Comment on ‘school booze bill’ nears end

THE public has just one day left to comment on the proposed education bill that provides for the consumption and sale of booze at schools.

The selling of alcohol at schools is one of several controversial proposed amendments to the Western Cape School Education Amendment Bill, which was approved for processing by the legislature.

In her budget speech two weeks ago, Education MEC Debbie Schäfer said pending finalisation of the bill, they had already piloted one of the amendments – the new School Evaluation Authority – for over a year.

The authority gives MECs scope to establish a body that will independently evaluate schools and develop school evaluation reports.

Other amendments include making provision regarding the consumption and sale of alcohol on school premises or during school activities, subject to conditions, and making provision for goods and services relating to education in the province to be centrally procured.

The new provisions mean that applications for the sale or consumption of liquor on school premises or during school activities have to be sanctioned by the head of department, and the conditions will be subject to any conditions imposed by the Western Cape Liquor Act, 2008.

According to the provincial gazette, comments should be submitted in writing before or on April 11.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga had requested that the brakes be put on buying and selling booze at Western Cape schools until she meets Schäfer.

Schäfer had agreed, saying she would not proceed any further with the legislative process until they had met.

The country’s biggest teacher and education workers’ union, the SA Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu), is finalising its submissions, which take issue with the powers the bill gives an MEC.

Sadtu provincial secretary Jonavon Rustin said they were concerned with many of the points.

“The bill gives the MEC too much power, and it undermines collective bargaining,” Rustin said.

When asked for comment on the bill in its current form, Schäfer’s spokesperson, Jessica Shelver, said: “The MEC responded to this at length when the bill was first published for comment and subsequently to this.”

Schäfer had previously said the key objective of the proposal to allow for the sale of alcohol at schools was to make provision for ”restrictive legislation” around it.