How School Managers’ Enforcements of Dress Rules Violate Learners’ Constitutional Rights: A Social Justice Perspective

Abstract

Since the abolition of Apartheid, the South African Department of Education has made
significant strides in democratising public school policies. Despite these efforts, the evidence
shows that democratisation is ineffective when policies are translated into school rules.
Resistance to democratising school rules is most evident in prescribed dress codes and the
associated uniform rules for learners. In such schools, how rules are crafted, enforced, and
policed openly defy the South African government’s goals to democratise the education system.
Against this backdrop, a desk study was conducted to consider schools that continue to uphold
Apartheid's inherent ideologies through the school clothing and uniform rules they enforce on
learners. Content analysis was used to understand the experiences of learners in schools across
South Africa where such occurs. The emergent findings are significant for education leaders,
school managers, and teachers, who are mandated to democratise rules on how learners
should dress in South African public schools.