such schools,” he said.
Ngayo said the issue of black learners being accommodated at schools which use mobile classrooms, and no proper classrooms and recreational facilities was also raised in the meeting and that they won’t leave matters in the hands of the Department of Basic Education, but that they will be active participants to make sure their demands are met by the Department.
He said there are many dilapidated and derelict schools which the Department of Basic Education can use to accommodate children who have not yet been placed at schools and lamented the fact that such schools are presently being used by foreigners as housing settlements.
Ngayo called for the scrapping of the online application system as it is used by some people and foreigners to pay bribes so that their children would be placed at schools of their choice.
Secretary General and Media Liason Officer of the Progressive Forces of South Africa Lebogang Shivute told Tshwane Talks that they arranged a meeting with the Department of Basic Education to raise their concern regarding the employment of foreigners by the Department of Basic Education and admission of children of foreigners at South African schools.
“We want South African children to be prioritised ahead of children of foreigners and currently children of foreigners are admitted to schools at the expense of South African children,” she said.
Shivute pointed out that her organisation frequently receives calls from parents who complain that they live right next to a a certain school, yet their children have been denied admission to such schools.
Shivute said her organisation will also look at the issue of Danie Malan Primary School where black learners are refused entry because the schools admit white children only.
“What we are emphasising as Progressive Forces of South Africa, Operation Dudula and Abahambe Civics Movement is that the Department of Education must put South Africans first,” said Shivute.