While EWSETA supports President Cyril Ramaphosa’s call to restore and upgrade critical water infrastructure, we believe water reform is as much a skills issue as a funding one.
South Africa’s spending on education reflects its status as a core development indicator. Allocations to programmes such as school nutrition and Early Childhood Development (ECD), which formally enrols children into education as early as four years old, exceed global benchmarks on education spending.
The start of a new academic year is meant to bring hope and excitement. Instead, for thousands of students across South Africa, it begins with anxiety and uncertainty over one basic necessity — accommodation.
The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) has engaged the University of the Free State (UFS) following the release of a peer-reviewed study identifying endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in various sanitary pads and pantyliners sold in South Africa.
Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela says skills development is central to South Africa’s growth and restoring dignity to previously disadvantaged and vulnerable youth, stressing that it is not a favour but a constitutional mandate of government and its entities.
Premier Panyaza Lesufi has announced the construction of 18 additional schools in Gauteng as the province grapples with a placement crisis that has left about 2,000 learners still without classrooms.
The ANC-led Gauteng Department of Education has shifted the blame for school funding pressures to the DA-led national Department of Basic Education, accusing it of failing to provide relief while allowing what it called misinformation about provincial budget cuts to spread.
Despite broader systemic challenges such as student funding constraints and historic debt, Stellenbosch University and the University of the Western Cape (UWC) are operationally ready for the 2026 academic year.
The Gauteng Department of Education has launched a R240 million school for learners with special needs in Springs, Ekurhuleni, catering for learners with epilepsy, autism and other specialised needs.
