Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

3-minute read
25 September 2024 | 14:11 CAT

Image/Equal Education

Equal Education (EE) will host a strong Mock Swearing-In at the Department of Basic Education (DBE) offices in Pretoria on September 27th, 2024, demanding immediate changes and responsibility from the Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube. Equalisers, who are students in EE, will symbolically take on the roles of government officials to bring attention to the department’s unfulfilled promises, using their firsthand experience with the education system.

The initiative results from years of being fed up with pressing problems like crowded classrooms, insufficient and hazardous bathroom facilities, absence of student transportation, and other obstacles impacting education quality. Equalisers are urging the Minister to reintroduce deadlines for the Norms and Standards Infarstructufre law, ensuring adequate infrastructure for all schools. They are also calling for schools to be made safer, solutions for the ongoing crisis in school admissions, better teacher-to-student ratios, and a curriculum that equips students for the future.

Although quality education is guaranteed by the Constitution, many students still lack access to it. Equalisers are now urging the Minister of Education to take concrete action to tackle the obstacles they encounter on a daily basis.

Yolanda Sewela, a 17-year-old matriculant who serves as Deputy Chairperson of Equal Education, expressed her appeal on Instagram.

“We’re hosting a Mock Swearing-In action on September 27th at your Pretoria office, and we’d be honoured if you could join us. Our initiative will be addressing the challenges we face and the unfulfilled policies and promises made by your department. For years, we’ve felt unheard, and we hope you’ll listen to our concerns in person.”

At the event, Equalisers will present Minister Gwarube with a memorandum outlining their demands for immediate action. The memorandum is a clear request for the government to address the long-standing problems in the education system. They hope this event, with Minister Gwarube in attendance, will spark immediate and tangible action from the DBE.

In a recent Instagram update, EE confirmed that Equalisers attended Minister Gwarube’s media briefing in Pretoria, where they reminded her to respond to their invitation and confirm her attendance at the Mock Swearing-In on Friday. The Minister’s spokesperson, Lukhanyo, addressed the EE members and confirmed that the invitation had been received. He also shared that Minister Gwarube will attend the Mock Swearing-In ceremony on Friday, raising hopes for meaningful dialogue between the students and the government.

With the future of South Africa’s youth at stake, this Mock Swearing-In is more than a demonstration; it is a powerful call for the government to deliver on its promises to provide every child with the education they merit as the future of South Africa’s youth hangs in the balance.