Blessed-Sayah, Sarah & Griffiths, Dominic: South Africa’s Phakamisa Judgment and the White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection: a critical analysis of access to education for undocumented migrant children

_Globalisation, Societies and Education_ (Not assigned):1-13. 2026Undocumented migrant children in South Africa continue to face persistent barriers to accessing education, despite the 2019 Phakamisa Judgment, which affirmed that all children must be admitted to public schools regardless of legal status. Reports and commentary since the ruling reveal that many undocumented learners remain excluded, exposing a persistent gap between legal provisions and lived educational realities. This paper cri