A statement by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) on Monday, defending its Early Childhood Education (ECE) Toolkit and accusing its critics of “misinformation”, does nothing to allay concerns of SA parents and faith communities, says Freedom of Religion South Africa (FOR SA) executive director Michael Swain.
“The DBE asserts that the so-called ECE Toolkit is ‘not aimed at promoting any particular ideology, including transgender ideology, among young children”. They further claimed that ‘the toolkit does not seek to erase or devalue the differences between boys and girls.’ It also sent out a tweet with a ‘Fake News’ stamp across the Freedom of Religion South Africa (FOR SA) website,” said Swain in a press release.
He said that “a simple fact check” of the toolkit, which the DBE is using to train pre-primary and primary school teachers in various provinces, “contradicts the DBE’s view”. “It [the toolkit] states that “both sex and gender exist across a continuum of possibilities” (Page 5). It says that state-trained teachers must “[ask] learners from a young age for their preferred name and pronoun” and to use ‘they’ and ‘them’ to ‘let children know that we cannot assume someone’s gender identity just by looking at them (Page 39).’ It says that teachers should ensure that “children have access to toilet facilities that correspond with their gender identity (Page 17).'”
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Swain says FOR SA’s principal concern is that parents were not meaningfully consulted prior to the rollout and implementation of “this teaching”. The department’s own White Paper on Education policy confirms that parents have the primary responsibility for the education of their children. They have the right to be consulted by the state authorities and the “inalienable right” to choose the form of education that is best for their children, particularly in the early years of schooling. This includes the choice of the cultural or religious basis of the child’s education. By failing to consult, parental rights have been overridden and marginalised, says Swain.
“The Toolkit says that ‘many families and communities hold to prevailing harmful gender roles and boundaries’ (Page 47) and that state-trained teachers must ‘help them [little children] break free from harmful gender stereotypes that hold them back in life’ (Page 9),” says Swain. “This will certainly cause confusion in children and potentially cause division in families. How can this possibly be in the best interests of the child or the family, which is the bedrock of our society?”
The DBE state that the ECE Toolkit training is an integral element of their strategy to combat gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF).
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While recognising that GBVF is a serious plague afflicting SA society, FOR SA asserts that there is no scientific or factual basis to suggest that teaching little children transgender ideology will positively address or resolve the problem of GBVF. Concerningly, this ideology blurs the lines and undermines the standing of women, who are the primary victims of gender discrimination and GBVF, says Swain.
“The DBE further stated that ‘contrary to what some have claimed, this is not an imported Western agenda’. However, in a Groot FM radio interview on April 9 2024, the department’s head of communications, Elijah Mhlanga, said: ‘We have never done anything in South Africa without consulting researchers, without checking. That’s why we work very closely through UNESCO. We cannot continue to hold on to our views, as though life is not dynamic,'” he says.
FOR SA further points out that the toolkit was developed by the DBE following a R40 million grant from VVOB, a Belgian-based organisation.
Religious leaders and concerned citizens are invited to express their views on the ECE Toolkit through a questionnaire on the Dear South Africa website or by emailing . More information is avialble on the FOR SA website.
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