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Elements of the Bill of Rights
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The  Bill of Rights, Chapter 2 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (Links to an external site.), 1996, as well as national and provincial education legislation (Links to an external site.), created a rights-based culture in schools and changed the way in which discipline (Links to an external site.) is managed in schools. However, this does not mean that the educator’s hands are tied if he or she faces an extreme case of ill-discipline in the classroom. The law has created a legal context. It is therefore important for principals and educators to know the law relating to school discipline and punishment and to be familiar with legal concepts, principles and procedures so that they can continue building and maintaining effective schools.
Good discipline is one of the key characteristics of an effective school, focusing as it does on the creation and maintenance of a culture of teaching and learning (Joubert and Prinsloo, 2009:106).
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