AfriForum to challenge BELA Bill in court

The controversial bill was passed at the National Assembly (NA) on Thursday and will now be sent to the National Council of Provinces for concurrence.

The BELA Bill proposes several changes to the South African Schools Act, including transferring control to the Education Department to determine a school's language policies and curriculums.

The bill dictates that Grade R will now be the new compulsory school-starting age, and parents who fail to enroll their children for grade R will be formally penalised.

Some of the amendments include penalties for those found guilty of corporal punishment. which is no longer allowed at schools.

In terms of language policy, the bill provides that a school governing body will now be required to submit the language policy of a public school and any amendment thereof to the head of the Education Department for approval.  

The language policy must also consider the language needs of the broader community.

The bill further provides that Sign Language has the status of an official language for purposes of learning at a public school.

The BELA Bill also bans the consumption or possession on public school premises, or during any public school activity unless permission has been sought from the Head of Department, and then only under strict conditions."

It has been heavily criticised by opposition parties, including the DA, ACDP and Freedom Front Plus.

AfriForum’s Alana Bailey said the bill will centralise more power in the hands of the government and render communities’ involvement in their schools meaningless. 

"Currently, the governing bodies have the right to make the final decision on schools’ language and admissions policies, but the bill proposes that this power should henceforth rest with the provincial heads of education, in other words with political appointments.

"It is being argued that this amendment is necessary to prevent discrimination against learners, but this is a blatant fabrication, as existing legislation provides for the necessary steps to put an end to discrimination, should it occur.”

"It is unacceptable that political games are being played at the expense of the South African youth and therefore AfriForum will follow all possible national and international steps to oppose Bela," said Bailey.

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