The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education has been advised to reconsider a part of the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill that provides for the possession, consumption, or sale of liquor during any private or religious function held on a school’s premises.
This was raised during the Committee’s public hearings on the Bill in the Eastern Cape at the Thobi Kula Indoor Sports Centre in Komani this weekend.
There was a general fear that allowing the sale of alcohol would be counter-productive and would send a wrong message to learners “especially in a country struggling with substance abuse”.
The Committee said that despite a wide-ranging support of the Bill, many of those who attended the hearings were of the view that schools should find alternative ways of raising funds.
Meanwhile, teachers raised a concern that they should not be burdened with the management of learner pregnancy at schools mainly because they were “ill-equipped to handle such situations”.
Teachers, attending the public hearings, also informed the committee that they already have a full plate in dealing with curriculum and administrative functions at schools.
Regardless of the support of the prohibition on corporal punishment in schools, participants underscored their concern that the Bill was silent on the protection of teachers against assault by learners which, according to some participants, was on the rise.
In addition, the Department of Education was called upon to provide adequate alternative measures to instil discipline in schools, something participants felt was lacking, the Committee said.
“There was overall contention with regards to clause 37 of the Bill which proposes a process of registering home schooled learners. On the one hand, supporters of the Bill emphasised that the regulation of the home-schooling environment was necessary to ensure qualitative monitoring and to ensure that teachers are adequately qualified to teach.
“Those against the Bill highlighted that the adoption of the Bill in its current form takes away the right of learners and parents to make democratic choices on the best form of education they wish to undertake,” the Committee said.
Another area of concern was the Bill’s silence on blended and online education, a form of learning which participants felt was increasing. They called for the Bill to include this form of education to ensure the broader strengthening of the education system.
The Bill seeks to amend certain definitions, to provide that attendance of Grade R is compulsory and to provide for system improvements in terms of admission of learners to public schools.
It also provides for financial and public accountability frameworks for governing bodies and provincial departments. The Bill further provides the Minister with additional regulatory powers and enhances the decision-making and oversight powers of heads of departments and those of members of executive councils
The Committee is now in the midst of its last session of the public participation process in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality.
kailene.pillay@inl.co.za
Education