BELA Bill: Provincial government to choose schools' language policy
Breakfast with Martin Bester spoke to law expert and managing partner of HJW Attorneys, Megan Harrington-Johnson, about the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill.
On Friday, 13 September, President Cyril Ramaphosa will sign the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill into law.
The President will publicly sign the Bill during a ceremony to be held at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.
According to the South African presidency's media release, the BELA Bill will aim to strengthen governance within South Africa's education sector.
WATCH: Teacher and student get into physical fight over phone in classroom
The BELA Bill amends sections of the South African Schools Act of 1996 (SASA) and the Employment of Educators Act, 1998 (EEA) to account for developments in the education landscape since the enactment of the original legislation.
The bill introduces various revisions to the South African Schools Act, such as shifting the authority to set a school's language policies and curriculums to the Basic Education Department.
It establishes Grade R as the mandatory entry-level grade, with penalties imposed on parents who do not enrol their children accordingly.
Additional amendments include stricter penalties for the use of corporal punishment, which is prohibited in schools.
READ: Gauteng's 43 'new' speeding cameras that cost R465-million each
Concerning language policy, the bill mandates that school governing bodies must submit a public school's language policy and any changes to it for approval by the head of the Education Department.
The language policy must also address the linguistic needs of the broader community.
Furthermore, Sign Language will be officially recognised as a language of instruction in public schools.
Watch here:
Tune in to the 'Breakfast with Martin Bester', on weekdays from 06:00 - 09:00. Stream the show live here or download our mobile app here.
Listen to Jacaranda FM:
- 94.2
- Jacaranda FM App
- http://jacarandafm.com
- DStv 858/ OpenView 602
Follow us on social media:
IMAGE: Supplied