The funding model for state schools still prevents many from receiving a basic education.
The education system does not always respect the rights of female pupils, leading to many dropouts, writes Faranaaz Veriava.
Urgent steps are needed to address shoddy school infrastructure that leads to below-par results.
The victories of civil society become a vehicle for mobilising on education rights.
An education rights charter is an important step in this direction.
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/ 16 January 2007
Late last year, Education Minister Naledi Pandor announced that 40% of learners countrywide would benefit from fee-free schooling in 2007. At about the same time, the department of education defeated an application brought by 17 historically Model C schools in the Pietermaritzburg area in which they sought to suspend the implementation of their obligations under new regulations exempting parents from the payment of school fees.