AfriForum and the public take a strong stand against the BELA Bill at the Soshanguve public consultation session

Today, AfriForum took a strong stand against the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill (also known as the BELA Bill) in Soshanguve. The civil rights organisation attended the public consultation session together with the public and other organisations to have its voice heard against this controversial bill. This session is part of the Gauteng Legislature’s public consultation process on the bill.

According to Alana Bailey, AfriForum’s Head of Cultural Affairs, the session was well attended. She says that many of those present emphasised that the bill contains articles that pose a serious threat to the future of quality education, as well as communities’ and parents’ decision-making powers regarding their children’s education. Among other things, the bill makes provision for centralisation of power in the hands of provincial heads of education to make a final decision on admission and language policies. These powers currently rest with democratically elected governing bodies of schools, and not the state.

The public consultation sessions have been held in all the provinces since the beginning of the year. This is part of the National Council of Provinces’ (NCOP) decision-making process on the bill. The sessions offer the public the opportunity to voice their opposition against the bill. AfriForum attended most of these consultation sessions. The civil rights organisation has constantly expressed its concerns about the threat to quality and Afrikaans mother-language education that this expansion of the authorities’ powers will create at the expense of communities’ right to decide for themselves about their children’s interests.

AfriForum is of the opinion that it would be better to withdraw the bill and reflect on the existing legislation from scratch.

“It is now time to rethink education legislation, rather than devoting further time and money to this ideologically charged, unconstitutional and outdated bill. The current collaboration model of school communities and the state must be protected, as well as all aspects that can promote mother-language education,” says Bailey.

AfriForum calls on all those who have communities’ education interests at heart to attend the sessions that are still to come and make their voices heard against the bill. Visit stopbela.co.za for more information.

• Photos attached: Louis Boshoff, AfriForum Campaign Officer, at the Soshanguve public consultation session.