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Parliament, Tuesday, 10 November 2026 – The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education on Tuesday requested a detailed list of schools that have not yet completed reviews of their admission and language policies, along with reasons for these outstanding reviews.
The committee’s request followed a briefing from the Department of Basic Education on the implementation of the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act.
Committee members heard that while there is progress in implementing the provisions of the Act, several challenges, including shortfalls in funding, infrastructure and capacity of provincial education departments, as well as delays in finalising the regulations, are affecting full implementation. The Act makes Grade R compulsory and provides for changes to school admissions and language policies, among other things.
The Chairperson of the committee, Ms Joy Maimela, said the committee acknowledges the department’s progress in helping school governing bodies (SGBs) to review their admissions and language policies. She emphasised that the committee’s concern is to establish where and why reviews remain incomplete. “We are not satisfied with the fact that there are still a considerable number of schools that have not finalised the process of reviewing their admission and language policies. This is a critical time when parents are applying for admission for their children, and if these admission and language policies are not reviewed and are not aligned to the current tenets of the legislation, parents may be prejudiced by the previous policies,” she said.
According to the department, 11 715 admission-policy reviews and 11 657 language-policy reviews remained outstanding. Ms Maimela said that provincial totals alone are not enough for committee members to understand the circumstances at individual schools or assess whether outstanding matters are being addressed. “We need to understand what is preventing the completion of the reviews and what support or intervention is required.”
The committee requested clear and realistic timelines for implementation. It noted that in addition to admissions and language policy reviews, schools must also review their codes of conduct to incorporate the amendments to the South African Schools Act. These include provisions dealing with hairstyles, religious beliefs, corporal punishment and other matters affecting learners’ rights. “You cannot, therefore, suggest that the implementation of the amended provisions of the South African Schools Act should be an open-ended programme. That is not acceptable,” the Chairperson said.
On the rollout of Grade R, committee members raised concerns about the shortage of classrooms, issues relating to practitioners’ qualifications, differences in employment arrangements across provinces and the funding needed to improve conditions of service. The department reported that seven provinces appoint Grade R practitioners who receive stipends, while Mpumalanga and North West appoint educators who receive salaries. Limpopo is the only province that currently includes Grade R in its post-provisioning model.
Committee members heard that the post-provisioning review is continuing, and a draft policy is expected this month. The longer-term objective is to incorporate Grade R posts fully into provincial educator post-provisioning arrangements. “Why would the national Department of Basic Education allow such large gaps to develop between provinces in their progress with Grade R provision?” the Chairperson asked.
The Chairperson also expressed the committee’s dissatisfaction with the pace of finalising the BELA regulations. “The pace is not satisfactory, and we are not happy with it. The department needs to improve,” she said. “The next time we call the department to account for progress, we will expect the regulations to have been finalised.”
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON BASIC EDUCATION, MS JOY MAIMELA.
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact the committee’s Media Officer:
Name: Alicestine October (Ms)
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E-mail: aoctober@parliament.gov.za
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