President Cyril Ramaphosa says government is intensifying efforts to expand access to early childhood development (ECD), with around one million children aged three to five still not enrolled in any early learning programme.

Addressing the Bana Pele Leadership Summit at the Galleria Arena and Conference Centre in Sandton on Monday, Ramaphosa said government was committed to lowering the financial barriers preventing poor families from enrolling their children in early learning programmes.

“As government, we are committed to lowering this barrier,” he said, adding that funding for the ECD conditional grant had increased, although too few eligible facilities were benefiting.

Also speaking at the summit, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube said around 1.2 million children aged three to five currently access early learning.

“One million children not accessing any ECD programme is not a statistic we can become comfortable with. It is the distance we still need to cover,” she said.

“So the question before us now is How do we make what is beginning to work, work everywhere?”

Gwarube said the daily ECD subsidy had increased from R17 to R24 per child, with more than 200,000 additional children receiving support over the past two years.

The eCares digital registration system was helping government identify and support early learning programmes, with almost 40,000 programmes registered, she said.

“All spheres of government and sector partners must work together to break down institutional barriers and make registration and support more accessible to ECD practitioners. Expanding access must go hand in hand with quality early learning, a supported workforce and the early identification of children’s developmental needs,” she said.

Ramaphosa said government was accelerating the Bana Pele Mass Registration Drive, launched in 2025, to help centres meet registration requirements and expand access.

According to the President, South Africa has more than 39,000 registered early learning programmes.

Government aims to achieve universal access by 2030 through the Bana Pele Shared Blueprint, which seeks to improve coordination, strengthen data systems and professionalise the sector.

“It is our roadmap to universal access to early childhood development by 2030,” Ramaphosa said.

He cautioned against allowing registration requirements to exclude centres serving poor communities, saying compliance processes should help facilities improve while protecting children’s health and safety.

“Where a centre does not meet the required standards, our first response should be to determine what assistance it needs to become compliant,” he said.

Revised norms and standards for early learning centres were gazetted earlier this year, while Cabinet has approved the Children’s Amendment Bill for submission to Parliament. Ramaphosa said the proposed legislation would simplify rules governing early learning programmes.

The President also emphasised the importance of preparing children for formal schooling through structured literacy and numeracy development.

“Providing childcare is not the same as providing early education,” he said.

He said stronger foundations were needed to address learning gaps that leave millions of children unable to read for meaning by Grade 4.

Referring to the growing influence of artificial intelligence and automation, Ramaphosa said education needed to equip children with skills to navigate a changing world without losing the human interaction essential to their development.

“We must therefore prepare our children not merely to use the technologies of the future, but to think critically, solve problems, communicate effectively and adapt to change,” he said.

Ramaphosa said expanding early learning would also help break the cycle of poverty, support women’s participation in the economy and create jobs for practitioners and those establishing centres.

He said ECD programmes could improve children’s health by providing nutritious meals, supporting vaccination programmes and connecting families to health and social services.

The President urged businesses to increase investment in early childhood development through infrastructure improvements, practitioner training, learning materials, digital resources and support for children from poor households.

“Business can help us accelerate our drive towards universal access by 2030,” he said.

“It is an investment in the workforce of the future,” he said.

Ramaphosa acknowledged the contribution of civil society and donors, including UNICEF, whose support has helped make curriculum packs available in all the country’s official languages. More than 70 non-governmental organisations are also assisting early learning centres with documentation and first-aid training.

He called on municipalities, community organisations, traditional and faith leaders, parents and businesses to support efforts to expand access to quality early education.

“Our Constitution guarantees everyone the right to a basic education,” he said.

“By making early learning the foundation of every child’s education, we are giving effect to that right.”

“Let us make sure that no child falls behind before they even reach school,” he said.

INSIDE EDUCATION

The post Ramaphosa wants faster expansion of ECD appeared first on Inside Education..

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has told South Africans to look beyond the political disputes and crises of the day and focus on reforms that can protect the country’s future by improving what education makes possible for every child.

Addressing the Cape Town Press Club on Monday, Gwarube said meaningful reform required the government to confront institutional weaknesses, protect public money and strengthen education from early childhood rather than relying on the matric pass rate as the main measure of success.

“Our children do not get a second childhood while we put our institutions in order. I came into this office to help change what education makes possible for a child — not simply to manage disputes about it,” Gwarube said.

She said this was the purpose of her “Strong Foundations, Strong Futures” strategy, which seeks to improve learning from the earliest years of a child’s education.

Gwarube said South Africa had made progress, including an 88% national matric pass rate in 2025, but added that this could not obscure deep weaknesses in foundational learning.

“Extra lessons and support for matric learners remain important. But support must begin much earlier. A child who struggles to read will struggle to learn from a textbook. A child who lacks confidence with numbers will find later Mathematics and Science increasingly difficult,” she said.

“I do not believe that a child in a poor community has less potential than a child in a wealthy one. I believe we have a responsibility to stop allowing unequal opportunities to decide how much of that potential is realised.”

She said the reform agenda was built around early childhood development, the Foundation Phase, language and literacy, teacher development, safer schools, infrastructure and stronger governance.

She said the government had registered more than 13,300 early learning centres in 2025, exceeding its target of 10,000, while the subsidy rate had increased from R17 to R24 per funded child per day.

The department was also targeting 10,000 Foundation Phase teachers for focused training in reading, writing and early Mathematics during 2026.

Gwarube said reform also meant confronting the way public money was spent, citing her decision to maintain the suspension of the new Foundation Phase National Catalogue after two final reports by independent investigating firm Rakoma identified serious weaknesses in the process.

The catalogue has been at the centre of controversy over Lighthouse Publishers, a relatively new company that secured a significant share of approved titles. Gwarube acknowledged that the investigation had not substantiated some of the allegations surrounding the process and that the reports recognised strengths in the assessment of learning materials, but said the wider review had also identified serious shortcomings.

The investigation found problems including undisclosed rules around price comparisons and how these would affect the allocation of orders, non-compliance with a compulsory supplier-document requirement and an extension and withdrawal of a submission deadline without the required approval.

The reports also raised potential financial misconduct implications, although Gwarube stressed that this did not amount to a finding of guilt against anyone.

“I chose to act on the findings and recommendations of the investigation reports I have received. I chose to protect public money. I chose to keep preparations for 2027 moving. I will not choose between getting books to children and protecting the integrity of the process. My responsibility is to do both,” she said.

She said preparations for the 2027 school year would continue, with provinces and schools purchasing the materials they needed using the existing catalogue as a reference while the legal implications of the investigation findings were considered.

Gwarube also rejected suggestions that insisting on proper procurement processes amounted to an attack on transformation.

She said she supported a publishing sector where emerging businesses, including black-owned and women-owned companies, had a fair opportunity to compete, but argued that transformation had to extend beyond contracts and reach classrooms.

“Transformation cannot stop at the contract. It must reach the classroom. For me, transformation means that a child in a rural village can receive the same quality of early education as a child in an affluent suburb,” she said.

She said the Government of National Unity also had a role to play in creating the stability needed for long-term reform, arguing that cooperation did not mean avoiding difficult questions.

“Stability is not the absence of difficult questions. It is the confidence that an institution will face them honestly and keep delivering. Addressing a weakness is not an attack on an institution; it is an investment in its future.”

She said the government also needed to measure education outcomes more honestly, with greater attention paid to reading, Mathematics, learner retention and subject performance rather than simply the final matric pass rate.

She highlighted the operationalisation of the National Education and Training Council as part of efforts to build reform that could survive political cycles.

The council has produced four substantial reports containing 33 recommendations covering foundational learning, school resourcing, assessment and progression, and reducing teachers’ administrative burden.

Gwarube said lasting reform would require political leaders to confront vested interests, acknowledge what was not working and remain guided by evidence.

“I did not become Minister to make powerful people comfortable. I became Minister to serve the children of South Africa,” the minister said.

She said the ultimate test of her office should not be how many policies or announcements it produced, but whether those interventions changed what children experienced in classrooms.

“The problems are real. They do not have to be permanent,” Gwarube said.

“Strong foundations. Strong futures. That is the work before us.”

INSIDE EDUCATION

The post Gwarube: education reform must outlast political battles appeared first on Inside Education..

Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube has launched new national guidelines aimed at keeping school toilets safe, clean and dignified, shifting the focus from the eradication of pit toilets to the daily maintenance of water, sanitation, hygiene and menstrual health services in schools.

The National Guidelines for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools (WINS), launched at Welizibuko Primary School on Thursday, are intended to give schools practical, step-by-step guidance on strengthening sanitation and hygiene services while promoting accountability and sustainability across the basic education sector.

Speaking at the launch, Gwarube said poor sanitation continued to affect learners’ health, attendance and academic performance, with girls particularly affected during menstruation.

“Access to safe sanitation is fundamentally a matter of dignity, safety and educational success,” she said.

The guidelines are expected to help schools improve the responsible use and maintenance of facilities, strengthen hygiene practices and support menstrual health management as part of broader efforts to create safer and healthier learning environments.

Gwarube said the department had made significant progress through the Sanitation Appropriate for Education (SAFE) Initiative, with 99.9% of identified pit toilets eradicated. The programme has benefited more than three million learners and over 50,000 teachers by providing safer and more dignified sanitation facilities.

However, she cautioned that removing pit toilets was not the end of the work.

“Eliminating pit toilets is not the end of the journey, but maintaining school infrastructure, promoting responsible use of facilities and strengthening hygiene practices are critical to ensuring that schools remain safe, healthy and conducive to learning,” she said.

The Minister called on schools, provincial education departments, communities and learners to work together to protect and maintain sanitation infrastructure, saying the success of the WINS programme would depend on long-term behavioural change and the promotion of a culture of hygiene in schools.

The guidelines draw on lessons from the implementation of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Three-Star Approach in schools across Gauteng and the Eastern Cape.

According to the department, the WINS Guidelines are expected to strengthen service delivery in schools while helping create healthier learning environments that support learner development and academic achievement.

INSIDE EDUCATION

The post Gwarube pushes school hygiene overhaul beyond pit toilet eradication appeared first on Inside Education..

Stronger partnerships with business, civil society and development organisations are needed to ensure menstruation does not prevent girls from attending school or participating fully in education.

This was according to Deputy Minister of Basic Education Dr Reginah Mhaule, who made the remarks at the Menstrual Hygiene Gala Dinner this weekend.

“Menstrual dignity is fundamentally linked to educational access, learner wellbeing and gender equality. By working together, we are not only addressing immediate needs but also creating conditions that enable young women and girls to participate fully in education and realise their potential,” she said.

Mhaule said no girl learner should be denied “her right to education, dignity and opportunity as a result of menstruation”.

The event recognised the role of partners including the Development Bank of Southern Africa, Premier FMCG, Lil-Lets, the Baithudi Mampane Foundation, UNICEF, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, provincial education departments, development partners and civil society organisations in supporting access to menstrual hygiene products and services for learners.

“Achieving menstrual dignity is not a responsibility that government can fulfil alone. The progress we are witnessing today is a direct result of meaningful collaboration between government, business, civil society and development partners who have committed themselves to ensuring that every girl learner can attend school with confidence, dignity and pride,” said Mhaule.

The department said the Sanitary Dignity Programme and related interventions had helped expand access to menstrual hygiene products, support awareness and advocacy initiatives, reduce stigma, and create safer and more supportive learning environments for girls.

Mhaule said the event reflected a national commitment to tackling period poverty and keeping menstrual health within efforts to improve learner wellbeing, educational outcomes and gender equality.

“The future looks bright for this important government-led initiative. The strength of the partnerships that have been forged demonstrates what is possible when the public and private sectors work together in pursuit of a common goal. Together, we are moving closer to a South Africa where menstrual dignity is a lived reality for every girl learner.”

The department said it remained encouraged by the momentum built through these partnerships and was confident that continued collaboration would accelerate progress towards universal access to menstrual health and hygiene support in schools.

INSIDE EDUCATION

The post WATCH: Menstrual dignity key to keeping girls in school, says Mhaule appeared first on Inside Education..

Professor Thabo Msibi has been appointed chairperson of the seventh Umalusi Council.

Msibi, UKZN’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Teaching and Learning, was appointed by Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube for a four-year term from 8 June 2026 to 7 June 2030.

Umalusi oversees the development and management of qualifications within the General and Further Education and Training Qualifications Sub-Framework.

Msibi, a professor of Curriculum Studies in UKZN’s School of Education, previously served as a member of the Umalusi Council. He now assumes the council’s highest leadership position.

“I am deeply honoured by my appointment as Chairperson of the Umalusi Council and grateful for the confidence placed in me to serve in this important national role. Umalusi plays a vital role in safeguarding the quality, credibility, and integrity of South Africa’s education system,” Msibi said.

“I look forward to working with Council members, leadership, and stakeholders across the sector to advance its mandate and contribute to the strengthening of quality education. This is both a privilege and a responsibility, and I am committed to serving with dedication, integrity, and purpose.”

His appointment adds to a record of academic and institutional leadership. He previously served as Dean and Head of the School of Education at UKZN, becoming the youngest dean in South Africa at the time of his appointment. He was also the youngest executive member of the South African Comparative and History of Education Society.

A UKZN alumnus, Msibi obtained both his Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Education Honours degrees from the university. He completed a Master of Education degree at Teachers College, Columbia University, and later earned a PhD in Education from the University of Cambridge.

Msibi is an NRF P-rated researcher and the first Black South African education scholar to receive the National Research Foundation’s P-rating, often referred to as the President’s Award. The rating recognises exceptional researchers who demonstrate outstanding potential to become future leaders in their fields.

His research has been published in South African and international journals and books. He is the author of Hidden Sexualities of South African Teachers: Black Male Educators and Same-Sex Desire and co-editor of Gender, Sexuality and Violence in South African Educational Spaces.

He also serves as an associate editor of The Oxford Encyclopedia of Gender and Sexuality in Education and sits on the editorial boards of several academic journals, including Perspectives in Education, Alternation, Transformation in Higher Education and the International Journal of Critical Diversity Studies.

Msibi also founded a debating league aimed at bridging the divide between township and urban schools and strengthening English language proficiency among township learners. He later established the Community Development Association, a national organisation focused on youth-driven education and leadership development programmes.

UKZN congratulated Msibi on the appointment, with its Executive Director for Corporate Relations, Dr Normah Zondo, saying his appointment was a fitting recognition of his contribution to education and leadership in South Africa.

“Throughout his career, he has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to educational excellence and social justice. We are immensely proud that he is contributing to shaping the future of quality assurance and standards in South African education at a national level,” Zondo said.

INSIDE EDUCATION

The post Education scholar Thabo Msibi appointed to lead Umalusi appeared first on Inside Education..

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube this week announced a package of education reforms while tabling the Department of Basic Education’s 2026/27 budget.

Among the announcements was confirmation that ECD centre registrations had grown by 200% since 2021, expanding access to 1.2 million children across South Africa.

Gwarube also announced an ECD Nutrition Pilot in the Eastern Cape, aimed at tackling child hunger, malnutrition and stunting during the early years of development.

The department will also develop national screen-time guidelines for children aged two to six, amid concerns about the effect of excessive exposure to phones and tablets on language, memory, attention span and social development.

In a major legislative development, Gwarube said the Children’s Amendment Bill had been approved by Cabinet and would now go to Parliament.

“The Bill is critical to unlocking a more efficient, child-centred ECD system so that vulnerable children are not excluded from support because of unnecessary red tape,” Gwarube said.

She also announced the establishment of a Multi-Disciplinary Technical Support Team to help provincial education departments facing severe financial pressure return to sustainable financial paths.

The team will support provinces with budget planning, financial analysis, school resourcing and financial stabilisation to protect classroom delivery and improve governance.

On foundational learning, Gwarube said 10,000 Foundation Phase teachers would receive targeted literacy and numeracy training in 2026/27. The department will also refresh the implementation of the National Reading Literacy Strategy.

Gwarube said the department would issue directives to schools to cut the number of reporting tools teachers were required to complete.

“We are reducing the administrative burden on teachers, educators must spend more time teaching children and less time filling in unnecessary paperwork” she said.

In one of the most significant changes, Gwarube said the department would begin ranking provincial matric performance using an inclusive basket of quality indicators, rather than allowing a single matric pass-rate percentage to dominate the national conversation.

The new approach will consider learner retention, bachelor passes, literacy and numeracy progression, mathematics participation and overall learning improvement.

The minister also announced that the department would launch an independent external forensic investigation into the Foundation Phase National Catalogue process.

On funding, Gwarube said the department had been allocated R38.2 billion for the 2026/27 financial year, despite fiscal constraints. This includes R32.7 billion in conditional grants, R11 billion for the National School Nutrition Programme, R16 billion for the Education Infrastructure Grant, and R4.6 billion for the Early Childhood Development Grant.

“We must build strong foundations for strong futures. The future of South Africa depends on the quality of education we provide to every child today,” Gwarube said.

INSIDE EDUCATION

The post Here are the major reforms Gwarube announced during DBE budget vote appeared first on Inside Education..

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has called for stronger education systems across Africa, saying technology and artificial intelligence cannot replace basic literacy and numeracy skills.

Speaking at the Education World Forum 2026 in London, Gwarube highlighted South Africa’s efforts to strengthen foundational learning and expand Early Childhood Development (ECD) programmes.

“South Africa is investing R10 billion over three years to expand Early Childhood Development, and a further R496 million to create 115 000 ECD spaces in three of our most rural provinces of Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. These investments signify our commitment to children whose futures should not be determined by the circumstances of their birth,” she said.

“As a country we can be proud of the strategic shift we have made towards strengthening the foundations of learning.”

The R496 million allocation is linked to an outcomes-based early childhood development fund aimed at expanding access to early learning in Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.

The Education World Forum is being held in London from 17 to 20 May under the theme “Educating for a Shared Future: Peace, Planet, Purpose and Pathways”. The forum brings together education ministers, policymakers and education sector leaders to discuss the future of global education systems.

Gwarube said South Africa had made a strategic shift towards prioritising foundational learning for the country’s 13.7 million learners.

“Strong futures require strong foundations,” she said.

She said the issue was particularly important for Africa, which has the youngest population in the world, making education critical to turning demographic growth into economic opportunity.

“If Africa is to rise, Africa’s children must rise first,” she said.

Referring to South Africa’s literacy crisis, Gwarube said about eight in 10 children could not read for meaning by the age of 10.

She described this as more than a literacy challenge, calling it a “future-readiness crisis” that affected learners’ ability to succeed in gateway subjects such as Mathematics, Science and Technology.

“When a child cannot read for meaning, every subject becomes difficult and opportunities become limited,” she said.

While many countries were discussing artificial intelligence, automation and the future digital economy, Gwarube said governments had to recognise that meaningful innovation could not happen without strong educational foundations.

“No country can build a high-tech economy on weak educational foundations,” she said.

“No country can leapfrog literacy, and no country can automate its way around numeracy.”

Gwarube said the future economy would require children who could think critically, solve problems, adapt and create, rather than learners who only knew how to operate technology.

She posed what she described as an urgent question for learners facing the future: “Will I be able to read well enough to participate in that future at all?”

INSIDE EDUCATION

The post Gwarube: AI can’t replace basic learning appeared first on Inside Education..

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has called for urgent and sustained investment in early childhood development (ECD), saying that South Africa and the region risk entrenching inequality before children enter formal schooling.

Gwarube was speaking at the Southern and East Africa Regional Childcare Conference in Johannesburg this week, convened by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the World Bank to discuss access to affordable, quality childcare and early learning across the region.

The conference comes as government moves to expand access to ECD services through centre registration, increased subsidies and partnerships with the private sector and philanthropic organisations.

The department said government had exceeded its target of registering 10,000 ECD centres by the end of 2025, with more than 13,300 centres registered through the Bana Pele drive.

It has also set aside R10 billion over three years to support ECD subsidies, including an increase in the subsidy from R17 to R24 per child per day.

Gwarube said investment in early learning was critical to improving education outcomes, advancing gender equality and supporting long-term economic growth.

The conference heard that inequalities in education often begin long before children enter Grade 1.

“She illustrated this through the contrasting experiences of two children, one who benefited from early learning and support, and another who did not, highlighting that disparities in opportunity, not ability, determine educational success,” the DBE said.

Gwarube pointed to research showing that many children are not developmentally on track by the time they reach school-going age, while poor nutrition and stunting continue to undermine children’s ability to learn and thrive.

“Learning does not begin in Grade 1. It begins in the earliest years of a child’s life,” Gwarube said.

“If we fail to act during this critical window, we entrench inequality before formal education even begins.”

She also highlighted government’s work with private-sector and philanthropic partners through a R496 million Early Childhood Care and Education Outcomes Fund, aimed at expanding access to quality childcare in underserved communities, including rural areas.

The fund is expected to support the creation of more than 115,000 new ECD spaces in KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and Limpopo.

Gwarube said childcare should be treated not only as a social priority, but also as an economic necessity, particularly because affordable and reliable childcare enables more women to enter and remain in the workforce.

The conference also focused on regional cooperation, with countries in Southern and East Africa expected to share best practice, improve quality standards and explore scalable models for childcare provision.

While Africa’s young population presents a major demographic opportunity, Gwarube warned that this potential would only be realised if governments and partners invest deliberately in children’s earliest years.

“The measure of our success must be the number of children who arrive at school ready to learn, to thrive, and to succeed,” she said.

She asked governments, development partners, civil society and the private sector to move beyond commitments and take practical steps to expand access to quality early learning and childcare.

INSIDE EDUCATION

The post Gwarube again calls for urgent, sustained ECD investment appeared first on Inside Education..

The assault case against six Milnerton High School learners who are not minors was postponed to March on Tuesday to allow prosecutors to finalise outstanding investigations, the National Prosecuting Authority said.

NPA Western Cape spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the case against the six learners was postponed to March 11, while two other accused who are minors will be dealt with in the children’s court.

ALSO READ: Universities hold the key to early learning turnaround, Manamela tells Lekgotla

“The consultation with the victims and downloading of photographs are still outstanding. Their bail has been extended and their bail conditions remain the same,” Ntabazalila said.

The case against the minors had also been postponed, he said. One minor was expected back in court on February 6, and the other on March 11. “Both cases are postponed for further investigation,” he said.

None of the accused can be named, as per a court order.

Bail of R2000 was extended for all of the accused, who are currently being schooled online.

ALSO READ: Eleven school children killed in Vanderbijlpark crash

The case follows widespread public outrage after a video circulated on social media in October last year showing a 16-year-old Grade 10 pupil being struck with a belt, hosepipe and a stick or hockey stick while other pupils looked on and filmed the assault.

The Western Cape Education Department said at the time that the school had identified eight learners and that the School Governing Body approved their precautionary suspension pending formal disciplinary hearings.  

INSIDE EDUCATION  

The post Milnerton assault case postponed for victim consultation appeared first on Inside Education..

South Africa’s failure to get children reading and counting in the early years amounts to a “national emergency” that threatens the country’s future, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube warned as the 2026 Basic Education Sector Lekgotla started on Tuesday in Gauteng.

The three-day gathering has brought together national and provincial education authorities, teacher unions, education bodies and development partners to reflect on system performance and set priorities for the year ahead. 

ALSO READ: Hybrid learning urged as public universities hit limits on first-year intake

Gwarube used her opening address to shift the spotlight away from end-of-school results and to what she said was the weakest point in the education system — early learning.

She said persistent literacy and numeracy failures in the foundation phase continue to shape poor learning outcomes, learner dropout, and limited access to science, mathematics and technical subjects later in the system.

“This is not merely an education challenge. It is a national emergency that demands urgent and decisive action,” Gwarube said.

At the start of her address, the minister also paid tribute to the 14 learners who died in a road accident in Gauteng on Monday, describing the loss of young lives so early in the school year as “incredibly heart-breaking” and saying it had “shaken me to the core”.

ALSO READ: Eleven school children killed in Vanderbijlpark crash

She that improved matric results, including the strong performance of the class of 2025, should not mask deep structural problems at the start of the schooling journey. 

“You don’t create a matric pass rate in matric,” she said, adding that learning outcomes are determined “far beyond when children get to matric”.

Gwarube called for a shift that fully embeds early learning from birth to age nine within the basic education system, with particular emphasis on Grade R to Grade 3 as the foundation for reading, numeracy and critical thinking.

“If we fail our children during this critical period, we fail them throughout the education journey,” she told delegates.

She also outlined plans to strengthen inclusive education, expand mother tongue-based bilingual learning, review teacher post-provisioning norms and improve school safety and learner wellbeing.

ALSO READ: Vanderbijlpark scholar crash death toll rises to 14, driver previously reprimanded for reckless driving

“Quality early learning is not optional. It is the cornerstone of lifelong achievement,” the minister said.

The Lekgotla is expected to conclude on Thursday, with discussions aimed at translating policy commitments into practical interventions to strengthen foundational learning and stabilise the education system.

INSIDE EDUCATION

The post Early learning crisis in spotlight as Basic Education Lekgotla gets underway appeared first on Inside Education..

Basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube said on Monday that many pupils are failing to reach reading-fluency levels needed to read with comprehension by Grade 4.

Gwarube made the comments while launching the Funda Uphumelele National Survey (FUNS).

She said the baseline will, for the first time, measure across all 11 official languages the share of Grade 1–3 learners meeting language-specific fluency targets.

The benchmarks cover letter-sound recognition at the end of Grade 1 and oral reading fluency at the end of Grades 2 and 3, developed “language by language” over about six years, she said.

Gwarube said the results confirm “serious challenges in the early grades” but provide a clearer diagnosis of underlying skills such as phonemic awareness, vocabulary, and letter-sound association that enable comprehension.

“We are not measuring for the sake of measuring,” she said. “The value of good data: it gives us the power to act intelligently, not blindly.”

The minister said the survey emphasises home-language instruction because children “learn to read most effectively in the language they understand best,” adding that strong foundations make it easier to build bilingual proficiency, typically with English as a First Additional Language.

The department is “rolling out Mother Tongue-based Bilingual Education in Grades 4 and beyond,” she said.

According to Gwarube, the data will be used at three levels: to track progress nationally, provincially and by language; to strengthen accountability and support through district offices and school management using new, language-appropriate assessments; and in classrooms, where teachers will run diagnostic checks and target remediation.

She said the assessment instruments were developed by linguists and researchers from universities nationwide with department officials, and thanked philanthropic and multilateral partners that financed the work. “Today’s launch is not just the release of a report. It is a call to refocus our attention,” she said.

“We want all children to read with understanding by the end of Grade 3,” Gwarube said.

“When we conduct the next round of Funda Uphumelele, I am confident that we can see progress… in the daily experience of children who can now open a book and make sense of the world around them.”

INSIDE EDUCATION

The post Early-reading survey launched as Gwarube warns many pupils miss benchmarks appeared first on Inside Education..

KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) education authorities have ordered an urgent investigation into allegations that teachers at Thubalethu Secondary School in Pinetown molested female pupils, in a case that has triggered national concern over rising reports of sexual abuse in South Africa’s schools.

Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka said he is “outraged” at the reports and ordered immediate action.

“Any acts of abuse or misconduct by educators fundamentally undermine the trust, care, and responsibility that define the teaching profession,” he said.

The department condemned the alleged conduct as “abhorrent behaviour”, adding: “The protection, safety, and well-being of learners remain our highest priority.” 

“Investigators will be deployed to the school to establish the facts, strengthen accountability and ensure those guilty, face the law and disciplinary processes. As the department, we will not sit idle while the integrity of our schools is compromised and the safety of our learners is threatened,” Hlomuka said.

He emphasised that schools should be “a centre of learning, care, and growth – not places of fear”. 

The department urged pupils, parents, teachers and community members to report abuse through official channels or directly to police.

“The department will not tolerate any violation of learners’ rights. Any educator who exploits their position of trust will be removed from the system and subjected to criminal prosecution without hesitation,” it said.

The allegations come against a backdrop of mounting national concern.

The Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) said it received 114 cases of sexual misconduct in schools in the past year, with 39 teachers found guilty. ELRC spokesperson Bernice Loxton urged the government to act firmly.

Other recent cases include the suspension of a principal and three teachers at Tiyelelani Secondary School in Soshanguve in September 2025, and allegations in the Northern Cape where pupils at Bothithong High School were allegedly given stipends by teachers in exchange for unprotected sex. 

Equal Education and other groups also expressed outrage, saying the incidents reflect a wider pattern.

Sexual violence in schools has been described by UNICEF and advocacy groups as systemic. A seven-year-old girl’s alleged sexual abuse at Bergville College in the Eastern Cape earlier this year sparked nationwide protests.

Union voices echoed the call for accountability.

“We don’t support such behaviour. Let those allegations be investigated and the law should take its course. This act is an illegal, criminal act and unprofessional. We are a union representing teachers, we don’t condone such,” said South African Democratic Teachers Union spokesperson, Nomusa Cembi.

Data from the South African Council for Educators (SACE) showed 111 cases of sexual abuse referred in 2024/25, up from 82 the previous year. KwaZulu-Natal led with 25 cases, followed by Eastern Cape and Free State reporting 12 cases, respectively.

Childline CEO Dumisile Cele called for guilty teachers to be placed on the Child Protection Register.

“Teachers found guilty of such atrocities should have their names added to the Register within the Children’s Act,” said Cele. 

Education officials have said measures are in place to tackle the scourge.

Western Cape Education MEC David Maynier’s office reported seven sexual assault cases in 2024/25, down from 15 the year before, with six teachers dismissed and one suspended without pay.

National crime statistics reflect the wider challenge. SAPS recorded 80 rapes at educational institutions between January and March 2025, with 54 victims being learners. Overall, 13,452 sexual offences were reported nationally during the period.

KZN education spokesperson Mlungisi Mtshali said the province treats such cases with urgency.

“That’s why we must not make a mistake in this issue. When we charge the perpetrator, we must have all the information at hand. We can only suspend educators for three months while we investigate the matter,” he said.

He added that the department has a dedicated unit, including external investigators and social workers, to handle complaints.

“We are ensuring the school environment is enabling, supportive and offers a safe space for learners, educators and school staff,” Mtshali said.

INSIDE EDUCATION

The post KZN education probe launched as authorities battle sexual abuse in schools  appeared first on Inside Education..

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng has called for urgent empowerment of social workers, health workers, and caregivers to report cases of statutory rape, as alarming new statistics reveal that tens of thousands of school-age girls in the province fell pregnant in 2024. 

DA Gauteng leader and official opposition leader Solly Msimanga said the figures underscored a growing crisis of child sexual abuse and statutory rape that is being ignored by authorities and too often normalised in communities. 

“Statutory rape is a serious violation, and men who commit such a crime inflict lasting harm on a vulnerable individual. The failure by law enforcement agencies to take action against men who commit this offense is deeply troubling, as it compromises the principles of consent and respect, leaving young girls vulnerable to predatory individuals who have lost all sense of morality,” Msimanga said. 

According to data disclosed by Gauteng Health and Wellness MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko in the provincial legislature, 23,691 pregnancies were recorded among girls between the ages of 10 and 19, last year. 

Of these, 18,851 resulted in deliveries at public health facilities, while 4,840 were terminated. Disturbingly, 521 of these pregnancies involved girls between the ages of 10 and 14.

While pregnancies among learners are rising, police reports of child rape and statutory rape are falling.

Gauteng’s Clinical Forensic Medical Services and Thuthuzela Care Centres recorded 474 cases reported to the South African Police Service in 2022/23, 257 cases in 2023/24, and just 242 between April and December 2024. 

Msimanga said the discrepancy pointed to a breakdown in enforcement of Section 110 of the Children’s Act of 2005, which obliges teachers, healthcare workers, social workers, and caregivers to report suspicions or evidence of child sexual abuse. 

“The failure to act enables predators to continue abusing children, while families are sometimes bribed into silence. This not only protects perpetrators but entrenches a culture of impunity,” he said. 

The Gauteng Health Department’s statistics highlight that the problem cuts across the province. 

Johannesburg recorded 7,245 cases of teenage pregnancy, followed closely by Ekurhuleni with 6,893, and Tshwane with 5,752. The West Rand and Sedibeng recorded 2,014 and 1,787 respectively.

The DA has requested further data on which schools reported the highest numbers of learner pregnancies and how many girls who gave birth managed to return to school. 

However, Inside Education reached out to the Gauteng Education Department who admitted it does not keep such records. 

Msimanga cautioned that poverty and inequality fuel the problem, with transactional sex between older men and vulnerable girls increasingly common. 

In some cases, families accept money or goods in exchange for silence.

The DA is demanding that the provincial departments of Education, Health, Social Development, and Community Safety collaborate more effectively to equip and empower social workers, health professionals, and caregivers to report statutory rape to SAPS; ensure all reported cases are promptly investigated and prosecuted; provide education to girls that reinforces their right to refuse unwanted sexual advances, even from adults in positions of authority; and strengthen partnerships with parents and community leaders to create safe environments for children. 

Msimanga added that the DA will also push for answers on the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections and HIV among the affected age group. 

The DA’s Gauteng intervention is part of a broader national probe into the child pregnancy crisis.

DA Social Development spokesperson Alexandra Abrahams recently revealed that in the Eastern Cape, 117 girls between the ages of 10 and 14 gave birth between April and July 2025, while 4,752 teenagers aged 15 to 19 delivered babies during the same period.

“These figures are only the tip of the iceberg. Pregnancies that end in termination or miscarriage, or those that go unreported, make the true scale far greater,” Abrahams said.

The DA cited the reported drugging and sexual assault of learners from Khomani Primary School in Diepkloof earlier this year as proof that some incidents occur beyond the direct oversight of teachers and parents. 

Msimanga said a DA-led administration would ensure that professionals are trained to enforce the Children’s Act, statutory rape cases are properly investigated and prosecuted, and schools are staffed only with vetted teachers and officials.

INSIDE EDUCATION

The post DA demands empowered social workers as Gauteng learner pregnancies escalate appeared first on Inside Education..

The Gauteng Education Department has moved to put contingency measures in place for matriculants affected by ongoing water outages and protest disruptions in the communities of Westbury and Coronationville.

Department spokesperson Steve Mabona confirmed that while water tankers and JoJo tanks had been deployed to affected schools, the prolonged lack of supply has stretched the system to breaking point. 

“We have tanks, JoJo tanks, in our schools. When we have water, we then fill up those tanks. But if, on a continuous basis, there’s no water, we will then be depleted,” he said. 

The outages, which have sparked days of unrest, left teaching schedules in disarray and raised concerns about the impact on learners preparing for crucial final examinations.

Mabona said the department’s immediate focus was on protecting the academic progress of Grade 12 learners. 

“The only challenge in Coronationville is that we have those that are coming from outside those areas. Now the arrangement is that especially the Grade 12s, they are writing at the neighbouring schools. We’ve made those arrangements for them to continue to write,” he said.

Protests erupted earlier this week, with residents demanding urgent intervention to restore water services.

Several community members sustained rubber bullet injuries on Wednesday when demonstrations turned violent.

The unrest has prevented some learners from outside the affected communities from reaching their schools, further disrupting teaching and learning. 

“In that entire area, our schooling is not normal. The lower grades cannot access schools unless they live within walking distance. Grade 12s have been our main concern, and we’ve ensured their preparatory examinations continue without major interruptions,” Mabona stressed. 

Similar arrangements have been implemented in Ebony Park, where many learners are walking to schools. Principals are collecting examination papers from distribution points to ensure assessments go ahead. 

The water outages in Westbury and Coronationville have also cast a spotlight on broader service delivery and infrastructure issues affecting schools across the province. 

In The Vaal, learners at the newly opened Tsepong Secondary School have reportedly been attending classes for only three hours daily due to water and sanitation challenges.

Mabona acknowledged the difficulties but assured the public that the matter had been resolved. 

“Yes, indeed, we are aware. The challenge was with the municipality, because we made a payment in January already. But there were problems of locating the transaction. There’s now confirmation that the municipality has received the money, and workers are on site connecting the school to park services for water and electricity,” he said.

 Asked whether such problems pointed to systemic weaknesses in municipal payments and service connections, Mabona said schools generally receive allocations to pay for services directly. 

“In this instance, because it was a new establishment, the department had to apply for the connection. But in all other schools, we provide them with their allocation to pay municipal services. Where challenges arise, we engage municipalities directly and make interim arrangements,” he said.

While the department is working to mitigate the immediate impact of the outages on matriculants, concerns remain about the long-term disruption to teaching. 

Civil society groups have warned that if the crisis persists, it could compromise curriculum coverage, particularly for younger grades who are not part of examination contingency plans.

The department has urged calm and appealed for constructive dialogue between residents, municipalities, and education authorities.

INSIDE EDUCATION

The post Gauteng education to assist matriculants disrupted by water outages in Westbury, Coronationville appeared first on Inside Education..

The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Thursday launched a national investigation into rising cases of statutory rape and child pregnancies, saying provincial governments must be held accountable for tackling the issue.

The move followed DA Federal Council chairperson Helen Zille’s attendance at a bail hearing in the Bronkhorstspruit Magistrate’s Court for a 53-year-old deputy principal accused of repeatedly raping an eight-year-old girl at his primary school.

The party announced in October last year that according to a response to a parliamentary question, Over 106 000 rape cases and 22,000 sexual assault cases involving children were reported over the last six financial years.

Zille said the campaign would examine whether provincial departments were meeting their obligations under the Children’s Act, which seeks to ensure that perpetrators of rape and statutory rape face prosecution.

Zille urged community members to report suspected abuse.

“The DA will not allow the rape of children to become normalised in South Africa,” she said. “We urge all people who suspect incidents of abuse to report the matter as they are required to do, to the relevant authorities.”

Zille said some community members had raised concerns that perpetrators often pay victims to remain silent. “We are aware that perpetrators often buy the silence of victims and their families to cover up their crimes. Those who succumb to such bribery and extortion are equally guilty of a crime,” she said.

The DA said it would push for psycho-social support for victims. “The DA will seek to ensure that the victims of such abuse get the psycho-social support which they need to heal to the greatest extent possible,” Zille added.

“The alleged perpetrator has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty,” she said, “but the fact that suspects in child rape cases make it into court is an important step in the accountability chain.”

INSIDE EDUCATION

The post DA launches national investigation into statutory rape, child pregnancies appeared first on Inside Education..

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has urged a renewed national focus on early childhood development (ECD), warning that South Africa’s long-term educational success depends on the foundations laid in pre-school years.

Speaking at the launch of the 2024 Thrive by Five Index in Sandton on Monday, Gwarube said the findings provide both a sobering reality check and a roadmap for urgent action

“Literacy does not begin when a child learns to read in Grade 1. It begins in the preschool years, in the way a child holds a pencil, in the stories they hear, and in their earliest attempts at writing. If the beginning of the story is weak, the chapters that follow will always be harder to write,” she said.

The Thrive by Five Index, conducted by DataDrive2030 in partnership with the department, assessed more than 5 000 four-year-old children across 1 388 early learning programmes (ELPs) nationwide.

It is the largest survey of its kind on the continent and the first comprehensive post-COVID snapshot of pre-school development.

Gwarube stressed that the availability of high-quality data was crucial to shaping education policy.

“The 2021 Index confirmed the correlation between poverty and poor outcomes, and the 2024 Index reinforces this. That clarity has guided us to double our efforts in making the case for investing in the early years. The R10 billion for ECD support announced by the Minister of Finance [Enoch Godongwana] shows that we are on the right course,” she said.

One of the most striking findings was the stark inequality between high- and low-fee preschools.

Only 42% of enrolled children were found to be developmentally on track, with those in well-resourced centres twice as likely to thrive as those in underfunded programmes.

Fine motor coordination and visual motor integration emerged as the weakest domain, with just 29% of children on track, undermining the ability to transition into reading and writing in primary school.

The minister highlighted another critical challenge: the home environment.

Among enrolled children, only 11% of households had more than five children’s books, while 26% had none. For non-enrolled children, the figure rose to 77%.

To address the gap, the department has partnered with UNICEF and Book Dash to create Stories for Joy, a multilingual collection of storybooks that will be made freely available online.

Gwarube underlined that early childhood development is not only about education but also about health, nutrition, and safe communities.

She outlined four areas of government’s commitment.

In terms of finance and investment, she said it remained important to make subsidies predictable and remove barriers for the poorest children.

In order to facilitate empowering practitioners, the department is planning on investing in training and strengthening pedagogical practices.

Gwarube called for integrated services by partnering with health departments and supporting parents.

Lastly, she emphasised strengthening Grade R and ensuring it bridges gaps for those who start behind and builds on strengths for others.

“The Thrive by Five Index is not just a measure, it is a movement to ensure every child starts school ready to learn, to grow, and to thrive. By 2030, no child should be left behind because of where they were born or how much their parents earn,” she concluded.

DataDrive2030 Executive Director Sonja Glese presented the findings with a stark demonstration: attendees were asked to stand according to colour coded dots representing children on track, falling behind, or far behind.

Most stood in the “falling behind” categories.

Glese highlighted three key obstacles: nutrition, programme quality, and access.

While stunting among enrolled children stood at 7%, she warned that even mild malnutrition can set children back by months of learning.

She also revealed that only 27% of ELPs were rated good, while 30% were inadequate, with strong teaching strategies present in just 17%.

“ECD qualifications alone are not enough, we need to focus on what truly matters in the classroom: curiosity-driven, interactive teaching,” Glese said.

The plight of non-enrolled children was particularly alarming. Only 18% were on track, while more than half were far behind. Most lived in homes with no books and had never been read to.

Despite the challenges, Glese struck a note of optimism.

“We have evidence that poor outcomes for poor children are not inevitable. Some children in difficult circumstances do exceptionally well, showing us what is possible. If we make this a national priority, we can change their story,” she said.

The Thrive by Five Index is set to be repeated every three years until 2030, providing an evolving picture of South Africa’s progress.

Both Gwarube and Glese framed the Index as a rallying point for collective action across government, civil society, and families.

INSIDE EDUCATION

The post Gwarube launches Thrive by Five Index, calls for urgent action to strengthen early learning foundations appeared first on Inside Education..

Interventions aimed at improving teacher education and development in South Africa  – particularly concerning the teaching of languages and mathematics – are beginning to pay dividends.

This message emerged from an entity involved in teacher education at Universities South Africa’s Education Deans’ Forum (EDF) meeting on 15 August.

The Primary Teacher Education (PrimTEd) project began as an initiative of the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). It is part of the Teaching and Learning Development Capacity Improvement Programme (TLDCIP) that covers areas of primary teacher education.

Since 2016, PrimTEd has assessed standards for measuring Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes for primary school teachers’ English and mathematics levels and abilities. It also tracked their development by testing both first-year and fourth-year students. It has now been expanded to measure student teachers’ knowledge in foundation phase literacy in IsiXhosa, Sepedi and English as a First Additional Language (EFAL).

The project also facilitates communities of practice (CoP) among lecturers from the 20 public and private universities involved in PrimTEd, to garner their support and inputs in the design and uptake of these assessments. Lecturers engage in research, standard setting, item writing, and collaborative dialogue based on research outputs produced by colleagues across all participating universities.

Professor Maureen Robinson who currently works for the educational consultancy, Kellelo, was previously a Dean of Education at Stellenbosch University for five years, and for 10 other years served the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) in a similar capacity. She reported to the EDF on the progress that PrimTEd has made to date.

isiXhosa and Sepedi glossaries

She said PrimTed had developed isiXhosa and Sepedi glossaries to standardise the languages, and to enable quality assurance and testing. “Extensive piloting of the (updated) maths and English test and pre-piloting of isiXhosa and Sepedi has been done. If you are going to create a benchmark test across universities, you want to be very confident that the testing is valid and that the resulting information is useful. It’s been an intense and long process developing and checking these tests, which included Rasch analysis,” she said.

Professor Robinson dealt with the nuances between Home Language (HL) Knowledge and HL Practice: “It’s not just about what English, Sepedi, isiXhosa or maths content student teachers know; it’s also about what they know about the teaching of these subjects. This takes into consideration the pedagogy, the theory and practice of teaching that subject. That’s really what these tests are aimed at.”

She urged deans to encourage their maths and language staff to join the CoP meetings and administer PrimTEd testing at their universities.

Maths pilot testing

Her colleague, Dr Qetelo Moloi, a Quantitative Analysis Expert at Kelello, shared some of the findings of the PrimTEd maths pilot testing that has taken place.

He said that between 2016 and 2022 they used what they now refer to as PrimTEd 2.0, which has now been changed to PrimTEd 3.0.

“We have developed a standard that can be used across the institutions of higher learning, and this is not only about content. The process is now at the stage where we have piloted more than 500 items of maths with standards attached to them”

“We have tested more than 3000 first-year students and more than 1000 in year four. It is worth noting that there is good progress from first to fourth year – evidence that students improve their performance as they progress through their degree. We also have fewer students functioning at the basic level and more functioning at a higher level of competency– evidence that the interventions in place are bearing fruit.”

Key changes to ISPFTED

Mr Haroon Mahomed, Executive Manager: Teacher Education and Development (TED) Policy and Planning, updated the EDF members on the status of the Integrated Strategic Planning Framework for Teacher Education and Development (ISPFTED), currently being revised. He also updated them on the National Policy Framework for Teacher Education and Development (NPTED).

According to Mahomed, TED policy in South Africa is guided by ISPFTED. It aims to improve the quality of teaching and learning in schools by enhancing teacher education and development opportunities. It focuses on improving access to quality education and development for both current and prospective teachers. 

The first TED summit took place in 2009, and ISPFTED was launched in 2011. The second TED summit, held at the end of 2021, developed resolutions in six key areas, namely,  teacher standards and professionalism, teacher recruitment and retention, teacher education, system deployment, career paths and accountability.

The 2011 ISPFTED framework, Mahomed said, laid the groundwork by outlining strategies for teacher development, recruitment and professionalisation. It has been undergoing revision since the 2021 TED Summit, and this 2025 framework builds upon this foundation, focusing on further improving teacher quality and ensuring a well-rounded education system for all learners. 

Key changes include:

• Context and content updating – Including the impact of Covid, rapid technological advances between 2011 and 2025 and inclusive education including mother-tongue based bilingual education.
• Governance and coordination – Proposal to strengthen governance through the establishment of a National Council for Teacher Education and Development (NCTED). 
• Alignment – Process to align the ISPFTED with the NPFTED, previously not aligned, resulting in many challenges with mandates.
• Adjustment of outputs and activities – Outputs increased from four to eight, and activities were adjusted, based on SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound) principles for ease of planning and implementation; planning was streamlined, and goals were made more achievable.
• Budget – Current budget information was updated with an increase to around R2 billion and how these funds can be used more effectively and efficiently. A  70% skills levy can be used for TED.
• Collaboration: The roles of various role players including higher education institutions, Sector Education and Training Authorities, the South African Council for Educators, the Education Labour Relations Council and unions to be clarified.

Mahomed asked the EDF to provide feedback, adding that in-depth dedicated workshops could be arranged at universities in collaboration with the Education, Training and Development Practices Sector Education and Training Authority (ETDP SETA).

The updated ISPFTED policy document will be tabled at the Heads of Education Departments Committee (HEDCOM) meeting later this year and later taken to the Council of Education Ministers (CEM).

“In terms of current projection, we could complete this work by the end of this year with HEDCOM and CEM to advise on the further rollout of this process in 2026.”

Changes to Grade R qualifications

Ms Nombulelo Sesi Nxesi, CEO of ETDP SETA, said there had been a change to Grade R teaching: “A decision has been taken that all Grade R teachers must have a Bachelor of Education (BEd) in Foundation Phase Teaching. We are no longer going to be funding a Grade R diploma for employment purposes.”

For the unqualified or underqualified Grade R teachers, transitional measures are currently being developed in consultation with the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) and HEDCOM. This framework will ensure that teachers are appropriately qualified for the specific developmental and pedagogical needs of learners at this critical early stage of education. 

University of South Africa

The post Enhancing teacher education through PrimTEd appeared first on Inside Education..

Civil rights organisation AfriForum has welcomed the Department of Basic Education’s decision to extend the deadline for public comments on the draft regulations of the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act (BELA).

The move has reignited calls from civil society organisations, unions, and advocacy groups for South Africans to help shape the future of schooling.

AfriForum’s Head of Cultural Affairs, Alana Bailey, described the extension as “positive and necessary.”

“Both sets of regulations will have a significant impact on the nature of public schools and the provision of high-quality education. It is essential for as many institutions, organisations, and individuals as possible to submit comments,” she said.

Originally set to close on 5 September, the deadline has now been extended to 5 October, according to the Government Gazette.

The regulations, published in August, focus on school capacity and admissions and form part of implementing the BELA Act, which came into effect on 24 December 2024.

Bailey welcomed the extra time, saying it would allow the public to provide more thoughtful and detailed input. She also warned that vague or contradictory regulations could trigger costly legal battles.

“Legislation is often broad, and regulations must bring clarity on its application. If people feel the regulations are unclear, inconsistent, or out of touch with realities in schools, these concerns must be raised with the Minister and the Department. This is particularly important if they infringe on the rights of learners, teachers, or the Constitution itself,” she added.

AfriForum confirmed it is finalising its submission in consultation with its legal team.

The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) has also weighed in, voicing “great concern” over the minister’s approach.

SADTU General Secretary Mugwena Maluleke argued that the regulations undermine both the letter and spirit of the Act, which followed more than a decade of consultations and parliamentary processes.

“Regulations cannot be used to change the text of the Act, impose requirements not provided for, or undermine its purpose and intent,” he said.

The union criticised the Minister for publishing regulations on only two areas instead of the eight originally envisaged, warning this piecemeal approach could create confusion. It further claimed that several provisions fall outside the Minister’s legal authority, encroaching on other ministries such as Home Affairs and Public Administration, and ignoring Constitutional Court rulings on learners’ rights.

Civil society group Free SA has also raised objections, warning that the regulations could weaken school governing bodies (SGBs) and marginalise parents in decision-making. A key concern is a clause that allows provincial officials to override SGB decisions on admissions, zoning, and language policy.

Free SA argues that this shift would erode accountability and weaken the democratic role of SGBs, which were designed to secure parental and community involvement in education.

The Department has defended the regulations as necessary to ensure uniformity, fairness, and improved governance in public schools. Officials say they will enhance equity and accountability while modernising school governance for the country’s 13.5 million learners.

INSIDE EDUCATION

The post AfriForum urges public to comment on BELA regulations amid growing debate appeared first on Inside Education..

The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) has posted record financial results, reporting higher profits, improved loan collections, and expanded infrastructure support for municipalities and schools.

The results, for the year ending March, were released on Wednesday.

Despite what it described as a challenging domestic and global environment, the state-owned financier delivered a record net profit of R5.3 billion, up 14.4% from R4.6 billion last year.

Net interest income rose 8.6% to R8.4 billion, while operating income increased 12.3% to R8.8 billion. Sustainable earnings grew 13.7% to R5.1 billion.

The DBSA also maintained strong asset quality, with net non-performing loans at just 1.2% of total development loans and bonds of R114.6 billion, down by 0.5% from last year.

Global conditions weighed on performance, with supply chains disrupted by US trade tariffs, conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, and tighter financial markets.

Domestically, easing load-shedding and structural reforms offered some relief, but challenges remained, including logistics bottlenecks, weak municipal financial management, and limited government capacity to implement infrastructure policy.

During the year, the bank disbursed R17.5 billion in loans and equity (up 2.9% from R17 billion), supported by a R120 billion asset base.

Collections rose 19% to a record R27.4 billion. Its debt-to-equity ratio, including R20 billion callable capital, improved to 78% from 89%, well below the 250% regulatory limit.

The DBSA also mobilised R91.3 billion in infrastructure support, including R22.9 billion in catalysed funds.

The bank said it delivered R5.2 billion in infrastructure implementation support and unlocked a further R2.6 billion for under-resourced municipalities.

Key projects worth R39.9 billion were enabled and supported, while projects valued at R2.4 billion were prepared and approved. In addition, specially identified District Municipalities received R800 million.

The DBSA also made a notable impact on school sanitation through the Department of Basic Education’s SAFE programme, with 22,722 learners benefiting from new sanitation facilities built in 98 schools funded by the programme.

A further 11,397 learners benefited from improved sanitation facilities constructed in 67 schools funded through provincial allocations.

In terms of inclusive development, black-owned enterprises delivered projects worth R4 billion, while women-owned businesses accounted for R2.6 billion.

A total of 956 small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) were contracted to deliver projects, with local construction SMMEs receiving R584 million in benefits.

These initiatives created approximately 35,000 jobs and provided skills training to 1,650 young people.

INSIDE EDUCATION

The post DBSA posts record profit, boosts collections, and improves school sanitation appeared first on Inside Education..

Calm has returned to Tiyelelane Secondary School in Soshanguve, north of Pretoria, following a protest on Tuesday by learners that left one student injured and damaged four state vehicles and one private car.

This comes after irate learners were seen pelting stones and moving between schools in an uproar over allegations of sexual assault by the teaching staff.

It is alleged that a teacher at the school had sexually assaulted one of the learners and one of the bus drivers had been in a relationship with another learner at the school.

The learners had reported the incidents to the principal who they said had ignored their outcry.

On Tuesday, the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) removed the principal of Tiyelelane High School to restore calm to the school and the surrounding area.

GDE spokesperson Steve Mabona said: “The department has taken the precautionary step of removing the principal from Tiyelelani Secondary effective from Wednesday, 3 September 2025.”

“We believe that this action will play a significant role in stabilising the school environment and allow for an impartial process. The acting deputy principal will assist with the day-to-day running of the school, supported by district officials.” 

Mabona said GDE are investigating the allegations of sexual assault, however the Tshwane South Africa Police Service (SAPS) said no allegations of sexual assault had been reported by the school.

Education MEC, Matome Chiloane said: “We are determined to act in the best interest of learners at Tiyelelani Secondary School and surrounding schools. Allegations of misconduct by educators or any employee even those from our service providers will be subjected to disciplinary processes.”

During the protests one learner was injured and rushed to a medical facility where they are recovering.

“The SAPS and TMPD continue to monitor the situation in Soshanguve after learners reportedly disrupted schools in that area. The police used stun grenades to disperse the crowd, which was pelting stones,” police said.

Matric learners who were scheduled to sit for preliminary examinations managed to write their papers as planned while law enforcement keeps a watchful eye on the situation.

INSIDE EDUCATION

The post Soshanguve school principal suspended following learner protests appeared first on Inside Education..