South Africa: Parents face jail if children not enrolled in school as lawmakers pass Bela bill

Parents in South Africa may face up to 12 months in prison if they fail to enroll their children when they reach school age. The controversial bill has been opposed by the opposition Democratic Alliance, saying that the law grants the government undue control over schools…

Lawmakers in South Africa have passed a controversial education bill that could land parents in prison if their children do not attend school.

Parents might be imprisoned for up to 12 months under the Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) if their children are truant or not enrolled when they reach school age.

Bela also forbids corporal punishment in all schools.
The law is the most significant educational transformation since the end of apartheid in 1994.

The ruling African National Congress (ANC) sees the law as a way to change the education system and address past and present challenges.

The Democratic Alliance (DA), the largest opposition party, opposes the law, alleging that it grants undue governmental control over schools and may jeopardize the credibility of the education system.

The vote in the parliament triggered a protest as the opposition Democratic Alliance vowed to drag the government to the constitutional court if the bill becomes law.

The South African education system has been facing difficult situations over the years.

BBC reported that South Africa was ranked last out of 57 countries in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study in 2021. The study tested the reading abilities of 400,000 school children worldwide.

Research published earlier in 2023 indicated that 8 out of 10 South African school children struggle to read by the age of 10.