Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi has defended his stance on the need to limit the powers of school governing bodies (SGBs) to decide on language policies and admissions.
On Tuesday, Lesufi came under fire from the DA amid calls for him to denounce the Basic Education Amendment Bill (Bela) that is set to make changes to the country's education laws. This includes stripping powers of SGBs to make decisions on language policies and admissions.
The DA has labelled clauses in the bill “Lesufi clauses” due to him being one of the major proponents of the proposed law. On Tuesday, Lesufi said he would not be bullied into silence while lashing out at the DA and other detractors for trying to advance schools that do not reflect a racially inclusive society.
According to Lesufi, the bill will deter SGBs in predominately Afrikaans schools from using their language policies to exclude black pupils.
If the bill is passed into law, section 5 of the SA Schools Act will limit SGB powers on language policy while giving heads of department (HODs) at education departments across the country powers to direct a school to adopt more than one language of instruction. Language policies for schools will also have to be submitted to the HOD for approval.
Lesufi said SGBs in schools that have not embraced transformation were hell-bent on advancing the status quo because it served their agenda to exclude blacks from their communities. “They will resist because the colour of their skin gives them privileges. Our hatred for racism is not hatred for Afrikaans,” he said.
Lesufi said people should support the bill if they hope to see the end of racism within the country's schooling system. He said it was surprising that the DA would come to his offices with issues pertaining to a bill that is now before parliament, saying they should submit their concerns during the public participation process.
Shadow MEC for education in the province, Khume Ramulifho, denied that their campaign was motivated by Afrikaner supremacy, adding that Lesufi was trying to steer attention away from the real issues.
Ramulifho said they had concerns that taking away powers from SGBs would allow room for political interference with school processes such as the hiring of principals. “Bela is proposing giving such powers to HODs and MECs. Based on previous experience we have seen that where the department comes in, there is corruption,” he said.
Ramulifho said schools with well-run SGBs were proven to have better administrations while they prioritised school performance. He said they also want indigenous languages to be developed properly so that there could be more than just two languages of instruction in SA classrooms.
According to a submission made to parliament by civic organisation Skole Ondersteuningsentrum, the bill will have a negative effect on Afrikaans schools as well as the protection of the Afrikaans culture for future generations.
“By targeting the existence of schools as cultural institutions in this way, the Afrikaans culture and language is being threatened, which goes against sections 29(2) and 31(1) of the constitution. As the elected representatives of their communities, SGBs are best placed to determine their schools' language and admission policies,” it stated.
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