Pestalozzi Trust commits R2.35m to fight BELA Bill

Pestalozzi Trust commits R2.35m to fight BELA Bill

The Trustees of the Pestalozzi Trust have pledged an initial amount of R2.35 million from the Trust’s capital fund to challenge the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill in court, should it be passed into law.

A principal goal of the Pestalozzi Trust as set out in the trust deed is: “to preserve the fundamental universally and constitutionally recognised rights of parents and families diligently to guide and direct the education of their children”.

The BELA Bill, which is now moving to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), would seriously impinge on the rights of parents, and their ability to provide education to their children in a manner that is consistent with the best interests of each child. This is especially concerning for parents with Christian and other belief systems, as it may restrict the free exercise of their rights in the education of their children.

The Trust is well-positioned to challenge the BELA Bill, having actively engaged with various governmental bodies over the years, including the Department of Basic Education, provincial education ministries, the national Ministry of Basic Education, Cabinet, the Presidency, and the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa, and is therefore well aware of the flaws in the Bill.

In addition, the Trust has been waiting since the promulgation of the Policy on Home Education to challenge the law on which the Policy was really based. The decision was taken not to challenge the Policy, considering the slim chances of success for an abstract challenge, and instead to make a direct challenge to the BELA Bill. With the BELA Bill now coming closer to being made law, the Trust is preparing for this legal battle.

The Trust believes that the procedural and substantive flaws make for a prima facie case against the Bill.

In order to further strengthen this legal challenge, the Trust will also continue its campaigns to stop the Bill before it becomes law. We ask that you support these campaigns to help ensure the success of the legal action.

We would like to thank the loyal Trust members, who, by sacrificing the price of two coffees a month for many years, have proven Einstein’s statement: that the most powerful force in the universe is compound interest. This has allowed the Trust, over those years, to build up a fund that makes it possible to allocate millions of rands to an action like this.

As the BELA Bill is processed by the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), the Select Committee on Education and Technology, Sport, Arts, and Culture (the SC), is tasked with its review. The Select Committee will convene on Wednesday, the 8^th of November from 10:00 until 12:30, for their first discussion of the BELA Bill. During this meeting, they will likely decide on the details of the public participation process, and when that process will take place. We will let you know tomorrow via the Members’ WhatsApp group what the outcome of the meeting was. Keep an eye out!

Guidance for our members

This, like every round of public participation, is an opportunity to further strengthen opposition to the Bill. Therefore, we will be guiding members through the process of writing submissions to the NCOP.

We understand that this time of year isn’t the easiest for many home schoolers, with exams, end-of-year exhaustion, and the anticipation of holidays. We will keep this process as easy, short, simple, and even enjoyable, as possible. Our goal is to help you to have your voice heard while maintaining the joy of home schooling.

For those who want to get a blow-by-blow account of what will happen on Wednesday, we invite you to join us “Live” for comments on the Pestalozzi Trust WhatsApp group, on Wednesday, the 8^th of November from 10:00 to 12:30, where we will discuss the NCOP programme for the BELA Bill. This is an excellent opportunity to participate in the conversation, ask questions, and share your insights. You can join the group by following this link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/HCB96YFwArtJZQv5ezL11g . (Please do not share this link with non-members).

We encourage you to consider joining your provincial Homeschool Activist group, to stay informed about the latest development in your province specifically. This will be especially important if the NCOP holds another round of public hearings, as we fully expect them to do, as arrangements to attend the hearing will be made on the provincial groups. You can join the Homeschool Activists community by clicking here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/HCB96YFwArtJZQv5ezL11g.

Your support is invaluable in our mission to protect the rights of home schoolers. We kindly ask you to share this message to be found at this link (https://pestalozzi.org/en/pestalozzi-trust-commits-r2-35m-to-fight-bela-bill/) about the Trust’s commitment of R2.35 million with your home-schooling family, friends, and across your social media networks. Your help in spreading the word is a vital part of our collective efforts.

Together, we can make a difference and protect the rights of parents and children in the realm of home education. Thank you for being an essential part of this journey!