The Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill was a short while ago approved with the South African Parliament and is now just waiting around being signed into legislation from the President.
The Act will introduce considerable adjustments to your South African Schools Act along with the Employment of Educators Act to better align with contemporary academic wants and worries.
Key provisions from the BELA Bill contain:
Compulsory Grade R: The Bill makes it obligatory for youngsters to start out school at Grade R, with formal penalties for parents who fail to enroll their little check here ones.
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 (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.