Online Reporter
South African citizens have no right to pressure school principals to break the law by rejecting children of foreign nationals, irrespective of their legal status, from enrolling in schools, said civil rights and education experts.
The experts, including Professor Mary Metcalfe, weigh in on the chaos at the Addington Primary School in Durban, where organisations such as March and March Movement (MAM) and Operation Dudula joined forces with local citizens to prioritise admitting local children over the children of foreign nationals.
According to Metcalfe, the Department of Basic Education (DBC) operates under the 2021 and 2025 regulations of school admission policy, which state that: “The right to education extends to everyone within the boundaries of South Africa, the nationality and immigration status is immaterial”.
“Principals cannot be put under pressure by parents to defy departmental instructions,” said Metcalfe.
She reminded citizens who are opposed to the admission policies to contest them in the appropriate forum and manner. She said the schools cannot prioritise children based on their nationalities as the law is against discrimination. – IOL
