LISTEN | Pupil banned from attending school after initiation rite speaks

“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.”