EELCNewsletter-March2018

MovementlawyeringIICommunitylawyeringIIResearchandAdvocacyTheEqualEducationLawCentre(EELC)useslegaladvocacy,research,andlitigationtoadvancethestruggleforequalandqualityeducationinSouthAfrica.

MOVEMENTLAWYERING

Schoolinfrastructure:EqualEducationtakesMinisterAngieMotshekgatocourtto#FixTheNorms

Abovefromleft:ChandreStuurman,AdvAymoneduToit,NurinaAlly,AdvGeoffBudlenderSC,DanielLinde

On14and15March,EEwereincourt to#FixTheNorms. The school infrastructurelaw (the Minimum Norms and Standardsfor School Infrastructure) was publishedon29November2013.For the first time,SouthAfricahadalawwhichprovidedforminimum school infrastructurerequirements and deadlines by whichthosestandardsshouldbemet.However,the school infrastructure law hassignificant gaps.At the hearing inMarch,EE explained to the court howunconstitutionalloopholesandgapsintheinfrastructure law can be used bygovernment to evade responsibiity andundermine accountability. Judgment hasbeen reserved. Read the full mediastatementHERE.

COMMUNITYLAWYERING

Above:EELC'sattorneyTarryCooper-Bell[left]andcommunitymembersatMqanduliintheEasternCape.

TheEELCvisitsEasternCapeadviceoffices

On12and13March theEELC’sTarrynCooper-Bell andZusipeBatyi visitedMtatacommunity-basedadvicecentresintheEasternCape.Theobjectiveofthevisitwastoinform thecentresabouteducation lawand the legal services theEELCprovides tocommunitiesandlearnerswhoencountereducationinjustices.

TheEELCtohostatwodaywalk-inclinicintheEasternCape

TheEqualEducationLawCentrewillhostatwodaywalk-inclinicintheEasternCapeat King William's Town on 20 and 21 April 2018. The walk-in clinic will be anopportunityforparentsandlearnerstospeakdirectlywithourlawyersabouteducationrelated matters, ranging from school infrastructure, corporal punishment, schooladmissions,feeexemptions,andgenderdiscriminationinschools.

RESEARCHANDADVOCACY

TheEELChostsroundtablediscussionsonearlychildeducation

Above:EELCandvariousorganizationsattheECDroundtablediscussionheldatIsivivana,Khayelitsha.

On16March2018, theEELChosteda roundtablediscussionon the regulatoryandfundingframeworks impactingonearlychildhoodeducation.Unequalaccess toearlychildhood development services persists in South Africa despite efforts to introducepolicy and funding initiatives to improve equity. The roundtable brought togethercommunity based organisations, researchers and a representative from theDepartment of Social Development with the aim of criticaly interrogating currentregulatoryframeworksandidentifyingareasforfocusedintervention.

ContacttheEELC0214611421IIinfo@eelawcentre.org.zaIIwww.eelawcentre.org.za