DailySun
Pretoria – On Friday, President Cyril Ramaphosa revealed that he is moving forward with the implementation of the sections of the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act (BELA) that were previously suspended for three months.
Originally enacted on 13 September 2024, BELA is now set to take effect.
President Ramaphosa remarked: “When I signed the BELA Bill into law, I recognized the calls for further dialogue from various parties within the Government of National Unity and other key stakeholders concerning the bill’s provisions on admission and language.
“I indicated that although I had approved the Bill, I would delay its full implementation by three months, promoting collaboration and constructive dialogue.
“This essential pause was meant to allow the parties to reflect on these issues and offer solutions to the differing views.”
“I also stated that if the parties could not reach a consensus by the end of the three-month timeframe, I would direct the Minister and the Department to proceed with the Act’s implementation.”
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During the three-month pause, discussions were conducted to achieve consensus on the remaining contentious aspects of the BELA Act.
Several non-governmental organizations shared their positions, both in favor of and against the relevant sections.
“Last week, I received a report from the Government of National Unity’s ‘clearing house’ mechanism,” President Ramaphosa noted.
The “clearing house” serves as a framework to unify parties within the Government of National Unity and parliamentary representatives on contentious issues.
The findings are communicated to the leaders of the involved political parties.
In the final report, President Ramaphosa disclosed that the parties agreed that the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act should not be returned to Parliament for amendments to the disputed sections.
“In their concluding report, the parties concurred that there was no need to resend the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act to Parliament for changes to the contested sections,” the President confirmed.
“The participants of the GNU clearing house reached a consensus on the full implementation of the Act.
“This position was reaffirmed by the leaders of the parties within the GNU in a meeting I convened today.”
The President announced that he has directed the Minister of Basic Education to ensure the full enactment of the BELA Act, following support from the leaders of the GNU parties.
Ramaphosa explained that the Act is crucial in ongoing efforts to build a more effective and equitable education system in alignment with our Constitutional principles.
“The BELA Act furthers the initiatives pursued over the last thirty years to ensure that every child has equitable access to quality education from early childhood through their entire schooling,” he stated.
“As a democratic society committed to nurturing a new community, we firmly assert that every child deserves an education that prepares them for success, irrespective of their background, residence, or language preference.
“In enforcing this Act, we are primarily guided by the Constitution.”
President Ramaphosa highlighted that the Bill of Rights guarantees the right to equality for all individuals.
“It upholds the right of every individual to a basic education,” he remarked.
He continued: “Importantly, the Constitution specifies that each individual has the right to receive education in the official language or languages of their choice, where possible.
“This right applies equally to an English speaker as it does to a Zulu speaker.
“It is equally applicable to an Afrikaans speaker, just as it is for someone communicating in Xitsonga, Sesotho, Sepedi, isiXhosa, Setswana, Tshivenda, isiNdebele, or siSwati.
“Additionally, it now applies equally to individuals who use South African Sign Language.”
President Ramaphosa indicated that the Act implements provisions that enhance schools’ capacity to uphold these Constitutional rights.
“In applying this law, we must ensure that no language is marginalized,” he emphasized.
“Rather, we must work to ensure that all official languages are valued and promoted.”
*All images and video clips courtesy of GCIS
