WCED Update on BELA Act Regulations and Implementation

Video In this virtual meeting, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) updated the Committee on the implementation of the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act. The Committee heard that over 5 200 stakeholders, including principals, senior management teams and school governing bodies, participated in mediation sessions regarding the provisions of the BELA Act. The WCED would continue these mediation sessions up until 31 July 2025. The sessions focused on topics such as finance, admissions, Grade R, discipline, and language. The WCED’s implementation plan focused on strategic objectives such as ensuring compliance, promoting governance, supporting school rationalisation, and improving learner retention. The WCED would focus on issuing circulars and guidelines on national and provincial legislation. Meanwhile, the education district offices would facilitate training and monitor compliance regarding admissions, language, and discipline. The circuit managers would also audit school readiness and report non-compliance. The WCED had been aggressively implementing the Grade R rollout in public schools since 2003. The WCED developed procedural manuals for the implementation of Grade R at public ordinary schools and independent schools. An audit of 2 548 Grade R teachers revealed that 831 teachers were qualified, 1 323 were willing to upskill, 93 opted not to further their education due to age and 301 were undecided. The WCED also shared data on Grade R provision across public ordinary, independent and public special schools. Members were worried about the allegations of racial profiling in school admissions, the situation at J.G. Meiring High School, the safety of schools, and the fact that the WCED may not be ready to implement the provisions of the BELA Act. They asked about the number of schools that were going to be closed, how many schools offered IsiXhosa beyond Grade 3, how many appeals there were and the breakdown of them. The Committee were interested in the challenges of homeschooling, how far the admission of Grade R was, how many schools implemented the learner attendance tracking system, and why certain rural schools did not receive textbooks. They asked about what happened to the youth between the ages of 16-19. Questions were asked about racial discrimination cases, the English-speaking learner being placed in an Afrikaans school, overpopulated classrooms, the support for parents/learners who left school due to circumstances beyond their control and the support to the Grade R teachers who were willing to upgrade their qualifications. Concerns were raised about the big responsibility on parents to ensure that their children attended school up until the age of 15. Members were worried that some schools were not included in the mediation sessions and were interested in the criteria that were used to select schools. They were interested in the monitoring and accountability mechanisms that would be implemented to ensure that schools complied with sections 5 and 6.