Parliament, Monday, 27 February 2023 - The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education was urged by residents of Plokwane to ensure that the language determination policy iscentralised in the Office of the provincial Head of the Department of Education (HOD) to remedy the current problemof the exclusion of learners, a problem they said is a creation of this policy.
The committee heard about this and other views on the Basic Laws Amendment Bill (Bela Bill) when it concluded the Limpopo leg of public hearings on the Bill at Jack Botes Hall in Polokwane yesterday.
The committee appreciated the huge turnout at all three hearings it conducted in Limpopo and the quality of inputs it received from the people. “In all three sessions the turnout was overwhelming which indicated the deep commitment of the people for the existence of quality education system for our children. The committee will take into consideration inputs made and will deliberate on them and factor them into the Bill,” said Ms Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba, the Chairperson of the committee.
Those in support of the Bill highlighted that schools in the urban areas in Limpopo continue to utilise the language determination policy as a barrier, a tendency which reverses the gains of transformation. The participants argued that the Bill in its current form will remove the undue power to exclude certainlearners. Those who opposed the Bill argued that the centralisation of power in the Office of the HOD will, among other things, delay School Governing Bodies (SGBs) fromtaking decisions within reasonable times at schools.
Meanwhile, those in support of the Bill put conditions for their support also proposing clauses that must be removed from the Bill to make it practical. Labour unions emphasised that the Billin its current form emphasised the protection of learners and ignored the protection of teachers. They argued that emphasis should be made for the protection of both. Also, there was a strong suggestion that, in relation to the investigations of leaner absenteeism, the Bill must also include a clause that requires parents and not teachers to investigate cases of absenteeism.
There was an outcry that the Bill is silent on learners with disabilities and that clauses on how the system will ensure the provision of quality and inclusive education system should be inserted in the Bill.
Those against the Bill expressed their fears regarding the overregulation of home schooling. The participants told the committee that there is limited research and engagement with stakeholders to legitimise the regulations within the Bill. Furthermore, the participants were critical about the heaviness of the content of the Curriculum Assessment Policy StatementsCAPS) curriculum and they argued that CAPS is irresponsive to the needs of learners.
Even though there were disagreements, there was a general consensus in the end that the requirement the Bill imposes on the SGBs to declare financial interests was unfair if adopted in its current form. An argument was made that the extension of declaration of financial interests to include family members and relatives will discourage parents from availing themselves for participation in the SGBs and that will weaken the pillar of governance at schools.
Similar to all the hearings in Limpopo, residents of Polokwane vehemently rejected the proposal to sell alcohol in school premises arguing that there is no moral ground to justify the decision and that the only alcohol that must be accepted within schools is ethanol for experiments during science lessons.
Following the completion of the Limpopo leg of public hearings, the committee will over the next weekend, from 3-5 March hold hearings in the Free State as part of the nationwide public participation programme. The committee calls on the people of the Free State to use the service of Public Education Office officers of Parliament to ensure meaningful awareness and proper understanding about Bela Bill.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON BASIC EDUCATION, MS BONGIWE MBINQO-GIGABA.
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