Bela Bill Continues to be Passed By The National Assembly On It's Way To Getting to be Law For Schools In South Africa

The Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill was recently accredited via the South African Parliament and is also now just waiting around to be signed into law from the President.

The Act will introduce considerable changes for the South African Schools Act plus the Employment of Educators Act to better align with modern day academic demands and problems.

Crucial provisions from the BELA Bill consist of:

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

Corporal Punishment: The Bill reinforces the ban on corporal punishment and prohibits other sorts of punishment which could 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​.