The Bela Bill Explained — Education Department Defends The Bill
The Bela Bill has been passed by the South African National Assembly so it is well on the way to becoming an Act of Parliament.
Written By Ryan Cloete
Homeschooling has become a popular alternative to the traditional school system for several reasons. Some parents enjoy the autonomy to decide what their children learn, when this learning will take place, the pace of learning, and the ability to give a child all the attention they may require.
The Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill, commonly referred to as the BELA Bill is a proposed law that could result in increased regulation in the homeschooling sector by the Department of Basic Education (DBE).
Chief Director of Basic Education, James Ndlebe, wants to assure parents that the BELA Bill does not seek to end homeschooling in South Africa. However, the government wants to ensure that children are receiving an education.
Read Our Coverage: The History Of The Bela Bill
Stakeholders are concerned that the BELA Bill would allow the education department to end homeschooling for a child if they deem that it is not beneficial.
Continue homeschooling your child, but as a government, we need to know the whereabouts of every child. There is a compulsory school-going age, and we are trying to ensure that anyone that prevents a child from getting to school needs to be prosecuted
Ndelbe says the BELA Bill simply requires homeschool educators to inform the government that they are homeschooling their children. They add that children must not be offered a curriculum that is inferior to the current Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) curriculum used by the DBE.
The BELA Bill makes provision for independent assessors to evaluate the curriculum being taught to homeschooled children and assess whether the child is making progress and appropriate education is taking place. They will also need to prove the child is being assessed.
Some stakeholders argued that this could place further stress on an overburdened education system. Others argued that this could be seen as an invasion of privacy.
Every child deserves to get a basic education, and that’s what we want. We don’t want children hidden behind closed doors when we don’t know whether they are being educated or not. We need to account for every child
Ndelbe says people are opposing the Bill because of their disdain for the government. However, they say more people support the bill than reject it.