Cape Town - The Department of Basic Education’s proposed guidelines for inclusivity at schools, which include unisex bathrooms and gender-neutral uniforms, has received mixed reaction.
The guidelines propose that schools allow learners to dress in whatever uniform matches their gender identity or expression, and that schools make provision for unisex bathrooms, among other proposals.
The department said the aim of the guidelines was to put in place “measures that will create a safe environment for learners of a different sexual orientation”.
Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) secretary-general Sheikh Zaid Dantie has called on parents to voice their concerns.
“This continued onslaught on society is relentless and seems to be gaining ground due to the ‘cancel culture’ that exists.
“One such recent endeavour is to scrap separate toilets for boys and girls.
“While we remain respectful of diversity of opinions, we deem this new trend of thrusting the LGBTQ narrative, liberalism, and post-modernity upon us, as a violation of our rights as Muslims and the rights of all other religious denominations.
“These narratives that are forced down our throats are wanting us, a 21st century society, to question the very basic existence of all things, be it as simple as the pronoun by which we refer to one another or our very gender and sex,” Dantie said.
South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) spokesperson Nomusa Cembi said the department should have engaged parents on the proposed guidelines.
“The Department should have deliberated on this with the parents through school governing bodies just like they did with the provision of condoms in school whein at the end, SGB’s could decide on how they would go about providing condoms.
“We should be engaging LGBTQI in schools but also look at all vulnerable learners including those with physical disability who cannot access toilets because they are not structured to accommodate them.
We believe there should be proper legislation to reduce the discrimination of not only LGBTQI but all vulnerable learners.
“There are learners who are still going to bushes to relieve themselves because there are no proper facilities,” Cembi said.
A teacher who spoke to the Cape Times said she feared the guidelines, if implemented, could end up causing serious issues among learners.
“These guidelines should be introduced by educating learners on what they mean first, since in reality, very few of these exist in South Africa so it is unfamiliar to many.
“Maybe they can phase them in at lower grades first, so by the time they hit high school it’s part of the school culture. If not done properly as many projects of DBE are, it could end up causing serious issues.”
Education MEC David Maynier said: “We support having governing bodies and school communities make the decision to add unisex bathrooms and/or have gender-neutral uniforms, and some of them have done so.”
The DBE did not respond to questions by deadline on Tuesday.
Cape Times