The Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill was recently authorised with the South African Parliament and it is now just ready to become signed into law by the President.
The Act will introduce sizeable alterations towards the South African Schools Act plus the Employment of Educators Act to better align with modern academic requires and problems.
Critical provisions of the BELA Bill contain:
Compulsory Grade R: The Bill can make it required for children to begin school at Grade R, with official penalties for folks who are unsuccessful to enroll their kids.
Corporal Punishment: The Bill reinforces the ban on corporal punishment and prohibits other kinds of punishment that will belittle learners.
Language Policy: School governing bodies here (SGBs) will continue to determine the language policy of schools, but these policies must be approved by the head of the education department. This aims to ensure that language policies do not discriminate and are inclusive.
Learner Pregnancy: Contrary to some public misconceptions, the Bill does not give schools control over a learner’s decision regarding abortion. It does, however, address the management of learner pregnancies in schools.