CAPE TOWN, Western Cape — The battle over Western Cape school admissions has intensified, with the national Basic Education Portfolio Committee escalating its fight against the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) over alleged racial profiling in learner placement. The committee is demanding the immediate removal of what it describes as discriminatory requirements from provincial application forms, arguing that such criteria unfairly disadvantage certain learners and threaten equal access to education.
At the heart of the dispute are specific questions on school application forms regarding a learner’s participation in sports, leadership roles, and musical ability. The national department argues that these metrics have no place in determining whether a learner gains access to a school. Committee members emphasized that these questions inherently grant advantages to learners with prior opportunities, giving preference to those who excel in sports or hold leadership positions while marginalizing others.
National Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube emphasized that allegations of unfair or exclusionary admissions must be taken seriously. She warned that when admission systems or practices are experienced as unfair, opaque, or exclusionary, public confidence in the broader schooling system is deeply undermined. More importantly, she noted, the fundamental rights of learners may be placed at risk by such systemic barriers.
The Western Cape Education Department has firmly rejected the allegations of bias. According to the department, a recent internal analysis of 10 top-performing schools in the province found no evidence of racial profiling or the use of race as an admission criterion. The WCED maintained that its admission policies remain fair, arguing that drawing broad conclusions based on unsubstantiated allegations makes a meaningful and objective investigation extremely difficult.
Despite the province’s defense, the Portfolio Committee has resolved to escalate the matter. The issue has exposed deep political divisions within the committee, with some members accusing the province of blatantly opposing court judgments and failing to address concerns previously raised by parents and the judiciary. One committee member strongly recommended taking the Western Cape to the Constitutional Court, arguing that the province’s formulation of the application form is inherently racial in its own nature and dictates how schools place learners.
To force the issue, the committee has called on the Director-General of the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to formally write to the Western Cape education authorities, compelling them to strip discriminatory requirements from their application forms. Moving forward, the committee will seek formal legal counsel from the Office of the National Assembly Speaker to determine the exact mechanisms and powers available to compel the Western Cape Education Department to implement these mandatory changes. The province, however, continues to maintain that its admission policies do not use race as a criterion.
