47 of 1953; later renamed the Black Education Act, 1953) was a South African segregation law that legislated for several aspects of the apartheid system.

[3] It is often argued that the policy of Bantu (African) education was aimed to direct black or non-white youth to the unskilled labour market[4] although Hendrik Verwoerd, the Minister of Native Affairs, claimed that the aim was to solve South Africa's "ethnic problems" by creating complementary economic and political units for different ethnic groups.

A particular fear of the National Party that most likely led to the passing of this legislation was the rising number of children (known as tsotsis) joining urban gangs.

The ruling National Party viewed education as having a rather pivotal position in their goal of eventually separating South Africa from the Bantustans entirely.

The Act did not stipulate lesser standards of education for non-whites, but it legislated for the establishment of an advisory board and directed the minister to do so.