The Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) Bill, which is set to introduce sweeping changes to South Africa’s education landscape, is edging a step closer to being enacted. The final bill is expected to be adopted by the portfolio committee on basic education this week before it is referred to the National Assembly for debate and consideration.
The Bela bill proposes to amend the South African Schools Act and the Employment of Educators Act. While some of the proposed amendments have been rejected outright, one of the most welcome developments, when the bill becomes law, will be grade R becoming the new compulsory school starting age. Pupils will start grade R in the year they turn six. Currently, schooling is compulsory from grade 1 until the end of grade 9, or the year in which the pupil turns 15, whichever comes first.
Education experts, pre-school teachers and childcare workers have emphasised the importance of early childhood development programmes in helping children reach their full potential. This has also been backed by countless scientific studies. The 2021 results of the Progress in International Reading and Literacy Study (Pirls) indicated that 81% of grade 4s are unable to read for meaning. Inspiring children to read by providing them with stimulating reading material from a very young age cannot be over-emphasised. Thus, providing them with an extra year of compulsory schooling will certainly help.
It is a fait accompli that the proposed clause on admissions will become law. So too will the proposals on schools’ language policy, as well as home education. Shouting from the rooftops is not going to change anything.
At least three of the proposed clauses in the bill, namely, the admission of pupils to public schools, language policy and home education were fiercely opposed during the public hearings and in written submissions in response to the bill. During last week’s sitting of the portfolio committee, most members agreed that the proposed clause that governing bodies must submit a school’s language policy and any amendments to the provincial head of department of education for approval should remain. Another clause stating that heads of departments, after consultation with governing bodies, have the final authority over the admission of pupils to a public school will also remain.
The committee “partially agreed” to the clause on home education and deleted the requirement for education department officials to visit homes during pre-registration site visits. These visits could now take place at “any place of choice” should parents not agree to such visits at their homes. However, the contentious clause that parents must register their children with provincial education departments if they want to homeschool them remains in the bill.
Significantly, the proposed clause forcing governing body members and their spouses and immediate family members to disclose their financial interests, which was vehemently opposed by governing body associations, was deleted from the bill.
While the proposed clause giving heads of provincial education departments the final say over the admission of pupils sparked an outcry, it does not seem to be a bad thing after all. It would, for example, prevent governing bodies from adopting discriminatory admission policies. It would guard against wealthy schools opting to only admit pupils whose parents can afford to pay school fees.
Those opposing the proposed clause on pupil admissions argued that the provincial education departments would not have the capacity to approve the admissions policy of all 22,740 public schools. This is also a very valid point. However, it is a fait accompli that the proposed clause on admissions will become law. So too will the proposals on schools’ language policy, as well as home education. Shouting from the rooftops is not going to change anything. Instead, we should embrace the impending legislation and closely monitor its implementation. We applaud the department of basic education for making grade R mandatory for all six-year-olds. It is a momentous step for education in this country. The bottom line is that a child’s right to education must never be compromised in any way.
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