Minister Motshekga tells parents to look after their children “outside” classrooms if they opt out of Comprehensive Sexual Education
4 December 2019
In a response to a Democratic Alliance (DA) question in Parliament on Wednesday on whether the Department of Basic Education plans on formulating an alternative policy to the Comprehensive Sexual Education (CSE) for parents who choose to opt-out their children, the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga responded by stating:
“If parents want their children not to learn what other children are learning, [parents] will have to come to our schools [and] when it’s the class for that subject [CSE] come and look after their kids outside. After the class bring them back.”
The DA is flabbergasted by the Minister’s comments as it speaks to a great insensitivity to the genuine concerns of parents across the country.
In a previous response to a DA Parliamentary question, the Minister stated that parents will be able to opt-out of the curriculum provided they can have an alternative curriculum that meets the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) requirements. Now, the Minister has gone a step further by stating that parents will have to mind their children at school, during the period when the CSE is being taught.