Equal Education welcomes the DBE circular protecting foreign national learners and calls on schools to uphold learner safety
MEDIA STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 15 July 2026 Equal Education welcomes the DBE circular protecting foreign national learners and calls on schools to uphold learner safety Equal Education welcomes the Department of Basic Education’s Circular S7 of 2026, issued ahead of the start of the third school term, which prohibits vigilantism and violence in and […]
MEDIA STATEMENT: GWARUBE CANNOT DECLARE VICTORY WHILE LEARNERS ARE STILL USING DANGEROUS PIT TOILETS
7 July 2026 The Department of Basic Education (DBE) cannot declare victory while there are still learners using dangerous pit toilets in public schools. Equal Education (EE) notes Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube’s announcement that all schools identified under the Sanitation Appropriate for Education (SAFE) Initiative as relying on pit latrines have now had […]
MEMORANDUM OF DEMANDS “ALL BLACK LEARNERS FROM WORKING CLASS FAMILIES AND MARGINALISED COMMUNITIES MUST HAVE ACCESS TO SCHOOL”
MEMORANDUM OF DEMANDS 50 YEARS AFTER 1976 – ENDING THE SYSTEMIC EXCLUSION OF BLACK LEARNERS IN THE WESTERN CAPE TO: Premier of the Western Cape, Mr. Alan Winde TO: MEC for Education, Western Cape, Mr. David Maynier FROM: Equal Education (EE) DATE: 15 June 2026 Political statement Tomorrow marks 50 years since the Soweto uprising. […]
Request For Quotations: Education Transparency and Accoutability Webpage
REQUEST FOR QUOTATIONS Education Transparency and Accountability Webpage Background Equal Education, Equal Education Law Centre, and the National Association of School Governing Bodies invite quotations to update and redesign an education transparency and accountability webpage. The webpage should contain a repository of popular educational materials to support the monitoring of good governance in schools […]
JOINT STATEMENT: Equal Education Law Centre, Equal Education, Children’s Institute, Section 27, Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia, and Lawyers for Human Rights Condemn the recent wave of xenophobia
20 May 2026 The Equal Education Law Centre (EELC), Equal Education (EE), Children’s Institute (CI), SECTION27, KOPANANG AFRICA AGAINST XENOPHOBIA (KAAX), and Lawyers for Human Rights unequivocally condemn the recent wave of intimidation and violence targeting migrant persons, including children, in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. Over the past several months, March and March […]
Media Alert: Equal Education Roundtable Discussion on the state of school infrastructure in the Eastern Cape
Equal Education is hosting a roundtable in the Eastern Cape on the state of school infrastructure in the province. Equal Education is a youth-led, mass democratic social movement of learners, post-school youth, principals, teachers, parents and community members that advocates for equal and quality education in South Africa through mobilisation and activism, supported by careful […]
EQUAL EDUCATION STATEMENT ON THE INQUIRY INTO ALLEGATIONS OF MALADMINISTRATION AND UNETHICAL CONDUCT AT THE EASTERN CAPE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Urgent action is needed to resolve the school infrastructure crisis in the Eastern Cape. According to the Department of Basic Education’s (DBE) own data, 1,221 schools, or 25% of schools in the province, are either in a “totally unacceptable” condition or are “barely fulfilling their intended purpose.” Learners in many schools are forced to learn […]
Equal Education condemns the continued spending cuts in the education sector.
Two weeks ago, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) published the outcome of its Article IV Consultation with South Africa. The report emphasised the view that the South African state needs to prioritise debt stability, accelerate structural reforms, ease the burden on its tax base, and protect priority spending as a bare necessity. The 2026 budget […]
SONA and the legacy of failures from Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration
President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the country in his eighth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on 12 February 2026, outlining priorities for the year ahead. What is meant to serve as an opportunity for the President and his Cabinet to account to the people on the progress made in implementing previous commitments, SONA has […]
Fix and fund our public education system so that no learner is left behind!
Equal Education congratulates the matric class of 2025, the largest cohort of candidates (more than 901 790 candidates) to write the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations, for achieving a 88% national pass rate, equating to 656 415 learners who passed matric. We further congratulate the 345 857 learners who achieved a bachelor’s pass, up from […]
Joint statement: Equal Education and the Equal Education Law Centre in the Supreme Court of Appeal to challenge the introduction of collaboration schools, donor-funded schools, and intervention facilities by the Western Cape Provincial School Education Amendment Act
8 December 2025 #PublicSchoolDemocracy On 9 December 2025, Equal Education (EE), represented by the Equal Education Law Centre (EELC), will be at the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) to challenge the Western Cape High Court’s decision regarding collaboration schools, donor-funded schools, and intervention facilities introduced under the Western Cape Provincial School Education Amendment Act 4 […]
Joint media statement: The Western Cape High Court finds the Western Cape Education Department’s Learner Admissions’ system unfairly discriminates against Black and marginalised learners
4 December 2025 Education (EE) and the Equal Education Law Centre (EELC) celebrate the Western Cape High Court’s groundbreaking judgment delivered on Friday, 28 November 2025, confirming that learners from Khayelitsha, Kraaifontein, Kuilsriver, Strand, and surrounding areas have an equal right to basic education. On 24 April 2025, EE and the EELC appeared in […]