Bela Bill Has Been Passed By The National Assembly On It's Way To Turning into Law For Schools In South Africa

The Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill was lately authorised by the South African Parliament and it is now just waiting for being signed into law because of the President.

The Act will introduce sizeable improvements to your South African Schools Act plus the Employment of Educators Act to better align with modern day academic wants and difficulties.

Important provisions of the BELA Bill involve:

Compulsory Grade R: The Bill can make it obligatory for kids to start school at Grade R, with official penalties for parents who fail to enroll their children​​.

Corporal Punishment: The Bill reinforces the ban on corporal punishment and prohibits other varieties of punishment that will belittle learners​.

Language Policy: School governing bodies website (SGBs) will continue to determine the language policy of schools, but these policies website 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​.