The admission policies of ex-model C primary schools in Cape Town during 1998

Abstract

ln the past all black learners were excluded from ex-Model C schools by Apartheid laws. ln the context of transformation, the South African Schools Act (1996) aims to equalize opportunities for learners from all racial and social class backgrounds. ln spite of the popular trend to gloss over racial and class differences and rather celebrate freedom, opportunity, equality and black empowerment after the first democratic elections of 1994, the social context remains characterized by Apartheid remnants such as geographically separate living areas according to race and social class. The result is that in spite of claims that thousands of black learners are in fact presently enrolled at ex-Model C schools, hundreds of thousands of working-class black children remain excluded. ln order to aid the process of transformation towards equal schooling opportunities, it is necessary to have an understanding of how national schooling policy is implemented at school level. This study therefore collects the views and understandings of selected ex-Model C school principals about their admission policies using qualitative methods. From the admission trends implied in this study, suggestions and recommendations are made which may aid the democratization of school governance.