SADTU Gauteng welcomes the Constitutional Court ruling on learner admission

20 May 2016

SADTU Gauteng welcomes the Constitutional Court ruling in the case of learner admission regulations pronounced by the retiring Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke today. The appeal against the Supreme Court of Appeal by FEDSAS was dismissed.

It is our long held view that School Governing Bodies in former model C schools, misled by FEDSAS manipulate legislation to preserve their racially discriminatory policies. These schools charge unreasonably high fees and continue to accumulate huge reserves. They have created different conditions of service in the education system through the provision of additional perks and bonuses for state employees not determined in the relevant bargaining councils. This maintains a two tier apartheid education system.

Learners are unfairly discriminated against on the basis of their socioeconomic backgrounds including academic performance as disclosed in their confidential reports

We firmly support the principle of universal access to public education by all children. The Constitution instructs the state to make basic education progressively available.

The Freedom Charter also declares that "The Doors of Learning and Culture SHALL be open"

We call on Gauteng Department of Education to be even more radical and accelerate transformation in pursuit of quality public education for all children.

Issued by Tseliso Ledimo, Provincial Secretary, SADTU, 20 May 2016