FOR SA fights ideological indoctrination in schools!

Facts

In 2023, FOR SA uncovered that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) received substantial international funding to introduce an Early Childhood Education Toolkit. This Toolkit is designed to train teachers to present transgender ideology to young children in pre-primary and primary public schools. Teachers are encouraged to ask young children for their preferred names, pronouns, and even which toilet facilities they would like to use. 'They/them' pronouns are now to be used to teach that a person’s gender cannot be assumed by appearance alone. Alarmingly, children are informed that if parents or communities teach only the existence of men and women, they are causing them harm.

This is not education—it’s indoctrination.

FOR SA has partnered with a Coalition of religious organisations representing over 20 million people from Christian, Islamic, and African traditional spirituality faiths. Together, we are calling for a halt to this training programme and advocating for public consultation. We are also pressing the DBE to establish a Family Values and Parental Rights Unit to ensure diversity of thought in school policies, guidelines, and teacher training.

Initially, the DBE dismissed the Coalition’s concerns, stating their right to 'supplement' parental values with so-called 'constitutional principles' and claiming that children are in an imbalanced power relationship with their parents. Nevertheless, FOR SA persisted, challenging this unconstitutional stance. We recently secured a meeting with the Minister of Basic Education, who agreed to review and reconsider the Coalition’s proposals.

Without FOR SA’s Involvement

Without FOR SA’s vigilance, these policies may have remained hidden. We stand firmly for parents' rights to guide their children’s upbringing and be informed and consulted about what is taught in schools, as protected under South African and international law.