SA Schools Face 4 Major Rule Changes Under New BELA Act Regulations
- Minister Siviwe Gwarube published four draft regulations under the BELA Act for public comment
- The new rules cover SGB elections, teacher payments, training standards, and a national data system
- Education groups and researchers pushed back, raising concerns about centralised state control
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South Africa's Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, has released four draft sets of regulations under the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act, opening them for public comment before they are formally adopted.
The proposals cover a wide range of operational changes for public schools across the country, from how school governing bodies are elected to how teachers are compensated for extra work.
What the new BELA rules cover
Under the draft regulations, School Governing Body elections would be standardised nationwide. Schools could choose from three approved methods: a physical voting meeting, a full-day on-site ballot process, or secure online voting for schools that have the necessary technology in place.
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On teacher payments, the regulations would ban any informal or undeclared compensation paid by SGBs to state-employed teachers. If a teacher takes on genuine extracurricular duties and qualifies for additional pay, the process must now go through a formal application reviewed under provincial oversight.
The rules also set out minimum standards for teacher training facilities, requiring development hubs and district centres to be well-maintained, safe, accessible, and equipped with backup power during outages.
A fourth regulation introduces a centralised National Education Data System to collect and verify school data. The system is designed to track teacher-to-learner ratios, classroom shortages, and resource gaps, helping direct support to schools that need it most.
Critics warn of a one-size-fits-all approach
According to a report, while the Department of Basic Education says the reforms will bring consistency and accountability, the proposals have drawn sharp criticism from education researchers and advocacy groups, including Solidarity.
Critics argue the regulations push decision-making away from local communities and parents, adding administrative pressure on teachers while applying a uniform model that fails to account for the very different realities facing rural and urban schools.
The public comment period on all four draft proposals closes on 5 September 2026.
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More on SA schools and education
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Source: Briefly News
