Parents in South Africa face numerous challenges when dealing with the Department of Education, (DOE), particularly regarding their children’s schooling and educational rights. One primary concern is the exclusion of fathers from their children’s educational processes. The second exclusion is how the DOE is actively seeking to reduce the quality of education in South Africa to absolute zero and remove all rights and responsibilities of parents regarding their child’s education. The third way is that the DOE wants a one-size-fits-all education system that seeks to indoctrinate our children with Marxist communist ideologies and teach them unscientific and fake biological nonsense.
This exclusion manifests in several ways:
- Enrollment Without Consent: Fathers find their children enrolled or moved to new schools without their knowledge or consent. This unilateral decision-making excludes fathers from being active participants in their children’s education from the outset.
- Lack of Physical Presence: Fathers are frequently excluded and not required to be physically present during the enrollment process. This lack of requirement further alienates them from being acknowledged as essential stakeholders in their children’s education.
- Financial Responsibilities Without Consent: Fathers are held financially responsible for school fees and related costs without signing any acknowledgment or agreement to pay. This can lead to financial burdens imposed without their consent.
- Communication Barriers: Fathers do not receive essential communications such as school reports or updates on their children’s academic performance and activities. They are excluded from WhatsApp groups that provide vital information about homework, projects, and school events.
- Bans and Restrictions: Fathers are banned from attending school events, meetings, or even entering school premises based on the mother’s instruction alone, without any formal court orders. This arbitrary restriction prevents them from being involved in their children’s education.
- False Accusations: There are instances where false or non-existent restraining or domestic violence orders are used to deny fathers their rights to participate in their children’s education. This misuse of legal tools further marginalizes fathers.
- Read the full letter addressed to the minister of education
Specific Issues Fathers Face with the Department of Education
Fathers, in particular, experience distinct challenges that exacerbate their exclusion and hinder their ability to fulfill their parental responsibilities effectively:
- Automatic Liability for Fees: Fathers are automatically made liable for school fees and associated costs even when they are not physically present or have not signed any documents acknowledging this responsibility.
- Lack of Recourse: Fathers often lack direct recourse against schools when falsely accused of non-payment or when their involvement is unfairly restricted.
- Mandatory Involvement: There is a need for policies that ensure fathers are automatically informed and involved in all aspects of their children’s education, from academic progress to extracurricular activities.
- Equal Treatment Under the Law: Fathers demand equal treatment under the law, asserting that no laws in South Africa prohibit them from participating in their children’s education. The current practices that marginalize them are seen as discriminatory and unjust.
General Issues with the Department of Education
The overarching issues with the Department of Education include systemic biases and policies that do not support equal parental involvement. These issues manifest in several ways:
- Discriminatory Practices: The Department of Education has failed to address the discriminatory practices that exclude fathers from being active participants in their children’s education. We Have sent the minister of Basic education our concerns well over 8 emails in the last year as well as including sending our concerns about the discriminatory practices meted out to fathers during the oral presentation of our concerns during the BELLA Bill hearings, late last year and earlier this year 6 March 2024. To date, the ministry has deliberately failed to our request for direct engagement
- Lack of Clear Policies: There is a lack of clear policies and guidelines that mandate automatic, direct equal involvement of both parents in their children’s education, leading to inconsistent practices across schools.
- Insufficient Legal Framework: The current legal framework does not provide adequate protections for fathers’ rights to be involved in their children’s education, leading to arbitrary decisions that deliberately harm family dynamics.
Issues with the BELA Bill
The Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill presents several issues that further exacerbate the challenges faced by parents and particularly fathers:
- Indoctrination and Misinformation: The BELA Bill is paving the way for introducing gender theories and LGBTQ+ concepts into the educational curriculum. These concepts are unscientific and biologically inaccurate, confuse children, and promote harmful ideologies.
- The Bella bill has yet to be approved, yet we are already witnessing instances of age-inappropriate indoctrination of our children with the transgender ideology, which is child abuse. This objective, advocated by the transgender community, involves administering drugs typically used for chemically castrating pedophiles. These medically unnecessary procedures, however, have serious medical risks. They often result in over 80% of recipients experiencing lifelong chronic pain and requiring extensive medication to sustain the process. Additionally, they lead to premature onset of menopause and osteoporosis in teenage and young adult females. The psychological impact can be severe, with suicide rates among post-operative recipients reaching levels comparable to those last seen in Nazi concentration camps during the Second World War.
- Girls generally fall foul of the latest fad. Girls are observed as 60% of these fake chemical and medical experimental unscientific transmutilation surgeries with the direct intent to confuse and abuse children and that also seeks to remove females out of society absolutely with these woke ideologies.
- It is not beyond reason to suggest that the Minister, seeking authority through the Bela Bill, aims to wield unchecked power in making unilateral legal decisions. This concern is exemplified by the Minister of Education, who, despite lacking medical qualifications, is reportedly considering clandestine abortions for pregnant minors without parental consent or notification.
- Furthermore, it is pertinent to note that Fathers 4 Justice engaged the Department of Social Development in 2019, 5 years later they have deliberately failed to enact the necessary changes so desperately needed in family law to reduce the time, cost, and conflict associated with family law. The Department of Basic Education’s alignment with a similar agenda is evident.
- Drawing parallels with countries such as Canada, the USA, New Zealand, Australia, and Britain, where parental rights have been obliterated over trivial matters and woke agenda, there arises a profound concern regarding the systematic erosion of parental rights and responsibilities in all government departments in South Africa. Legal challenges and warnings from advocacy groups like Fathers 4 Justice, coupled with Constitutional Court pronouncements on the Children’s Act and proposed amendments to the Education Act, are viewed as openly hostile and biased against fathers and parents at large. The apprehension is that such changes may effectively render children wards of the state, undermining and usurping parental authority and individual rights. This trend is perceived as a direct assault on the sanctity of the family unit and fundamental parental duties, rights, and responsibilities thereby endangering the well-being and autonomy of both parents and children alike
- In “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu, the essence of obscuring the true intentions and objectives of the South African government is encapsulated in the following maxim: “All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.” If parents and the public in general are not connecting the dots concerning the government’s agenda, they are strongly advised to do so. The objective is to completely strip away all rights and responsibilities from parents, with the ultimate aim of eradicating the constitutional and legal rights of all citizens of South Africa.
- With a multitude of continuous attacks on all aspects of constitutional, legal, social, economic, health, and educational rights and responsibilities at all levels of South Africa’s social fabric, it becomes abundantly apparent that the government perceives parents and, generally, all citizens of South Africa as the enemy.
- Ergo, the transgender agenda has absolutely nothing to do with the compassion, understanding, emotional sympathy, empathy, and care of our children, reversing the hard-won rights by our vibrant and beautiful gay and lesbian community, it is the Trojan horse being used to deliberately, definitely and deceitfully remove all constitutional, legal, and God-given rights and responsibilities of parents and by default make all our children automatic wards of the state.
- Degradation of Education Quality: The focus on woke ideologies rather than factual, scientific, and historical accuracy undermines the quality of education. This shift diverts attention from essential academic subjects, leading to a degradation of the overall educational standard.
- Language Choice: Linguistic diversity plays a vital role in fostering inclusivity in our schools. Parents must have the sole right to choose the language of instruction that best suits their child’s needs and cultural background.
- Religious, Cultural, and Traditional Rights: Protecting religious and cultural freedoms is essential and non-negotiable for promoting tolerance and respect in our schools. We must ensure that schools accommodate diverse beliefs while fostering a sense of unity and inclusivity.”
- Further, protecting religious and cultural freedoms is essential and non-negotiable for promoting tolerance and respect in our schools. We must ensure that schools accommodate diverse beliefs while fostering a sense of unity and inclusivity.”
- No Oversight of Parents or Governing Bodies: Disputes between parents and educational authorities should be resolved through the process
already enshrined in the Education Act and while not advisable through the court system where necessary. It is crucial to maintain a balance between government overreach and oversight and parental autonomy in education. - Curriculum Choice: A one-size-fits-all approach to curriculum development limits educational opportunities for our children. There is a plethora of ways in which children learn, adopting a one-size-fits-all is asinine and will leave the vast majority of students uneducated. Parents and governing bodies must have the flexibility to tailor education to meet the unique needs of students.”
- Minimum Pass Rate and Focus on STEM Subjects: Raising the minimum pass rate and prioritizing STEM education are critical steps towards preparing our children for the challenges of the future. We must immediately equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge to thrive in a rapidly changing world.” This must be the DBE’s primary objective, and not confusing them with a fake scientific woke agenda
- Teacher Qualifications and Training: ensuring that teachers are highly qualified and trained is essential for delivering quality education. We must support ongoing professional development to empower educators and improve student outcomes.” It is not only expected but demanded that the education system in South Africa must rise up out of the scrapheap and not only become world-class but the envy and guiding light of all nations across the planet
- Abuse of Power by the Minister: The BELA Bill grants the Minister of Education significant unilateral power to make legal decisions without proper checks and balances. This concentration of power will lead to abuse and the implementation of policies that do not reflect the will or best interests of parents and children.
- transparency in policy changes is essential for ensuring that the voices of parents are heard. Proposed changes mustn’t be unilateral as the minister so slavishly desires, they MUST be made public, allowing for meaningful input from stakeholders through appropriate channels
- Stripping Parental Rights: The BELA Bill aggressively removes and diminishes parental rights and responsibilities. By sidelining parents, particularly fathers, the Bill undermines the role of parents in guiding and protecting their children’s education and well-being. the unilateral stripping of parent’s rights and responsibilities.
- Non-Victimization Based on Vaccination Status: discrimination based on vaccination status has no place in our education system. Parents have the right to make informed decisions about their child’s health without fear of victimization from educational authorities.”
- Further as already discussed the medical decisions of pregnant schoolgirls should be left solely to their parent’s discretion, not educational institutions. It is demanded that the DBE respect parental rights and avoid blatant overreach by the DBE into personal family and medical matters. We also see this as a deliberate attempt by the DBE to cover up school girls being raped and made pregnant by teachers.
- Failure to Provide Proper Education: The government’s inability to provide a proper, sound education based on factual, mathematical, scientific, and historical accuracy is a critical failure. The focus on ideologically driven content does not equip children with the necessary skills and knowledge for their future.
Solutions to the Issues
To address these challenges, several solutions are proposed:
- Mandatory Physical Presence: Enforce policies that require the physical presence of both biological parents during the enrollment process to ensure mutual consent and involvement.
- Equal Financial Responsibility: Implement policies that ensure fathers are not held financially responsible for school fees and associated costs unless they have signed an acknowledgment of this responsibility.
- Automatic Notifications: Schools should be required to automatically notify both parents of all academic reports, meetings, and activities to ensure equal involvement.
- Legal Protections: Strengthen the legal framework to protect fathers’ rights to be involved in their children’s education, preventing arbitrary bans and restrictions.
- Parental Involvement Policies: Develop and enforce clear policies that mandate the involvement of both parents in all aspects of their children’s education, from academic progress to extracurricular activities.
- Engagement with Stakeholders: The Department of Education should engage directly with fathers’ rights groups, such as Fathers 4 Justice South Africa, to address these issues and develop inclusive policies.
- Public Awareness Campaigns: Launch campaigns to raise awareness about the importance of equal parental involvement in education, challenging societal norms that marginalize fathers.
- Curriculum Review: Ensure that the educational curriculum is based on factual, scientific, and historical accuracy, avoiding the promotion of any single ideology that could confuse or mislead children.
- Checks and Balances: Implement checks and balances to prevent the abuse of power by the Minister of Education, ensuring that any significant changes to the educational system involve thorough consultation with parents and stakeholders.
- Child Protection Policies: Develop and enforce policies that protect children from being exposed to unscientific and potentially harmful ideologies, focusing on their overall well-being and educational development.
- Read the full response by Fathers 4 Justice South Africa to the disgusting BELLA bill
Just as the incumbent and incompetent government has destroyed the national health system and now seeks to destroy the private health care system with the NHI bill which has been challenged at the constitutional court. In the same manner, the incompetent government of the day has destroyed the public education system and amongst a myriad of other stupid ideas the education minister has, they also seek to destroy the alternative, home, and private school system with wanton abandon. The minister is well advised to provide a superior world-class public school education system that must be the desire and envy of all other countries in the world, instead of providing a subpar education. It is well known that the ANC only wants to be seen to be giving something that loosely approximates a low public education system. The ANC government now wants to destroy the private education system.
The fact that parents who are in the minority and who can have been forced to send their children to a private school because of the garbage education system in South Africa
note with a high degree of disgust that to date the minister has deliberately failed to engage Fathers 4 Justice South Africa in regard to the concerns that fathers complain about hourly to F4J. Fathers complain about the unilateral stripping of involvement in their child’s education based solely on the irrational say-so of the mother.
The fact that the minister has deliberately chosen to ignore F4J shows that the minister and the Department of Education actively practice gender discrimination. Yet the government wants to complain about absent fathers.
We are already seeing the results of the changes in the Children’s Act that have already removed the mother’s rights and responsibilities in the foster care portion of the Children’s Act.
Mothers would be well advised not to gloat over the deliberate and successful removal of fathers from their child’s education as the shocking changes envisaged in the BELLA bill are about to absolutely remove all parents’ rights and responsibilities to their children in so far as their education is concerned.
The government of South Africa is quietly and systematically removing PARENT’s rights and responsibilities at all levels of involvement in the legal, medical, and educational development of a child’s life. You have been warned
Instead of parents throwing rocks at one another it is strongly advised that all parents start immediately working together in the best interest of our children and their future as the government is quietly and successfully removing all parent’s tights and responsibilities. you have been warned.
The Department of Education must create an inclusive, equitable, and fact-based educational environment that recognizes and respects the rights and responsibilities of both parents.
