The Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill was recently accepted by the South African Parliament which is now just waiting to generally be signed into law via the President.
The Act will introduce important alterations to the South African Schools Act plus the Employment of Educators Act to better align with contemporary academic requires and problems.
Critical provisions of the BELA Bill incorporate:
Compulsory Grade R: The Bill can make it mandatory for kids to start out school at Grade R, with official penalties for folks who fail to enroll their youngsters.
Corporal Punishment: The Bill reinforces the ban on corporal punishment and prohibits other varieties of punishment that may belittle learners.
Language Policy: School governing bodies (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 read more 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.