Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has announced a series of reforms aimed at strengthening foundational learning, improving financial accountability and expanding Early Childhood Development (ECD), while warning that growing financial pressures in provincial education departments threaten service delivery in schools.
Tabling Budget Vote 16 for Basic Education under the theme “Strong Foundations for Strong Futures” on Tuesday, Gwarube said South Africa’s education system continues to fail the majority of children before they reach upper grades.
Using the example of two hypothetical 10-year-olds – Lindiwe, who attended a well-resourced ECD centre, and Nelson, who did not – the Minister said inequality begins long before matric.
“Over 90% of South African children are Nelsons and not Lindiwes. This is the education injustice of our time,” she said.
Gwarube said the department’s focus over the past two years has shifted toward “reform, discipline and delivery” – despite severe fiscal constraints.
The Minister identified quality ECD, literacy and numeracy, inclusive education, teacher development, infrastructure and governance as the department’s core priorities.
A major focus of the speech was the expansion of ECD access. Gwarube announced that government exceeded its target of registering 10 000 ECD centres in a year by registering more than 13 300 centres.
According to the Minister, ECD registration has grown by 200% between 2021 and 2026, with more than 1.2 million children now accessing registered ECD programmes.
She also confirmed that the ECD Nutrition Pilot has entered implementation in the Eastern Cape to address childhood malnutrition.
“This responds directly to the Thrive by Five findings that 7% of South Africa’s children are stunted due to malnutrition,” she said.
Gwarube further announced plans to develop national screen-time guidelines for children aged between two and six amid concerns about excessive screen exposure in early childhood development.
At the same time, the department is reviewing the 2004 White Paper on e-Education and developing national guidance on the use of artificial intelligence in classrooms.
“Our approach is clear: the machine may assist, but the teacher must decide, the learner must think and the system must protect trust,” she said.
On the implementation of compulsory Grade R, Gwarube said government faces major funding challenges.
She revealed that aligning Grade R practitioner salaries with Foundation Phase educators and appointing additional teachers would cost approximately R10 billion over the medium term.
Because National Treasury did not allocate the full amount required, the department redirected R800 million from the ECD Grant to address immediate Grade R pressures.
“This is not ideal, but doing nothing would be worse. We will continue engaging National Treasury for sustainable long-term funding,” she said.
BELA Act and other draft regulation
The Minister also outlined progress in implementing the BELA Act, saying draft regulations on admissions, school capacity and learner pregnancy have already been published for public comment.
Additional draft regulations on teacher development, home education and school governing body elections will follow during the financial year.
Government is also working on amendments to the South African Schools Act to formally recognise and regulate online schools.
Meanwhile, Cabinet has approved the Children’s Amendment Bill, which Gwarube described as critical to creating “a more efficient, child-centred ECD system”.
Financial state of departments
The Minister raised alarm over the deteriorating financial state of several provincial education departments.
She recalled that a financial analysis conducted in 2024 projected multiple provinces would face serious budget shortfalls over the medium-term expenditure framework period.
Those risks, she said, are now materialising in KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and the Northern Cape.
In response, Gwarube announced the establishment of a Multi-disciplinary Recovery Technical Support Team to assist provinces with budget planning, financial analysis and school resourcing.
“When provincial education finances fail, learners suffer first,” she said.
Payment to schools
The Minister also warned provinces against delaying Norms and Standards payments to schools.
“These funds are not optional. They are not a favour to schools. They are the lifeblood of teaching and learning,” she said.
Training and administrative burdens
Gwarube said government would intensify support for foundational learning by training 10 000 foundation phase teachers in literacy and numeracy during the current financial year.
The department is also reviewing administrative burdens placed on teachers.
“I am pleased to announce that the National Education and Training Council has submitted proposals to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy, and the Department will soon issue directives to provinces to drastically reduce reporting tools,” she said.
She said the Funza Lushaka bursary programme has increasingly prioritised Foundation Phase teaching.
According to the Minister, 55% of bursaries in 2026 were allocated to the foundation phase education, up from 42% in 2025.
Reforms
Gwarube also announced reforms to how provincial education performance will be measured.
While welcoming the Class of 2025’s national matric pass rate of 88% — the highest in South African history — she argued that quality cannot be judged on pass rates alone.
The department will now rank provincial performance using a broader “basket of indicators”, including Bachelor pass attainment, distinctions, gateway subject participation and learner retention rates.
“This will give South Africans a more honest picture of quality, participation, progression and subject depth,” she said.
The Minister further confirmed that disciplinary and criminal processes are under way following the detection of examination irregularities in a small number of scripts in Gauteng during the 2025 matric examinations.
READ | Basic Education reaffirms integrity of NSC exams
Infrastructure
On infrastructure, Gwarube announced that 99.9% of pit toilets identified under the 2018 SAFE Initiative backlog have been eradicated, with only one project remaining under construction.
However, she acknowledged frustration over delays.
“I am pleased that we are closing the last project on that backlog, but angry that it has taken this long. Project management in the public service must improve,” she said.
Government has allocated R16.3 billion through the Education Infrastructure Grant for sanitation, safety, overcrowding reduction and rural infrastructure projects.
Foundation Phase National Catalogue
The Minister also announced an independent external investigation into the Foundation Phase National Catalogue procurement process following concerns over possible irregularities.
The process relates to the procurement of learning materials for Grades 1 to 3.
While National Treasury’s assessment was inconclusive, Gwarube said there were sufficient concerns regarding deviations from competitive bidding procedures to warrant a full investigation.
“This investigation must be conducted urgently by a reputable, independent law firm with the expertise, credibility and capacity to withstand scrutiny.
“Corruption in education is never victimless. And neither is weak governance. Both are ultimately paid for by children,” she said.
Governing well
Budget Vote 16 allocates R38.2 billion for the 2026/27 financial year, including R32.7 billion for conditional grants.
This includes nearly R11 billion for school nutrition, R16 billion for school infrastructure, R4.6 billion for ECD, R477 million for Mathematics, Science and Technology, and R307 million for learners with disabilities.
Concluding her address, Gwarube said government would ultimately be judged not by policy announcements, but by whether children “could read better, count better, learn in safety, eat at school and leave school with strong futures because we governed well.” – SAnews.gov.za
