Cape Town – The Goodwood Park Primary School School Governing Body (SGB) and principal are to hold an urgent meeting with the parents whose two daughters were initially barred from entering school premises for not conforming with the school’s dress code.
The siblings, aged 9 and 12, couldn’t attend class on Wednesday morning, for wearing pants with their school dresses. The pants were made of the same material as the dress, in an effort to conform with Islamic dress code.
The mother of the two learners, Nabeweyah Keraan, was told by an admissions secretary to immediately remove the learner’s pants in the school’s bathroom, for them to be able to attend class.
The learners had just transferred to Goodwood Park Primary School and were gearing up for their first day at the new school.
The parents said they had reached out to the SGB and had been trying to secure a meeting with the school’s principal for the past six months, but were unsuccessful.
The SGB said concessions for Muslim students had already been made, allowing head scarves/burqas, as well as stockings. The family, however, argued that the stockings weren’t adequate enough.
On meeting with a member of the SGB on Wednesday morning, the mother was informed that her daughters would be allowed to wear the trousers until the end of month, but would need to switch to stockings on February 1.
They could then write to the SGB again to have the matter looked into once more.
The SGB has since called for an urgent meeting with the parents of the learners, which was due to be held on Friday afternoon.
Their father, Moulana Yunus Keraan, who is a religious leader, said the girls were always given an opportunity to dress in a manner that was “Islamically appropriate”, and that it had never been an issue at any of the southern suburbs schools they had previously attended.
“We went through the Code of Conduct and we saw the dress code and we did raise it with them and we asked them all, (who) can we address this with, etc.”
Since making the news, the family had received immense support, Nabeweyah said.
“We are overwhelmed by the support and messages, humbled. The girls have gained courage to face this through the immense support realising that they are not doing anything wrong.”
In a press release, the Al Jama-ah Party condemned the school for discrimination on religious grounds, stating that it supported a peaceful picket outside the school.
The picket was said to be in support of the religious rights of all learners.
Al Jama-ah’s Member of Provincial Legislature Western Cape, Galil Brinkhuis, said policies giving guidance to SGBs on school uniforms must be inclusive and protect learners’ rights to religious and cultural dress and hairstyles.
The party said it would be taking the matter up with the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) to prevent any similar action taking place.
WCED spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said the learners weren’t prevented from entering the school, but sat under a covered pergola.
Hammond said previously that the matter was scheduled to be discussed at the SGB’s first meeting on January 31.
“Until then, the learners are allowed to attend school dressed in their hijab, as well as the pants under their dress, and the parents have been informed of this arrangement.”
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