By Zukile Majova
Political Editor
- The new law gives powers to the provincial authorities to overrule School Governing Bodies in deciding the language policies of schools.
- It makes way for Afrikaans and English learners to attend the same schools.
With relentless political pressure from within his party’s tripartite alliance partners, President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday gave in and passed the controversial Basic Education Laws Amendment Act.
Two clauses of the law were suspended when the president signed the contentious Bela Bill into law in September.
Ramaphosa said he saw the Act as vital to the transformation of the education system in South Africa almost three decades since the advent of democracy.
Ramaphosa invited groups that were concerned that the integration of thousands of English medium learners into previously Afrikaans language schools would pose a direct threat to the Afrikaans language.
“The Bela Act continues the work that has been done over the last 30 years to ensure that all children have equal access to quality education – from their early years and throughout their schooling,” said Ramaphosa.
The decision is expected to be met with court challenges that may reach the Constitutional Court in the next few weeks.
The Constitution says that every person has the right to receive education in the official language or languages of their choice where reasonably practicable.
“This is a right that applies equally to an English-speaker as it does a Zulu-speaker.
“It applies equally to someone who speaks Afrikaans as it does to someone who speaks Xitsonga, Sesotho, Sepedi, isiXhosa, Setswana, Tshivenda, isiNdebele or siSwati,” said Ramaphosa.
He promised he had instructed Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube to ensure that the application of this law must not diminish any language.
Ramaphosa’s decision is expected to further divide parties to the Government of National Unity after the DA threatened to walk out if the Bela Act is not reviewed.
The president said: “I have instructed the Minister of Basic Education to see to the full implementation of the Bela Act.
“I have also instructed the minister to do what is necessary, as is customary with any law, to ensure that the timeframe of implementation – particularly with regard to the preparedness of the system for universal Grade R access – and the consequential regulations setting out the norms and standards are prepared.”
Pictured above: President Ramaphosa signs the Bela Act.
Source: X
