The Basic Education Law Amendment Bill, which closed for public comment on November 10, is a bombshell. It will gut the public sector education system of what still works and force the (mainly black) middle class into the hands of independent private education or home schooling, which is becoming an increasingly popular choice. All evidence shows that greater parent involvement is good for a school, but the bill proposals will rob school governing bodies (SGBs) of all effective power over admissions, finances, language, and the appointment of senior teachers and principals. Parents will become increasingly reluctant to participate in emasculated SGBs. The ratio of payers to nonpayers in the former model C schools will tip in favour of the latter and the payers will desert. This will lead to the retrenchment of teachers paid for by the parents and the slow decline of schools. The bill also aims to centralise all procurement in the hands of the provincial authorities — the provincial ...
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