A recently signed education bill is generating heated debates across South Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) bill into law last Friday, aiming to tackle the country’s deeply rooted economic and educational inequalities.

However, key sections of the bill have ignited strong opposition, particularly from the Afrikaans-speaking minority, who believe their language and cultural identity are under threat.

Supporters of the BELA bill argue that it addresses long-standing disparities in education, particularly for Black South Africans who have historically faced significant barriers in accessing quality education.

Even though 34.7 percent of Black teenagers completed secondary school by 2022 — a marked increase from 9.4 percent in 1996 — only 9.3 percent of Black people held a tertiary qualification. In contrast, nearly 40 percent of the white population had completed tertiary education.

During the signing ceremony, President Ramaphosa emphasized the bill’s role in promoting educational inclusivity. “The law that we are signing today further opens the doors of learning. It lays a firm foundation for learning from an early age … It will ensure young children are better prepared for formal schooling,” he said.

However, the law’s critics, primarily from the Afrikaans-speaking community, argue that two provisions of the bill — related to language and school admission policies — could undermine mother-tongue education and erode their cultural identity.

The law transfers final authority over school language and admission policies to the National Department of Basic Education, allowing the government to override local school boards’ decisions.

Previously, school boards had the highest authority in determining which languages would be used in instruction and who could be admitted to their schools.

Some Afrikaans-speaking groups fear that the new law will diminish the use of Afrikaans in schools, with many accusing the government of pressuring schools to adopt English as the primary language of instruction.

Concerns About Language and Admissions

The clauses related to language and admission policies have sparked the most controversy. The bill allows schools to select their language of instruction from South Africa’s 11 official languages, but the final say now lies with the National Department of Basic Education.

Critics say this could lead to fewer schools offering Afrikaans, further reducing the language’s presence in the educational system.

For years, Black South African parents have voiced concerns that Afrikaans was being used as a gatekeeper to exclude their children from better-resourced, historically white schools. Some parents claim their children were denied admission because they didn’t speak Afrikaans, leading to accusations of racism.

A high-profile case in January 2023 involved protests outside Laerskool Danie Malan, a Pretoria school that teaches in Afrikaans and Setswana after Black parents claimed their children were refused enrollment for racial reasons.

School authorities denied the allegations, with some Black parents confirming that their children attended the school without issue.

Tension Between Past and Present

Afrikaans has a complex history in South Africa. The language, which evolved from Dutch, German, and native Khoisan dialects, is spoken by about 13 percent of the population.

It is the first language of roughly 50 percent of the multiracial “colored” community and 40 percent of white South Africans, many of whom are descendants of Dutch settlers.

Some Black South Africans and Indian South Africans, particularly those who lived through the apartheid era, also speak Afrikaans.

Today, 2,484 of South Africa’s 23,719 public schools — about 10 percent — teach in Afrikaans, either as the primary or secondary language. Afrikaans speakers worry that giving the government more control over language policies will politicize the issue and reduce the number of schools offering instruction in their language.

While the BELA bill has been passed, Ramaphosa has delayed the implementation of its most controversial sections for three months, giving the government time to consult with opposing factions and attempt to quell rising tensions.