With the publication of regulations on school admission policies that are now open for public participation, the struggle for community-driven education has entered a new phase.
Until now, the focus has been on influencing the legislation. Going forward, it will be on managing its provisions.
The published regulations are possibly the best that could be formulated within the framework of this objectionable law. They require the provincial Head of Department to act in consultation with the school governing body (SGB).
The SGB retains the right to formulate its own admission policy, with the Head of Department only intervening if the policy appears to unfairly exclude certain learners.
The definition of the school community remains problematic, though. The regulations should have made provision for schools whose communities are not necessarily in the immediate vicinity of the school, but failed to do so.
Ultimately, the Head of Department has the final say, albeit in consultation. This effectively turns a public community school into a state school, where the community assumes management responsibilities without the necessary authority.
The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) urges all stakeholders to make submissions. In the meantime, it is essential to use the remaining leeway to establish a new educational dispensation, increasingly relying on affordable, independent education.
Public and independent Afrikaans schools should collaborate more closely. They serve the same cultural community, after all. While public schools currently have access to more resources, government can easily take it away. Independent education (including home-schooling) may still be busy navigating a steep learning curve, but can already determine its own fate.
Single-mindedness in purpose and pursuit for Afrikaans education, in the broadest sense, is critically important – and these regulations serve to confirm this.
