President Cyril Ramaphosa has officially signed the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill into law. However, Ramaphosa said the implementation of the Bill will be delayed for three months for further conversations around ‘problematic’ clauses.
Speaking at the signing on Friday, Ramaphosa said the signing of this Bill marks an important step towards resolving long-standing challenges in the country’s education system.
"This law is part of our ongoing effort to create such a world. As a country we are signatory to global treaties that oblige us to advance universal access to education. This means that all people should have equal opportunity to access education, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or physical or mental impairment. This means that primary education should be free and compulsory. Education must be the instrument through which we uplift our nation," Ramaphosa said.
“In the spirit of cooperation and meaningful engagement, I have decided to delay the implementation date for clauses 4 and 5 of the Bill by three months.
“This will give the parties time to deliberate on these issues and make proposals on how the different views may be accommodated. Should the parties not be able to agree on an approach, then we will proceed with the implementation of these parts of the Bill,” Ramaphosa said.
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