Big changes coming for home schools in South Africa
The Basic Educational Laws Amendment Bill (BELA) has faced a lot of scrutiny following public consultations. While some policies have been amended, many changes are still coming to schools – including home schools in South Africa.
The BELA bill aims to make significant changes to schools across the country with some controversial provisions reducing the power of school governing bodies, giving the government the final say on language policies and forcing homeschooled learners to be registered.
Some respondents to the consultation called for a complete scrapping of the latter clause and wanted further consultation with relevant stakeholders to address the demands of the homeschooling sector.
Homeschooling stakeholders also argued that requirements proposed by the Bill – including the arrangement of an independent assessor – were meant to increase the cost of homeschooling, thereby discouraging parents from choosing this option.
Further concerns around the Bill related to the argument that imposing an application process for homeschooling took away the rights of parents to make decisions for their children, while others believed the Bill does not take into consideration the unique needs of individual learners and that it seeks to impose a Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement on the people undermining their choice of different curriculums.
However, speaking with eNCA, the General Secretary of the National Association of School Governing Bodies, Matakanye Matakanya, said the Department of Basic Education is mandated and within its rights to monitor the education of children, whether in schools or at home.
“Homeschooling is a problem. The DBE must know what these children are being taught at home and how it’s being taught.
“The department has the responsibility to provide education through an accepted curriculum,” said Matakanya.
He also noted that the department has the right to access and know what the qualifications are of those teaching children at home, adding that some individuals are not allowed to work with children in the context of a standard level of education.
“Those that are opposed to this section of the Bill are concerned with their comfort, but the DBE is not looking into the comfort of the individual; it’s looking into the quality of education of the child,” he said.
This means the parents or educators homeschooling their children would still be expected to submit an assessment report to the department at the end of each term (phase), with the arrangement of an independent assessor to ensure the child meets the learning requirements determined by the DBE of a student in the relevant grade.
A small victory for homeschoolers, however, is that the Bill has now omitted the policy that called for an independent assessor to visit the homes and properties of those homeschooling children. However, homeschooled learners are still required to be registered.
Other key amendments that the Bill aims to make include:
- Making grade R the new compulsory school starting age, as opposed to grade 1, as is currently the case.
- Criminalising parents who do not ensure their child or children are in school, with fines or jail time up to 12 months.
- Requiring parents and learners to supply specified documentation when applying.
- Holding school governing bodies more accountable for disclosures of financial interests – including those related to their spouses and family members.
- Prohibiting educators from conducting business with the state or being a director of public or private companies conducting business with the state.
- Abolishing corporal punishment and initiation/hazing practices.
The committee is expected to meet this week to adopt the final Bill before it is referred to the National Assembly for debate and consideration.
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