Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill: What Ramaphosa’s New Legislation Means for South Africa

• Cyril Ramaphosa is set to sign the BELA bill into law on Friday, 13 September, in a public ceremony
• The bill has been very contentious, with split support and opinions, especially in the Democratic Alliance.
• The bill will aim to strengthen governance in South Africa's education sector and help improve the system

PRETORIA - President Ramaphosa will sign the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) into law at the Union Buildings. The bill aims to strengthen governance in the education sector.

What are the main points of the BELA bill?

The 56 clauses in the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill are summarised:

1. Grade R will become compulsory and will be the new school-starting age.
2. The bill will address pitfalls that have affected education in the past, such as infrastructure, administration, and teacher and pupil misconduct.
3. The right of learners to receive learning in their mother tongue in is protected in the language policy.
4. Penalties will be instituted for parents and guardians who don't ensure their children are in school.
5. The bill confirms that corporal punishment is no longer allowed in schools, penalising offenders found guilty of this offence.
6. Sign language will become an official language in public schools.
7. Public schools are to adopt more than one language of instruction.
8. The authority of the Head of the Department will be enhanced in the admission of learners.

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Official reactions within the education system of the new bill

Former Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga welcomed the new bill into law:

“In reality, it aspires to harmonise the SGB’s powers with the directives of the relevant provincial head of department (HoD),” said Former Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga.

The teachers union, Naptosa, said while they aren't 100% happy with the bill, they agree with what it stands for:

"Naptosa welcomes the signing of the BELA bill by the president. It will finally bring around certainty regarding the changes in the education legislation, particularly regarding the functions of the School Governing Body.

"We gave extensive comment and input on the BELA bill. We are not entirely happy with everything in the bill. However, the signing of the bill will bring finality to a very long road, which this bill has now come through."

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When announcing the signing of the bill, the Presidency included this statement:

“The BELA bill amends sections of the South African Schools Act of 1996 and the Employment of Educators Act, 1998 to account for developments in the education landscape since the enactment of the original legislation."

Education announces the eradication of pit toilets

Briefly News reported that the Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube announced that pit toilets will be eradicated by next year. Gwarube made this statement in response to a parliamentary question during a debate on the department's efforts to eliminate the bucket system in public schools.

However, South Africans were sceptical of her claim, noting that similar promises had been made and remained unfulfilled.

Source: Briefly News