Bela will ruin working schools, Solidarity said during NCOP presentation

7 March 2024

If parents are deprived of their rightful say in their child’s school, they will most likely withdraw from the school – child, money and all.

Solidarity outlined this reality today in a presentation to the National Council of Provinces’ (NCOP) Select Committee on Education and Technology, Sports, Arts and Culture.

Johnell Prinsloo, education researcher at the Solidarity Research Institute (SNI), emphasised the serious consequences the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill’s (Bela’s) proposed amendments regarding language and admission policy will hold for public schools.

“If parents withdraw from schools, previously functioning schools will also be deprived of the necessary funds to be able to create teaching positions from the governing body. When the number of good teachers decreases, the quality of education decreases, and then even more parents will decide to withdraw their children,” Prinsloo said.

According to Prinsloo, amendments to language policy will also have a direct impact on the employment conditions of teachers who teach in specific languages. The workload of already overworked teachers may also be negatively affected.

“The amendment of the admission policy in terms of the Bela Bill will also affect decision-making regarding the capacity of classrooms and schools. Any amendment to this policy can have a direct impact on teachers’ work conditions and workload.

“This will certainly be the case if these amendments to the law give an official in a distant office a say regarding capacity, without the official having insight into the school’s actual circumstances,” Prinsloo said.

During the presentation, Solidarity also argued that the state is currently failing to fulfil its obligations and responsibilities towards teachers and the education system, and explained how further centralisation will increase the already existing pressure on the state’s financial and administrative capacity.

A better outcome for schools is to strive for more decentralisation, and for this the committee is called upon to recognise the importance of parents’ involvement in schools.

By participating in the discussion of the Bela Bill, Solidarity acted on behalf of the interests of teachers and the education system as a whole.

“We must continue to defend the rights and interests of teachers,” Prinsloo said.

Issued by Johnell Prinsloo, Education Researcher: Solidarity Research Institute, 7 March 2024