Reasons why educator-parents based at township schools transfer their own children from township schools to former Model C schools

The aim of this article is to report on a phenomenological study intended to explore the possible reasons why educator-parents based at township schools transfer their own children to former Model C schools. By making use of focus group interviews and written responses, sixty-one primary and secondary educator-parents from township schools in two districts of the Gauteng province, South Africa, participated in the research. From the research responses, ten themes emerged. When these themes are compared with a review of available literature on school choice, a remarkable correspondence is evident. Following this correspondence, it is evident that educator-parents' school choice relies heavily on reasons associated with quality education. If the latter is regarded as being the central reason for learner migration from township schools to former Model C schools, radical and committed intervention strategies are required to improve the quality of township schools.