Cape Town - The Western Cape Department of Education (WCED) has rejected allegations that its application process was prejudiced against learners of colour.
This comes after parents of black applicants said they have been rejected from former Model C schools.
Aggrieved parent Busiswa Lutshaba made the allegation after being rejected by five schools she had applied to for her Grade 8 daughter.
“I applied for my daughter’s placement at five schools, and she was rejected from them all. We applied early and with all the required information. It has been a struggle from the start to get placement for my daughter.”
“As tedious as this has been for me, the parent, I feel for my daughter who has to be taking this much harder. She wants to be in school with her peers,” Lutshaba said.
South African Youth Council Provincial (SAYC) Chairperson Benjamin Zantsi said the council received complaints regarding the WCED’s learner placement process.
He said: “I have experienced this as well, and I know I speak on behalf of many young parents when I say that the online application system is being used to keep out learners from black and coloured communities from former Model C schools.”
“When we try to find out why this is a common occurrence, we hear excuses such as transport. One of the main issues has been black parents selecting the fee exemption option.”
Zantsi said in response to the claims, the SAYC will be launching a campaign focused on high-level engagements to advance the case to the relevant department.
In response to the claims, the WCED said that the allegations against the system were a poor attempt to falsely accuse schools of racism.
Spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said thousands of learners who applied to these schools did not get accepted because of the number of applications received by these schools.
“Some schools are more popular than others and will receive greater applications. For example, Claremont received the highest amount of applications of any school in the province, with over 3200 applications for just over 100 spaces. This means that there were approximately 3100 learners that did not get accepted into the school.”
“This was based on capacity and not race as incorrectly insinuated. If there is a parent that does feel that they were discriminated as a result of race during this process, they can appeal to the MEC, and it will be investigated.”
Hammond also said that the WCED’s online application process eliminated some of the discriminatory practices used by schools in the past. Instances such as schools asking for details on parents' financial income or status.
“The online system makes all applications uniform across the board to eliminate such practices making for a more equitable and fair process,” She said.