Following the recent protests at Addington Primary School in Durban, school principals are expected to submit progress reports to the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education circuit managers on learner admissions for 2026, starting from the end of April.
Image: Doctor Ngcobo / Independent Newspapers
Following the recent protests at Addington Primary School in Durban, school principals are expected to submit progress reports to circuit managers on learner admissions for 2026, starting from the end of April.
The number of foreign teachers and learners in public schools in 2025 was made public amid a week-long protest by the March and March Movement at Addington Primary School, claiming that South African learners are kept out of school because of foreign learners.
The Department of Education (DoE) in KwaZulu-Natal had briefed the Education Portfolio Committee at the KZN Legislature on Tuesday and outlined the following admission challenges it faced:
The March and March Movement made the following allegations:
The department also noted the involvement of learners and their parents who were displaced during the 2022 floods.
These learners had previously been beneficiaries of the emergency learner transport, which ended in December 2025 after consultations and the transfer of learners to neighbouring schools.
The school had 1,523 learners admitted and 54 learners on the waiting list. The department stated that 16 learners who were victims of the 2022 floods were transferred to Addington Primary, and 19 of the 54 learners on the waiting list were admitted using the normal admission process.
The department added that the parents of the remaining 54 learners indicated that they found admission in alternative schools.
“March on March presented 66 learners who demanded admission to Addington Primary School. This included the victims of the 2022 floods, who were placed at Clayton and Collegevale Primary Schools,” the department stated.
Some parents requested to be placed at nearer schools due to transport issues – these were later placed at Greyville and St Anthony’s.
The department told the committee that on January 28, a total of 26 new learners were paraded before television cameras seeking transfer to Addington Primary.
“These were later identified as learners placed at St Anthony’s and Greyville Primary Schools on January 21, 2026.”
The department explained that it arranged for 10 Grade R learners to be admitted to Claire Ellis Brown Pre-primary, which is 250 meters from Addington Primary, with the condition that in 2027 they will be admitted to Grade 1 at Addington Primary.
The remaining learners were placed in different grades at Addington Primary.
At Addington Primary, the total learner enrolment on January 30, 2026, was 1,563. Other statistics provided were:
The Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, indicated that nationally, there are 250,000 learners of foreign nationality in the education system. Only 14,000 are in KZN schools. She added that the province has four educators of foreign nationality.
The department stated that three people in the Amajuba district have obtained citizenship (permanent residency), and one in the King Cetshwayo District has not obtained citizenship and will, therefore, be terminated. These educators teach mathematics and physical science at Further Education and Training (FET) level.
“Districts are expected to establish a District Admissions Committee to resolve all admissions queries within seven days upon receipt of such queries, and ensure that learners are placed accordingly,” the department stated.