Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
11 December 2024 | 12:10 CAT
2-minute read

Picture: AfriForum

The BELA bill has been fraught with controversy. But not all criticism levelled at the Bill is adequately backed up with evidence, argues Dr Jaco Deacon, CEO of FEDSAS, a national representative organisation for governing bodies of South African Schools.

Dr Deacon addresses some misconceptions about the BELA Bill’s objectives, one of which is that Afrikaans schools use language and admission to exclude learners. But these claims are unsubstantiated according to Dr Deacon.

“You can’t simply make all those claims without substantiating the claims,” Dr Deacon observes.

Data shows that 3,7% of South African schools are classified as Afrikaans schools. Most of these schools are at capacity and receive more applications than they have space for. Dr Deacon says that for this reason, these schools must then sift through the applications to admit the most suitable learners to its education program.

“You must discriminate to apply your admissions policy to admit the number of learners that you can admit,” Dr Deacon says, explaining that the Constitution and the SA Schools’ Act are not opposed to discernment but to unfair discrimination. “Schools must be able to justify criteria for admission, and these should be applied in a fair and consistent manner,” Dr Deacon opines.

Another critical misconception, according to Deacon, is the belief that new legislation is needed to address misuse of the system by SGBs. He explained that existing mechanisms under Sections 22 and 25 of the Schools Act already empower provincial heads of departments to intervene when SGBs fail in their duties. However, a lack of implementation has rendered these provisions ineffective. “If we don’t apply and use what’s already in the Act, how will we use the new ones?” he asked, pointing to a deeper issue of governance rather than legislation.

Deacon also outlined three urgent actions to improve education:

1. Defining school capacity: Establish clear criteria for determining when a school is full, considering not only class size but safety features and evacuation protocols.
2. Building new schools: Address overcrowding in provinces like Gauteng and the Western Cape by constructing more schools rather than expanding existing ones. Over the last decade, Gauteng has only added five new schools, a figure Deacon describes as “a serious, serious charge against the MECs.”
3. Promoting mother-tongue education: Deacon advocates for the benefits of mother-tongue education, highlighting its proven advantages in pilot projects across KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.

Listen to the full interview on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat.