The National Basic Education Department has issued a stern warning to parents who are preventing their children from going to school.
The warning comes after it was discovered that many children under the age of 15 are deprived of education and some parents are using them to sell as street vendors.
Setlagole village which falls under the Ratlou Local Municipality and Piet Plessis are among areas in the North West with high levels of illiteracy.
Education spokesperson Mathanzima Mweli says parents who don’t compile will be penalized.
“Parents are not aware that the South African Schools Act compel them to send their children to school. Failure to do so and they might be liable for an arrest and a very serious penalty that might be handed out to them if they fail to meet that obligation of getting children who are under school going age to be attending school. We probably need to strengthen our communication to make sure that this information reaches all parents throughout the country.”
