A Cape Town mother has detailed her struggle to re-enroll her son in mainstream education after Islamic studies. FILE IMAGE
A MUSLIM parent has spoken out about frustrations in dealing with the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) to get learners back into mainstream schooling after they complete their Islamic Studies.
Primrose Park mother of three Gadigha Takay had been formally granted exemption from compulsory school attendance by the WCED for her son Yaqeen Takay to study the Holy Quran.
The WCED has an agreement with the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) to allow Muslim learners to apply for an exemption during this period.
“My son completed grade 7 and wanted to do Islamic studies (Hifz). The timeframe is approximately 5 to 7 years depending on the progress of the child. The WCED had an arrangement with the MJC to provide schooling till grade 9 for Hifz students and to ensure a smooth transition to mainstream schooling. Based on this agreement with the MJC we proceeded to complete the documentation to ensure that my son is exempted from schooling from 1 January 2020 till 31 December 2024,” Takay said.
“We have struggled with the WCED from August 2024 to date as the school that was going to accept him was informed that the WCED does not want to sign off due to his age. This was never communicated with us as parents previously and we engaged multiple officials within WCED and were told so many different reasons why the school cannot accept him. This is really an ongoing struggle for all parents whose children are busy completing their Hifz as they are not afforded the opportunity to return to school to complete their education.”
Her son also completed subsequent grades during his Islamic Studies, as he attended Saturday classes arranged by the MJC.
She said many parents found themselves in the same boat, however, with her eldest son who followed the same path, she had no issues in getting him back into school.
“I applied in January already. I am tired, it’s been email after email, follow up after follow up and people just ignore you.
“Hifz means you learn the entire Quran by heart. Most kids take 5 to 7 years to complete the process. It is much easier to learn when they are young because it is not easy, they learn in Arabic, a language they don’t speak on a daily basis.”
Takay said if she knew this was what they would go through, she would not have taken her child out of school. She cautioned other parents to be aware of the challenges she faced, in case it could happen to them.
The WCED said the concern was that the learner was considered overage for the grade he was placed in.
“The WCED and the MJC entered into a memorandum of understanding in 2020. In terms of the MOU, parents can apply for exemption from compulsory education and the learners can then attend support classes offered by the MJC for English, Mathematics and Natural Sciences while attending Haafith schools.
“The concern was that the learner could be considered overage for the grade he was placed in. A decision was made in December 2024 to allow the learner to be enrolled at a school,” WCED spokesperson, Millicent Merton said.
The MJC did not respond to requests for comment by deadline.
Cape Times
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