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                                                                                                  EQUAL EDUCATION MEDIA ALERT 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       14 June 2026

“I am 16 years old, and I used to study science subjects in school, and I have applied to 6 or 7 schools by myself…I am now being told that I should get a job. I want to learn, I do not want a job!” – an unplaced learner

 

On Monday, 15 June 2026, Equal Education (EE), together with unplaced learners and their parents, will march to the offices of the Western Cape Premier and the Western Cape Education MEC to demand an end to the perpetual neglect of Black learners in the province.

 

Fifty years after the 1976 youth uprising, school-going youth are still fighting a failing education department where Black learners from marginalised communities are treated as an afterthought. Some Black learners have not seen a classroom since the 2026 school year began. Parents are sent from pillar to post, with no clear indication of when their children will finally be placed.

 

For almost 5 years, EE has met with, pleaded with, protested against, and litigated against the Western Cape government to amend its discriminatory admission policy. On 2 June 2026, EE presented evidence of racial profiling and systemic exclusion to the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education. The MEC for Education, Mr David Maynier, refused to account for the conditions that leave Black learners behind.

 

We are therefore marching to the Western Cape Government and the Western Cape Education Department to demand the following: 

 

  • Provision of additional learner places in disadvantaged communities across the Western Cape.
  • The WCED must place all unplaced learners before the third quarter of 2026.
  • A clear catch-up plan for every learner still out of school.
  • A clear and proactive learner placement plan beyond the 2026 school year with prioritised education resource provisioning for marginalised school communities;
  • An investigative inquiry into the causes of non‑placement, and a Western Cape‑funded campaign to find and reintegrate out‑of‑school children.

 

March details

Date: Monday, 15 June 2026

Time: 10h00

Venue: Western Cape Legislature & Education MEC, Cape Town.

 

Hashtags: #SofundaSonke #NoLearnerMustBeLeftBehind #1976-2026

 

To arrange a media interview, contact:

Ayanda Sishi-Wigzell | ayanda@equaleducation.org.za | 076 879 3017

Sesethu August | sesethu@equaleducation.org.za | 063 221 7983