The BELA bill gives schools the authority to immediately suspend students accused of serious misconduct

The new law stipulates, among other things, that class R will become the new compulsory school starting class and that the prison sentence for parents convicted of intentionally not sending their children to school will be increased from six months to twelve months. (Getty Images/iStock)

Schools will have the power to immediately suspend students accused of serious misconduct without giving them the opportunity to justify why they should not be suspended once the Basic Education Act Amendment (BELA) Bill comes into force.

This emerges from a recent amendment included in the bill, which has been in development for more than eight years.

The bill, which was widely expected to be passed by the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Thursday, has been postponed until May 16 “to allow publication of the amended committee report in the parliamentary announcements document.”