The Bill proposes to amend the South African Schools Act (SASA) of 1996 and the Employment of Educators Act (EEA) of 1998, so as to align them with developments in the education landscape and to ensure that systems of learning are put in place in a manner that gives effect to the right to basic education enshrined in section 29(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. This is done through the amendment of certain definitions, clarifying certain provisions and inserts new provisions that absent in the existing legislation.

The broad amendments provide for a variety of things including; the proposed Bill seeks to provide that attendance of grade R is compulsory and to amend the penalty provision in the case where the parent of a learner, or any other person, without just cause, prevents a learner who is subject to compulsory attendance from attending school.

The Bill also provides that the South African Sign Language has the status of an official language for purposes of learning at a public school. To safeguard the integrity of the basic education system, the Bill proposes to increase the penalty provision in the case where a person establishes or maintains an independent school and fails to register it.

In line with the intention to enable broader access to the work of the committee and to enable as extensive consultation as possible, the committee has resolved to hold its public hearings in the afternoons and on weekends

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