The Gauteng Department of Education has charged a parent with failing to ensure that her child attends school.
A PARENT in Pretoria (whose name has been withheld) has been charged by the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) for failing to make sure her child attended school.
GDE representative Lebelo Maloka says that the child’s continued absence from school had been going on since 1996. As such, the parent has failed to live up to her legal obligation to make sure that her child attends school, as stipulated in the South African Schools Act.
Chapter two of the South African Schools Act states ”every parent must cause every learner for whom he or she is responsible to attend a school”, from the year the child turns seven, until the child either reaches 15 years old or grade 9.
Parents charged and found guilty of failing to do this may be fined or face up to six months in prison.
Maloka has little sympathy for difficulties faced by working parents, who might be unaware that their child is bunking, but who have done everything else to make sure their child gets to school. ”At the end of the day,” says Maloka, ”parents are [legally] obliged to get their children into school.”
Maloka was unable to say how much absenteeism would be grounds for the department to lay a charge against the parent. However, he says that the strategy of the GDE is to encourage teachers to go to the child’s home and investigate the circumstances, should the child be absent for three or more consecutive days. If it is found that the parent is forsaking his or her legal duties, ”then we are obliged to prosecute,” says Maloka.
— The Teacher/Mail & Guardian, February 2, 2000.
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