NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
QUESTION 292
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 05/08/2011
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 22/2011
Mr S H Plaatjie (COPE â NW) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
Whether her department has any provisions and processes in place to enable
anyone who sought to establish an independent educational institution
online in terms of section 29(3) of the Constitution; if not, why not; if
so, how many virtual schools have already been registered by her department
? CW355E
Reply:
The South African Schools Act makes provision for the establishment of
independent schools subject to the requirements set by the Department of
Basic Education. Independent educational institutions may be established
and maintained at the cost of the owner of the schools as indicated in
Section 29(3) of the Constitution. However, the South African Schools Act
of 1996 does not make provision for the establishment and regulation of
independent schools in the form of virtual schools. Thus, there are no
virtual schools that have been registered by the Department of Basic
Education.