Inside Education Freedom: Edition 3 – 12 September 2025
A regular update from the Pestalozzi Trust on legal, policy, and advocacy developments affecting home education in South Africa.
In early August, during the SAELA (South African Education Law Association) Conference (3–6 August), the Pestalozzi Trust was able to briefly meet the Minister of Basic Education and have lengthier engagements with the Minister’s staff on the direction of education law reform. Our discussion centred on the implications of the BELA Act, the need for a child- centred legal framework, and practical safeguards for families learning outside conventional schooling.
At the conference we also interacted with a wide range of sector stakeholders, such as, the DBE and provincial education department officials, SACE representatives, and other education-rights NGOs. We exchanged views on workable regulation that recognises educational diversity and protects family autonomy.
On the photo above: Karin van Oostrum (Pestalozzi Trust), Minister Siviwe Gwarube, Minister of Basic Education, her official, Christopher Cordeiro (Pestalozzi Trust), Imaad Isaacs (Futures Academy)
Conference contribution: Christopher Cordeiro (Pestalozzi Trust), on the photo below, presented on “The Medium, the Message, and the Law: Rethinking Education Policy for a Digital Future,” arguing for legislation that is fit for new modes of learning while safeguarding constitutional rights.
Justice Zondo’s Message: Quality Education and Community Responsibility
Former Chief Justice Raymond Zondo also addressed the SAELA Conference with a clear message: the constitutional right to basic education must be realised as a right to quality education, and communities have a role in driving improvement. He highlighted education’s power to transform lives and urged the state to meet its obligations under section 29 while tackling persistent inequalities in public schooling. He also called for active community involvement to accelerate real-world change.
The Trust’s takeaway from Former Chief Justice Raymond Zondo’s address was that we must continue to promote the view that home education is the way many families secure quality education for their children and that educational freedom contributes directly to quality education. The system must not impose barriers that undermine quality, dignity, or parental responsibility.
It was an honour to briefly meet Justice Zondo, who led the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture and Corruption.
On the photo: Karin van Oostrum (Pestalozzi Trust), Former Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, Christopher Cordeiro (Pestalozzi Trust)
Awesome. Thank you for representing us at the various levels and events. It will be very interesting to see how AI disrupts education in a way that a child can have an AI “teacher”. This kind of learning will also need to be included in the vast array of other learning models.