Work down the drain - Why was THIS Life Orientation project pulled by Education Dept?

Africa Melane speaks to journalist and concerned parent Liezel De Lange about a school project on clean water supply that was pulled by education bosses because it could negatively impact young people’s voting patterns.

A Life Orientation project based on the water crisis experienced by many Gauteng residents has been pulled by the Education Department over fears it could 'influence learners’ voting decisions'.

The school project titled 'poor access to clean water' was set for matric learners and required them to research among friends and family about whether water shortages exist in their communities.

But the Department of Education in Gauteng retracted the assignment in a memo dated 2 May that was sent to schools in the province.

"At first, they wanted to pull the whole assigment, but then the department agreed to only pull part of the assignment, the questionairre."

Liezel De Lange, Managing Editor - Rapport

The questionnaire element of the project asked participants if they believe the government and the local authorities are doing enough to address service delivery issues, whether the participants plan to vote and if they think that holding elected officials accountable through voting can lead to improvements in service delivery issues such as the water crisis.

"Many of the learners had completed the assigment already and done quite a bit of work."

Liezel De Lange, Managing Editor - Rapport

De Lange says her journalistic instinct kicked in and she went to get hold of the memo that had been sent to the school by the Department of Education in Gauteng.

The memo reads:

“After careful consideration and discussion with relevant stakeholders, it has been decided to retract the Life Orientation project titled: Poor access to clean water. This decision stems from concerns raised regarding the potential influence on learners’ voting behaviour, as certain elements could be interpreted as advocating for specific political views or influencing learners’ voting decisions.

Therefore, in the interest of upholding our commitment to promote a healthy learning environment, it has been decided to retract the Life Orientation project. An alternative project will be shared with all schools soon. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and appreciate your understanding in this matter.”

" I haven't been able to get any information from the department on who made the decision and exactly how they believe it would influence voting decisions."

Liezel De Lange, Managing Editor - Rapport

De Lange calls the decision by the department, 'disappointing.'

"I had thought it was such a fantastic assignment. It gets the kids thinking about their responsibility to go and vote."

Liezel De Lange, Managing Editor - Rapport

"There's no party politics in this piece, there's no specific referral to government."

Liezel De Lange, Managing Editor - Rapport

De Lange says the move shows government is 'uncomfortable' with the issue of the water crisis being examined in this way.

She adds that she intends to continue contacting the department to get an answer about the retraction. 

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Scroll up to listen to the interview.