The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has encouraged South Africans to not believe the fake circular that has been making its rounds on social media. It claims that the DBE is encouraging learners to discover their sexual orientation.
Recently, the DBE has made the public aware of the two draft documents. These included the protocol for the elimination of unfair discrimination in schools and the guidelines for the social education inclusion of diverse sexual orientations, identity expression, sex characteristics, and gender.
The Department has pleaded with the public to dismiss the allegations as they declared the circular untrue. Elijah Mhlanga, the Chief Director of Communications at the DBE, stated that members of the public should ignore the circular.
According to Mhlanga, the document was not released by the Department as it does not include the DBE logo and other necessary markers that would confirm it to be an authentic document from the Department. In response to the circular, the DBE has released its own statement to correct the matter.
The circular has been “misleading people [as] it touches on sensitive matters that could easily cause division in society and we don’t wish to see that happen,” said Mhlanga. The Department is all about making sure that people understand each other instead of causing conflict.
The Chief Director of Communications at the DBE has urged the public to not share the circular if they come across it. He believes sharing the document will only continue to do damage.
Mhlanga stated that the DBE has been consulting stakeholders. Together they are developing a set of guidelines that will assist schools to deal with matters of inclusion.
