LISTEN | Pupil banned from school after initiation rite

“I’m sad to watch my peers going to school everyday while I’m being punished for observing and practicing my culture.”

These were the sentiments of a grade 9 pupil from Cosmo City Secondary School , northern Joburg, who has been banned by his principal from returning to school after being absent for about four months to attend a Ndebele initiation school in Limpopo.

The 16-year-old had to undergo the traditional ritual between April and August, and the principal barred him when he returned on August 3, citing violation of the school’s policy.

His family claims to have delivered a letter to notify the school in April about the boy’s pending absence, but they never received a response from the school and decided to proceed to take him to the initiation school under Mthambothini Royal House.

According to the pupil’s mother, the letter from the royal house was to warn the school that her child would be away from 8 April to 13 August.

“There was no feedback from the school when I submitted the letter. We thought all was well until his return. We were told the child can’t come back, the principal citing the school attendance policy which does not allow a learner to be absent for more than 10 days a year, except in circumstances where the child is sick,” she said.

The mother reported the issue to the department of education on Thursday. She said the initiation process was an important cultural practice and that she feared her son could fall into negative influences if he remained out of school.

“I thought by taking the issue to the department they would understand my situation, but they maintained that the child can’t be taken back to school and would have to repeat the grade next year.

“The initiation only happens every four years, and it is advisable, according to our culture, that the child does it when they turn 13 ... and my son is 16,” she said.

Equal Education, an organisation advocating for the rights children to education, said the learner should be reintegrated into classroom, not treated as a new enrollment, warning that excluding him could violate his constitutional right to basic education.

Yolisa Piliso, an Equal Education researcher, said participation in initiation should not be treated as grounds for exclusion.

“Schools cannot decide to deregister learners without due process. Parents must be consulted in accordance with the learner attendance policy,” Piliso said.

He said families should communicate with schools in advance and work with teachers on arrangements for missed schoolwork.

“The return from initiation school should be understood as a process of reintegration, not re-enrollment. The learner has not ceased to be a learner during their absence.”

Piliso said schools should provide reasonable support, including catch-up plans, rather than excluding learners who have missed lessons.

Ndebele cultural activist Thando Mahlangu said the learner should not be punished for observing his culture.

“This is an attack on the tribe because initiation is part of our culture. The boy’s right to exercise his culture is infringed,” Mahlangu said.

Mahlangu said similar cases had been reported in other schools in Gauteng.

Onwabile Lubhelwana, spokesperson for education MEC Lebogang Maile said the school was in the wrong for rejecting the pupil despite his extended absence from school. He said the school’s admissions and attendance policies cannot supersede the constitutional rights of a child to participate in lawful cultural practices.

“The district office will engage and advise the school to readmit the learner and facilitate his return to schooling, thereby ensuring that the learner’s constitutional rights are protected while also promoting continued access to education,” he said.

Mike Maringa, director of communications at the Limpopo department of education, said they allowed children to go to initiation schools but their families were responsible for their catch-up on their studies.

“I guess the difference with provinces like Gauteng is the fact that it’s urban, and we are rural, and our policies and viewpoints on the matter differ,” said Maringa.

Sowetan