DBE making steady progress in finalising BELA Act regulations, says Gwarube
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube told Parliament's portfolio committee on Tuesday that despite the ongoing work on the regulations, the BELA Act itself was being actively implemented.
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube (centre), MECs of Education and senior DBE managers on 8 July 2025 updated Parliament's portfolio committee on the various sections affected by the BELA Act. Picture: @DBE_SA/X
CAPE TOWN - The Department of Basic Education said it had made steady progress in finalising the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act (BELA Act) regulations that will govern how the law will be implemented.
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube, provincial education MECs and heads of departments on Tuesday gave the portfolio committee an update on the regulations which committee members were eagerly anticipating.
Gwarube told the committee on Tuesday that despite the ongoing work on the regulations, the BELA Act itself was being actively implemented.
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The minister said that ten draft regulations were at an advanced stage and would be finalised in due course.
The department said that the regulations covered home schooling, Grade R, the management of learner pregnancies as well as the code of conduct, among others.
Gwarube told MPs that ten task teams were established to handle each regulation and two regulations were nearly complete and are sitting with the office of the chief state law advisor.
"And as soon as that process is done, they will be published. And so, the first tranche of regulations should be out soon."
Minister Gwarube said the regulations merely supported the implementation of the BELA Act and them not being published yet did not mean they were not implementing the legislation.