Most foreign children drop out after Grade Seven-LAC

The 2022 academic calendar commenced on January 12. While some children were excited to go back to school, it has been a hectic start for most foreign children.

This follows as many parents struggle to find a placement for their children because of a lack of documentation.

Leratong Advice Centre (LAC), an organisation advocating for children’s right to basic education and human dignity, has been hard at work trying to place children in various schools around Katlehong since the beginning of the year.

The organisation is based at Katlehong Resource Centre.

According to the founder of LAC, Papi Thetele, immigrant children who could complete their primary school end up dropping out of school because they struggle with placements in secondary schools.

He also mentioned cases of children whose parents are South African by birth but didn’t apply for birth certificates for their children.

“Sometimes, you would find that the parents have lost documentation and don’t report at necessary departments,” he added.

LAC has been assisting undocumented learners who have passed primary school with placements and registration to secondary school since last year.

This year alone, the organisation has assisted over 50 late applicants who could not find space.

Thetele said Katlehong has about nine primary schools, which have challenges regarding undocumented children who struggle with registration every year.

“When you look at these schools and compare them with the number of learners who come to our office for help you become very worried because it clearly shows that we have not covered most people,” Thetele explained.

“Out of hundreds of Grade Seven learners who were supposed to go to secondary school, we have only managed to cover 20%, which is the tip of the ice bag,” he continued.

“We are trying our level best and have already placed 50 children since the beginning of January. We hope that by the end of the first term, we would have placed more.

When asked whether those children still have enough time to register, Thetele said the school policy states that every child needs to go to school irrespective of time.

“Even if the child comes to the office for help towards the end of the term, as long there is space available, the child will be placed at the school,” he said.

He explained that as an organisation, they strategically need to come up with catch-up classes for those who were placed late.

For learners who will leave primary school next year, when is the right time for their parents to come to the organisation to start with registration?

Thetele said that there is no right time because immediately when you are sitting with a child without a birth certificate you are sitting with a time bomb.

“As parents, we need to make use of organisations that can assist, like the advice centre. We want people to come early to share their challenges, the earlier the better,” said Thetele.

He said latecomers pose a challenge for the organisation because they do not have resources. The only thing they rely on is the letter the school provides to parents to present when seeking space.

“If we have resources, we would collect the children and take them to schools because some parents travel from Palm Ridge to Katlehong, as well as other schools searching for space,” he said.

This poses a challenge for learners who have to travel far to the school they were placed in.

“If we say to them, you cannot have access to a school, where are they going to get the education from?

“If we are serious about our children’s education, let us start supporting them. The advice centre cannot dish out birth certificates but we have the power to approach relevant departments to ask for help.”

Parents who need help from the organisation can contact Thetele on 069 3766 140 or email papithetele@yahoo.com