Admission policies as enablers and disablers of children’s rights to basic education : stakeholders’ perceptions

Abstract

In this article we report on a qualitative study done in Pretoria, South Africa, in which we investigated the experiences of 2 representatives of the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE); School Governing Body (SGB) spokespersons from 4 schools located in the Gauteng province, 2 representatives of the Federation of SGBs, 4 principals from 4 schools, and 4 parents from 4 schools regarding public primary schools’ admission policies and practices as enablers or disablers of children’s rights to basic education. Using structured, open-ended interviews, qualitative data were generated to explore the experiences of the participants on the public primary schools’ admission policies and practices as enablers or disablers of a right to basic education. We argue that the implementation of school admission policies as enabler to access to basic education must be based on a system of rights and corresponding obligations established by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, and the various legislative and policy frameworks. The findings of the study reveal that the learner admission system in South African public schools remains problematic, which in turn aids as a disabler of children’s right to basic education.