School deregisters pupils
Kings College demands valid study permits
FOREIGN pupils enrolled at King’s College Primary School in East London have been “temporarily deregistered”.
A letter issued to their parents stated they should not return to school next term if they do not have valid study permits.
The letters were issued last Thursday, along with the pupils’ mid-year report.
Speaking to the Dispatch, the parents, who asked not to be named, said most of them were in the country using Zimbabwean Special Permits (ZSP) which expire in December this year.
The ZSP programme was introduced seven years ago to allow Zimbabwean nationals in South Africa without documentation to “legalise” their stay.
The permits were valid for four years but towards the end of the period they were renewed for another three years, ending in December this year.
The state said after December the permits would not be renewable.
The national Department of Home Affairs (DHA) told holders of the ZSP not to “panic”, but to await a decision by the department on the extension of their permits.
One parent, whose child is in Grade 1, said the situation was stressful.
“I can’t keep my child at home when he needs to be in school, and going back to Zimbabwe is not an option. I guess I will have to find another school that will accept him,” the parent said.
Another parent asked the school to give them more time to sort out the permits while the children remained in school.
“Getting these documents can be a lengthy exercise and sometimes it is impossible.
“For instance, a few years ago, I tried to apply for a study permit and one of the requirements was a medical aid. I cannot afford medical aid, so I did not complete the application,” the parent said.
The school’s principal, Johann Nell, said every prospective foreign parent is told that a pupil’s registration is subject to a valid study permit.
“Unfortunately a number of parents delayed or ignored the fact that they needed to obtain the necessary legal status for their children,” Nell said.
Earlier this year, when a similar incident took place at an Edenvale school, human rights lawyers urged the Department of Basic Education to issue a directive instructing all schools to immediately stop discriminating against foreign and undocumented children by refusing access and charging higher fees.
The directive should also indicate that schools have a responsibility to help children obtain these documents‚ Lawyers for Human Rights‚ the Centre for Child Law and Equal Education Law Centre said in a joint statement, stating that one of the rights of children was that all children in South Africa are equally entitled to education regardless of their status or documentation.
Provincial department of home affairs manager Siya Majakajaka said the department would intervene in the matter to ensure the children were in school. —