The Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill was not long ago authorized by the South African Parliament and is particularly now just waiting around for being signed into law through the President.
The Act will introduce substantial alterations for the South African Schools Act and the Employment of Educators Act to better align with modern day educational desires and challenges.
Essential provisions in the BELA Bill involve:
Compulsory Grade R: The Bill makes it necessary for children to begin school at Grade read more R, with formal 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 may belittle learners.
Language Policy: School governing bodies (SGBs) will continue to determine the language policy of schools, but these policies click here 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.