President Ramaphosa to sign the BELA Bill

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Friday sign the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill into law, which aims to strengthen governance within South Africa's education sector. The President will publicly sign the Bill during a ceremony to be held at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. 'The BELA Bill amends sections of the South African Schools Act of 1996 (SASA) and the Employment of Educators Act, 1998 (EEA) to account for developments in the education landscape since the enactment of the original legislation. 'The amendments are a response to court judgments that protect and give effect to the Bill of Rights,' the Presidency said in a statement. The Bill seeks, among other things, to make Grade R the new compulsory school starting age, to provide penalties for parents and guardians who do not ensure that their children are in school, and to confirm that corporal punishment is no longer allowed in schools, with penalties for those found guilty of such offences. Source: South African Government News Ag ency