It appears that President Cyril Ramaphosa will indeed sign the controversial BELA Bill into law on Friday (13 September).
This Bill is particularly controversial because it puts the power to determine schools’ language and admission policies in the hands of provincial Departments of Education.
The law is ill-conceived and will cause needless uncertainty and disputes about clearly established rights and responsibilities related to Basic Education.
In addition, the recognition of the right to home-schooling is undermined by bureaucratic requirements.
The Bill was hastily steamrollered through the parliamentary process just before the general elections. The fact that the Bill makes no mention of electronic education systems whatsoever makes it outdated before it has been promulgated.
The FF Plus is using its position in the Government of National Unity (GNU) to apply the pressure needed to persuade the President to refer the ill-conceived Bill back to Parliament for the necessary amendments and improvements.
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