By Charmaine Ndlela
Foreign learners make up only 1.8% of South Africa’s total learner population, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) said on Thursday, rejecting claims that children from other countries are “overrunning” local schools as misleading and unsupported by national enrolment data.
“Such assertions are patently false and are not supported by any credible evidence,” the department said in a statement.
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The DBE said its verified national enrolment data showed foreign learners accounted for a small minority of children in the system, while 98.2% of learners enrolled in public schools were South African citizens.
It said the 1.8% figure included children of ambassadors, diplomatic missions, United Nations agencies and other international organisations who are lawfully present in the country.
“The claim that foreign learners are placing undue pressure on the education system is therefore statistically incorrect, misleading, and irresponsible,” the statement said.
The department acknowledged frustration among parents in high-demand areas who are waiting for school placements, saying national and provincial education authorities were finalising placements and making progress.
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It cited KwaZulu-Natal as an example, saying the province had placed 100% of applications, while other provinces continued to make progress.
Recent protests outside Addington Primary School in Durban have highlighted how placement backlogs and misinformation about admissions can spill into schools, disrupting classes and drawing a heavy police presence. KwaZulu-Natal’s education department has said the demonstrations were driven by claims that foreign children were being prioritised over South Africans, a narrative the department and MEC Sipho Hlomuka have publicly rejected.
In its statement, the DBE warned against scapegoating and political opportunism around education.
“Any attempt to use the education sector as a platform for scapegoating, social division, or political opportunism must be unequivocally rejected, as a deliberate attempt to sow division and cause unwarranted harm to otherwise peaceful relations within communities and schools, and most importantly, to the wellbeing, dignity, and safety of all children,” it said.
“South Africa’s Constitution and education legislation are unequivocal: every child within our borders has the right to basic education, irrespective of nationality or documentation status,” it said.
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The DBE also rejected calls for schools to act as de facto immigration officials. “Schools and educators are not responsible for immigration enforcement,” it said, adding that border control and immigration management were functions of national authorities, not school principals or education officials.
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