Bela Bill

The Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill was recently approved by the South African Parliament and is now just waiting to be signed into law by the President. The Act will introduce significant changes to the South African Schools Act and the Employment of Educators Act to better align with contemporary educational needs and challenges.

Key provisions of the BELA Bill include:

Compulsory Grade R: The Bill makes it mandatory for children to start school at Grade R, with formal penalties for parents who fail to enroll their children.

Corporal Punishment: The Bill reinforces the ban on corporal punishment and prohibits other forms of punishment that may belittle students.

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.

You can follow our coverage of the Bela Bill into law through the archive of articles published below.

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BELA Bill Will Bring Major Changes To School Laws

Fri, 16/06/2023 - 13:00

South Africans should expect changes to school laws now that public hearings on the BELA bill have been concluded. This bill has seen both support and pushback from parents, teacher unions and even students.

Democratic Alliance Calls For Northern Cape To Reject BELA Bill

Sun, 04/06/2023 - 08:47

The Democratic Alliance (DA) called on the Northern Cape province to reject the amendment of school laws in the basic education sector as they believe that it is to the detriment of the school system.

BELA Bill Submissions Have Been Positively Received By Committee

Tue, 06/12/2022 - 14:37

DBE Angie optimistic of BELA Bill submissions

The Education Department seeks to amend two of its school laws, to make sure that they align with the education sector’s changing landscape. There have since been mixed reactions from relevant stakeholders in the education sector.

BELA Bill Results In Protest Action Against Education Department

Tue, 05/07/2022 - 15:50

Recently, the Democratic Alliance (DA) held demonstrations outside the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) offices, voicing their concerns over changes that are soon to be made in the education sector. However, the province's minister of Education, Panyaza Lesufi has addressed these concerns.

Education Department Extends BELA Bill Submission Deadline

Thu, 30/06/2022 - 12:45

The Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill proposes to amend education acts. According to Basic Education, this is to align the acts with developments in the education landscape and to ensure that systems of learning are put in place. It has been reported that the Basic Education Portfolio Committee has given the public an opportunity to make submissions on the Bill.

Homeschooling Educators Concerned By BELA Bill

Tue, 11/01/2022 - 14:47

Homeschooled children and their educators show concern over new bill

The Department of Basic Education has implemented changes and made a few proposals in the previous year. One of them is mainly about homeschooling and majority of teachers in the sector are not happy.

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