South Africa: Deadlines extended for public comment on Education Bill and Regulations
Basic Education Law Amendment Bill
The Basic Education Portfolio Committee published a notice extending the deadline for written submissions and comments on the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill.
The Bill proposes 56 clauses to amend existing education laws and deals with, among other things:
- Learner attendance: The Bill introduces learner attendance from Grade R and provides sanctions for anyone who prevents a learner from attending school, creating an offence in respect of the interruption, disruption or hindrance of school activities.
- Language: The Bill outlines frameworks on school governance and requires that the language policies of schools be reviewed. Moreover, the Bill recognises sign language as an official language for learning in public schools.
- Disciplinary proceedings: The Bill explicitly provides for the prohibition of corporal punishment in schools and provides for disciplinary proceedings to be dealt with in an age-appropriate manner and in the best interests of the learner.
- Admissions and documentation: The Bill defines the relevant documentation required from parents, caregivers and children for purposes of admission including learners whose parents are foreign nationals. The Bill also provides for system improvements for admissions.
The deadline extension for written submissions is 15 August 2022 at 16h00.
Comments can be submitted:
- By email to Mr Llewellyn Brown at [email protected]
- Uploaded online at https://forms.gle/MoC6AdbdQyYPk3Y49
- Via WhatsApp: +27 60 550 9848
Enquiries may be directed to Mr Llewellyn Brown at [email protected].
The call for comment can be accessed here.
The Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill can be accessed here.
Minimum Uniform Norms and Standards for basic infrastructure in schools
The Minister of Basic Education has extended the call for comments on the proposed amendments to the Regulations Relating to the Minimum Uniform Norms and Standards for Public School Infrastructure (Norms and Standards).
The current Norms and Standards set the minimum threshold for, among other things, access to water, electricity, ablution facilities, security, and internet in schools. They also require schools to have libraries, science laboratories, and areas for physical education.
The Norms and Standards set time frames for the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to ensure that school infrastructure meets the prescribed standards.
The DBE missed several of the deadlines, including the provision of water, electricity, sanitation and safe infrastructure, all of which were set to be provided by 29 November 2016, as well as the 29 November 2020 deadline in which schools were expected to be provided with internet access and telephones.
A key change to the recently proposed amendments is the removal of deadlines.
The extension for written submissions on the proposed amendments is 31 July 2022.
Comments can be submitted:
- By post to the Department of Basic Education, Private Bag X895, Pretoria, 0001;
- By hand to the Department of Basic Education at Sol Plaatjie House, 222 Struben Street, Pretoria;
- By fax to 012 3232 57 32; or
- By email to [email protected]
The Norms and Standards can be accessed here.
The proposed amendments to the Norms and Standards can be accessed here.
Please note: The information contained in this note is for general guidance on matters of interest, and does not constitute legal advice. For any enquiries, please contact us at [email protected]
