The Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill was not too long ago permitted with the South African Parliament and is now just waiting around to become signed into legislation from the President.

The Act will introduce major improvements towards the South African Schools Act as well as Employment of Educators Act to better align with modern academic requires and problems.

Critical provisions of the BELA Bill incorporate:

Compulsory Grade R: The Bill can make it mandatory for children to start out school at Grade R, with official penalties for folks who are unsuccessful to enroll their kids​​.

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