Equal Education Law Centre

17/09/2026

[Joint statement 🖋️ ] Equal Education and the Equal Education Law Centre are deeply disappointed by the Supreme Court of Appeal ruling on collaboration schools, donor-funded schools and intervention facilities

"Our challenge has never been to additional investment in public education, but to the WCPSEA Act's provisions permitting these models to operate without adequate safeguards - handing donors and private operators substantial control over public schools, and officials broad discretion over learners, in a manner inconsistent with the Constitution and the South African Schools Act. EE and the EELC have consistently advocated for regulatory frameworks that protect the best interests of learners and safeguard the meaningful participation of learners, parents and school communities in decisions that shape their children’s education."

Read our full statement here: https://eelawcentre.org.za/equal-education-and-the-equal-education-law-centre-deeply-disappointed-by-the-supreme-court-of-appeal-ruling-on-collaboration-schools-donor-funded-schools-and-intervention-facilities/

16/09/2026

[Education Monitoring Brief 🗞️] On 21 August 2026, Portfolio Committees met jointly with the Minister of Basic Education to consider the government’s response to the Joint Interim Report on the Statutory R**e of Young Girls, adopted by the National Assembly in March 2026.

The Report makes recommendations to strengthen child protection in schools, including:
• 📢 Mandatory reporting and sanctions for non-compliance
• 📱 Restrictions on electronic communication between staff and learners
• 👩🏽‍⚕️ Expanded social worker support
• 🔎 Vetting of all school staff
• ⚖️ Stronger resourcing for SACE and the ELRC
• 📊 Integrated systems to track abuse cases
• 🚫 Removing convicted offenders from the education system
🤝 The Minister emphasised that protecting children in schools requires coordinated action across government, including education, social development, policing and justice.

📖 Read more in our latest Education Monitoring Brief:https://eelawcentre.org.za/wp-content/uploads/issue-62-i-august-2026.pdf

15/09/2026

🗣️ What does democracy look like when you are a learner?

It should look like being heard, having a say, and knowing that your voice can make a difference.

This International Day of Democracy, we reflect on the theme: Raising hands and voices – Fostering agency and ownership through deliberative democracy.

📚 Learner participation is not simply about giving young people a chance to speak. It means creating meaningful spaces where learners can express their views, influence decisions, and hold decision-makers accountable on issues that affect their education and their lives.

⚖️ At the Equal Education Law Centre, we believe learners are rights holders, not passive recipients of education. We support learners and communities to understand and claim their rights, participate in decision-making, and advocate for fair, equal and quality education.

🙋🏾‍♀️When learners raise their hands and voices, they are not just participating in democracy, they are shaping it.

A stronger democracy begins when young people know that their voices matter, and have the power and opportunity to use them.

14/09/2026

What does it mean to use the law as a tool for social justice? ⚖️

Last week, our Community Engagement Officer, Vuyolwethu Tswelekile, and Head of Research and Advocacy, Katherine Sutherland, explored this question with law students and graduates as part of the TSL Legal Vacation Work Programme in Stellenbosch.

The session brought together legal writing and research, an introduction to education litigation, and a “Who is EELC?” conversation, giving students a glimpse into public interest law and the power of law to advance social justice and build collective power.

It was also a valuable opportunity to connect EELC’s work with TSL Legal’s commitment to creating meaningful opportunities for the next generation of legal professionals.

We are grateful to TSL Legal for creating a space where students can ask questions, explore different areas of the profession, and imagine the many ways a legal career can contribute to a more just society.

08/09/2026

If a child is named in a legal process, does that mean they have been heard? ⚖️🧒🏾

It is a simple question, but one with profound implications for children’s rights and access to justice.

On Monday, 7 September, our team attended and presented at the Third International Conference on Children’s Rights at Stellenbosch University, under the theme Children’s Rights in a Polycrisis.

Vuyolwethu Tswelekile (Community Engagement Officer) and Sith’enkosi James (Candidate Attorney) presented their working paper, “Named, therefore I am? A case study on child participation in rights litigation,” drawing on the Swartruggens matter, to explore what meaningful participation really looks like for children involved in rights litigation.

The conversations highlighted an important distinction: child participation is not simply about giving children a voice. It is about creating the conditions for children to be heard, have their views genuinely considered, and meaningfully influence how decisions affecting their lives are understood and made.

At a time of overlapping crises, ensuring that children are not only recognised in legal and policy processes, but are active participants in decisions that affect them, is more important than ever.

08/09/2026

07/09/2026

Celebrating the next generation of social justice lawyers ⚖️

The EELC had the privilege of being invited to serve as judges at the Kate O’Regan Intervarsity Moot Competition.

Our team, Hope Mokadi (Junior Attorney), Pila-sande Mkuzo (Attorney), and Sithe’nkosi James (Candidate Attorney) served as judges.

It was inspiring to witness aspiring legal minds engage with complex legal questions and jurisprudence, while grappling with important constitutional rights, including the right to basic education.

We congratulate all of the participants on their impressive performances and wish them every success as they continue their legal careers in pursuit of social justice and equality.

The future of social justice in South Africa is certainly in good hands. ✊🏾

02/09/2026

[Know Your Rights ⚖️] Struggling to afford school fees? You may be entitled to an exemption.

School fees should not stand in the way of a child’s right to education.

Our School fee exemptions pamphlet explains what parents and learners need to know, including:

✅ How to apply for a school fee exemption if you cannot afford to pay.
✅ What schools and school governing bodies must do - from informing parents about exemptions and assisting with applications to keeping supporting information confidential.
✅ What parents need to do, including when and how to submit an application.

📖 Read our School fee exemptions pamphlet here:https://eelawcentre.org.za/wp-content/uploads/school-fee-exemptions-pamphlet-2018.pdf

If you are unsure about your rights or need assistance with a school fee exemption application, we are here to help.

📞 Tollfree: 0800 110 752
💬 WhatsApp: 073 058 8622

01/09/2026

On 29 August, the Western Cape Provincial Parliament hosted a civil society engagement under the theme: “WCPP Intergenerational Dialogue: Then, now and next – Honouring the past, celebrating the present, shaping the future for women in the Western Cape.”

The Equal Education Law Centre was invited to speak under Subtheme 2: From Constitutional promise to social reality – Reflection on women’s rights and the persistent challenge of gender-based violence in South Africa.

Our Attorney, Pila-sande Mkuzo, highlighted the Constitution’s promises of equality, human dignity and the right to be free from violence. ⚖️

The discussion connected gender-based violence (GBV) to school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV), highlighting how patriarchal norms, poverty, secondary trauma within the justice system, socio-economic challenges and inadequate support services allow GBV and SRGBV to persist.

📢 Our call to action is clear: we need effective policy implementation. The state must stop treating GBV and SRGBV as minor social by-products or secondary budgetary items and immediately ring-fence funding for independent reporting mechanisms, security and psychosocial support.

Constitutional promises must translate into social realities. ✊🏾

31/08/2026