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Destructive BELA Act will further derail EC Education System

By

Dear Editor

The Eastern Cape Department of Education is currently in a state of total dysfunction, riddled with systemic failures and significant service delivery backlogs. However, it is wasting precious time on the power struggle surrounding the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act.

To highlight the destructive impact of the BELA Act, the DA in the Eastern Cape hosted a panel discussion yesterday, and was joined by public representatives, School Governing Bodies (SGBs) and other stakeholders from across the province.

The panel discussion increased effective public participation, and assisted the DA in the Eastern Cape to gain valuable insights directly from the affected stakeholders. This was the biggest platform yet through which members of the public sector gained direct access to Members of the Provincial Legislature to engage on this Act.

The BELA Act introduces several amendments to the South African Schools Act, aimed at addressing administrative challenges within the education system, however some key provisions – particularly Clauses 4 and 5 – have raised considerable concern.

The DA has long opposed Clauses 4 and 5 of the BELA Act, giving the state excessive control over who is admitted to a particular school and in what language instruction is provided.

The Constitution is clear; everyone has the right to receive an education in the official language(s) of their choice. Schools, through their SGBs, should be able to make decisions that reflect the needs of parents and local communities. We cannot allow this authority to be handed over to provincial officials who are disconnected from the realities of these communities.

SGBs must retain their authority to set admission policies for their schools, with HODs having limited power to intervene. Additionally, we reject the clause that threatens to undermine SGBs’ ability to set language policies. We believe that SGBs should retain the right to determine the language policies of their schools.

The DA also opposes the fact that the Act centralises procurement. We believe that procurement should be decentralised so that schools can purchase their own Learning and Teaching Support Material (LTSM).

Meanwhile, the Eastern Cape Education Department is grappling with a massive infrastructure backlog, and many schools have become vulnerable to criminal activity. In some rural areas, students are still using hazardous pit latrines, and many schools are in dire need of repair.

In many cases, our children are being denied their constitutional right to education due to challenges with scholar transport funding. Tens of thousands of deserving learners are not being transported to school. This lack of scholar transport underscores the urgent need for the department to build more hostels. Yet, in this financial year, only one hostel has been attempted – and it remains incomplete.

The provincial department’s maintenance backlog, which now stands at a staggering R82 billion, highlights the extent to which our schools have been neglected. In the Eastern Cape, learners should be able to focus on their studies without worrying about dilapidated school buildings, a shortage of teachers, the threat of violence, or the disruptive effects of the BELA Act.

The need for an education department to focus on improving the quality of education – rather than micro-managing language and admissions policies – is critical in the Eastern Cape.

The DA will continue to fight for the rights of parents to have a voice in their children’s education.

Regards

Horatio Hendricks MPL
DA EC Shadow MEC for Education

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Port Elizabethan

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