Chiloane acknowledged that certain communities have schools with higher concentrations of foreign nationals.
Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane has pushed back against criticism over undocumented foreign children in schools, insisting the scale of the issue is being exaggerated and that pupils should not be framed as a threat.
Speaking to The Citizen on the sidelines of Regenesys’ School of Education Principals Breakfast on Wednesday, Chiloane addressed concerns following new Department of Basic Education (DBE) regulations that allow undocumented foreign children to attend school.
‘Kids are not a problem’
Chiloane said that despite the heated public discourse, the actual numbers do not support the widespread belief that foreign children are overwhelming the system.
“I wouldn’t say they are a problem. Kids are not a problem, per se,” he said.
According to him, Gauteng’s system remains overwhelmingly South African.
“Statistically, the numbers are saying 93% South African kids and 7% foreign nationals. That’s how the system looks,” he explained.
Even in the latest online admissions cycle, the percentage remains minimal.
“I was getting the report recently on the online admission… There are fewer than 4% that have applied for both Grade 1 and 8,” Chiloane said.
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Inner-city schools face different realities
While the overall system remains stable, Chiloane acknowledged that certain communities, particularly Johannesburg’s inner city, have schools with higher concentrations of foreign nationals.
“For example, if a school is in Hillbrow, because there’s a large number of foreigners that school would then have more foreign nationals than local kids,” he said.
“The same applies to other schools in the CBD and inner cities.”
But he stressed that these isolated hotspots should not be used to paint the entire province.
“In terms of the overall system, it is not as what is being said,” Chiloane reiterated.
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Identification challenges are a threat
Chiloane said the department cannot, and will not, prevent undocumented foreign children from entering schools, citing South Africa’s constitutional obligations.
However, he warned that the lack of documentation creates serious complications.
“It’s important that parents of these students come on board to assist us,” he said.
“If you put a child with no documentation from Grade 1 to 8, they can change their name every year because we don’t have anything that can say who this child is.”
He described this as “an identification process issue, and it’s a problem, and it’s a threat to any state when you find yourself in that position.”
Career guidance subject
Chiloane also weighed in on plans to improve the transition between the FET phase and higher education.
“We need to bring back career guidance as a subject in schools,” he said. “Life Orientation exists, but bringing back a subject solely focused on exiting grades and what to expect will make a huge difference.”
On implementation timelines, he said only that “it is a process.”
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