Inside Education covers the latest news, analysis and developments across South Africa's education sector. From higher education policy to classroom innovation, we bring educators, students and parents the stories that matter most.
Gauteng has 405,627 available school places for the 2027 academic year, but the province says a mismatch between where capacity exists and where families want their children to attend is fuelling overcrowding at popular schools.
The Cape Peninsula University of Technology has extended its 2026 academic programme after losing about three weeks of teaching time during a student shutdown, with the revised calendar now expected to run until 14 December.
Nearly half of older learners who leave school before completing Grade 12 are affected by financial pressure or barriers to progression, with a lack of money for fees emerging as the single biggest stated reason for non-attendance among 16 to 18-year-olds.
KwaZulu-Natal has recorded the highest rate of corporal punishment by teachers in South Africa, with 21.1% of learners in the province reporting that they were subjected to physical punishment at school in 2024.
Gauteng Education MEC Lebogang Maile said that school safety cannot be left to government and police alone, calling on parents, School Governing Bodies (SGBs) and educators to take greater responsibility after another round of search-and-seizure operations uncovered more than 120 prohibited items at six schools in the Vaal.
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has maintained the suspension of the new Foundation Phase National Catalogue for Grades 1 to 3, saying the decision is necessary to protect the 2027 academic year while concerns over the procurement process are addressed.
The Santa Shoebox Project has opened its 2026 pledging season, with the children’s charity aiming to deliver festive-season Shoeboxes to more than 80,000 children as it celebrates its 20th anniversary.
The North West Department of Education is again considering reviving the Adopt-a-Cop programme after three schools were damaged by fires within two weeks.
