South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is getting ready to sign a controversial Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) bill on Friday, September 13th. Ramaphosa and the ANC party think that the changes will improve governance in the country’s education sector. However, there are some parties that disagree with the provisions.
According to an official notification, the president will publicly sign the bill during a ceremony at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. The bill has put Ramaphosa’s unity government in a bit of a pickle, showing the first signs of friction in the coalition.
The Democratic Alliance(DA) had joined forces with Ramaphosa’s African National Congress(ANC) and other smaller parties after the ANC lost its clear majority in the May elections earlier this year.
The DA, which is the second biggest party in South Africa’s unity government, has strongly opposed the bill, especially a particular clause that strengthens government oversight over schools’ language and admission policies. DA leaders argue that schools should have the right to determine their language policies, emphasizing the right of Africans to choose education in their mother tongue.
“The DA regards this issue in the most serious light, and I will convey to the President the destructive implications it holds for the future of the GNU,” DA leader John Steenhuisen said in a statement.
Ramaphosa’s spokesperson urged everyone to stay calm after the Democratic Alliance made a statement on Wednesday. They said there’s no need to jeopardize the government’s stability over a bill.
While the contested bill proposes several changes to fundamental education, it’s this particular provision that has sparked a debate around racial integration among parties and the people of South Africa.
However, the ANC has defended the amendments, stating that some children are still being excluded from schools based on language, and the new law will help prevent that.
