Johannesburg - An education expert says proposals made in the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill (Bela Bill) have good intentions, but it remains difficult for the system to create quality where it lacks the means to enforce compliance.
Currently, the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education is conducting public hearings on the bill, and some of the proposed changes have come under fire from some sectors.
For one, the residents of the Cape Winelands District Municipality recently, during public hearings held at the Montana Community Hall in Wolsely, called for the bill to include a clear clause that would ensure the freedom of curriculum and protect the environment against what they described as proposed “draconian regulations”.
Furthermore, they argued that an unambiguous clause would assure them that they would not be compelled to use public schools’ curriculum and assessment policy statements.
The majority of the parents rejected the bill, especially clause 37, on the basis that children were the responsibility of parents, and not the state. They further argued that the bill currently sought to usurp this responsibility, thereby interfering with parents' and children’s rights that are enshrined in the Constitution.
There were some who supported certain aspects of the bill, primarily the uniform and national measurement governing the elections of school governing bodies (SGBs); however, there were divergent views on why some participants supported the clause on compulsory schooling from Grade R.
The Dean of Education at the University of Pretoria, Professor Chika Sehoole, said that while many of the proposals in the bill were in essence not bad, what had to be admitted was that it was difficult for the government to effect quality where it lacked the means to enforce compliance, as seen with issues such as corporal punishment, among others.
Sehoole said he was surprised about the “push-back” by parents on the need for home-schooled learners to be registered with the department, however, this was an important aspect as it assisted the department with planning and knowing that their responsibility in terms of the Constitution in the provision of education was met.
He said the most controversial part of the bill remained the proposal for the sale of alcohol at recreational events at schools.
"To sell alcohol at school events is controversial in the sense that, what message are you sending to children? There are others who are role models for younger children, and if schools are allowed to sell alcohol and they see others consuming it in a learning space, we may be sending an unintended message that there is nothing wrong with alcohol."
Additional proposals such as holding school governing bodies accountable and making Grade R the compulsory starting age for learners were good ideas; however, Sehoole said it would require significant investment from the government to ensure that facilities were set up and that there were enough teachers and capacity to teach those children, which it currently did not have.
"We’ve lost a golden opportunity in the last 20 years to change our education system, and we need a strong state, parent community, and SGB to form a partnership and operate in good faith to deal with these things."
PROPOSALS
- Making grade R the new compulsory school starting age, as opposed to Grade 1, as is currently the case.
- Forcing home-schooled learners to be registered for this type of schooling.
- Criminalising parents who do not ensure their child or children are in school, with fines or jail time of up to 12 months.
- Holding school governing bodies more accountable for disclosures of financial interests – including those related to their spouses and family members.
- Prohibiting educators from conducting business with the state or being a director of public or private companies conducting business with the state.
- Abolishing corporal punishment and initiation/hazing practices.
- Allowing schools to sell alcohol outside of school hours.
- Giving government department heads power over language policies and the curricula a school must adopt.
The Star