The department of basic education (DBE) has dismissed claims that they are the majority or responsible for overcrowding amid protests led by the anti-immigrant group March and March. It’s been protesting outside Addington Primary School in Durban, claiming that foreign learners are being given priority over locals.

The DBE said it understood the frustrations of some parents who want their children admitted to government schools in areas with high demand for places.

It called for community leaders, parents, and the general public to correct the narrative. “The department of basic education wishes to correct misinformation and to firmly dispel claims that foreign learners are overrunning South African schools,” said spokesperson Terence Khala.

“Now, such assertions are patently false and are not supported by any credible evidence. Any attempt to use the education sector as a platform for scapegoating, social division, or political opportunism must unequivocally be rejected as a deliberate attempt to sow division and cause unwarranted harm to peaceful relations between communities and schools.”

The 1.8% includes learners of ambassadors, diplomatic missions, United Nations agencies, and other international organisations who are lawfully present in the country and whom South Africa has a responsibility to host in line with international obligations, he said.

Minister of education Siviwe Gwarube said in a recent reply to a written parliamentary question 253,618 foreign national children were enrolled in South African schools last year.

‘We must actively reject xenophobia, fear-mongering, and misinformation’

The minister and the DBE reiterated that the department was constitutionally obliged to admit pupils, regardless of their nationality and immigration status.

The department said the source of limited space at schools was an infrastructure backlog, funding constraints for the appointment of additional teachers, and other systemic and structural challenges.

“We must actively reject xenophobia, fear-mongering, as well as misinformation,” said Khala. “Education is a unifying force in society. Our schools must be places of safety, dignity, and inclusion for all children.”

“They must protect the rights of every learner and strengthen social cohesion, and never be used as tools for division.”

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OFM News/Zenande Mpame cvs