DA confident Gwarube will implement Bela Act, protect schools’ autonomy

20 December 2024 - 19:43
By Ernest Mabuza
Basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube.
Image: Freddy Mavunda/File photo Basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube.

The outcome of the negotiations in the GNU’s clearing house mechanism’s task team is a win-win compromise that enables the Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) Act to be implemented without undermining existing constitutional rights to mother tongue education.

This was the reaction from DA leader John Steenhuisen after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the full implementation of the Bela Act on Friday.

Steenhuisen said Ramaphosa made it clear that basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube, a DA MP, was now tasked with developing regulations as well as norms and standards that will govern the act, including contentious sections around language and admissions.

“We have full confidence in minister Gwarube’s ability to introduce fit-for-purpose guidelines that will protect school autonomy from subversion.

“The fact that a sober-minded DA minister is tasked with this critical work is a vindication of the DA’s role in the GNU as the champion of constitutional rights, including the right to mother-tongue education.” 

Steenhuisen said Ramaphosa’s announcement that the Bela Act be implemented in full was accepted by all the parties involved in the task team on condition Gwarube issued norms, standards and regulations to govern the implementation of the contested sections of the act. 

“This has been a gruelling process, but this outcome has illustrated that the conflict resolutions of the GNU can work if parties show the necessary goodwill.” 

Steenhuisen said the DA remained determined to defend the existing right to mother tongue education and expand it to increasing numbers of pupils. 

“Our insistence that the contested sections of the Bela Act can only be implemented with sufficient guardrails put in place under a DA minister has been vindicated.” 

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