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Young learners in the Eastern Cape during a Child Protection Week activity (June 2019).
More resources will be required to include Grade R as a compulsory grade for schooling. This is according to the Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube.
She briefed the media in parliament yesterday on the implementation of the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act.
This after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s directive that the BELA Act must be implemented in its entirety.
Gwarube says it’s important to urgently get guidelines to public schools for the implementation of the Act, while new norms and standards are being developed.
Gwarube says she will approach the Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana, to appeal for more funding for Basic Education.
“And this is the case I intend to make to the Minister of Finance, to say since the president has commenced with this immediately, we are now under pressure to make sure that we can deliver compulsory Grade R.
I want there to at least be guidelines that are sent to the provinces and to schools, to be able to say how do you handle Grade R if perhaps you were not ready to receive Grade R class. So that they can get guidance from the national department on how do they deal with something like that, and that’s why the guidelines are there to help them navigate this new reality,” explains Gwarube.
DBE Minister, Siviwe Gwarube to address commencement of BELA Act recommendations:
Meanwhile, Gauteng MEC of Education, Matome Chiloane says there are parts of the BELA Act that don’t need new norms and standards, and those should be implemented.
He however conceded that the introduction of compulsory Grade R is new terrain.
“Looking at Grade R that is where the norms and standards come in, because if you look at Grade R itself, it means now that general compulsory schooling has moved from 9 years to 10 years now and which in essence puts us on level with international norms and standards.”
