The Director-General of the Department of Basic Education (DBE), Mr Mathanzima Mweli, led a delegation on a working visit to Brasília, Brazil, from 24 to 27 August 2026. The visit provided an opportunity to consolidate bilateral cooperation with Brazil by finalising and approving an Implementation Plan for the MoU between South Africa and Brazil in the field of Basic Education.
This was a significant step in translating existing political commitments at the Presidential and Ministerial levels into concrete areas of collaboration in basic education. Additionally, the visit provided the opportunity for both countries to discuss the India, Brazil, and South Africa (IBSA) Quality Foundational Learning collaboration, as well as the Africa–Brazil–Latin America and Caribbean Network on Education Policies for Climate Sustainability and Resilience (BRALAC Network).
DG Mweli was supported by Mr Paddy Padayachee, Deputy Director-General: Business Intelligence and IBSA Education Working Group Deputy Chairperson; Mr Mike Wilter, Special Advisor to the Minister and IBSA representative in the Ministry; Ms Mataole Ramohapi, Director: Intergovernmental and Technical Support; Ms Hleki Mabunda, Director: International Relations and Multilateral Affairs; Dr Jenny Joshua, IBSA Technical Specialist; and Ms Tarryn Warries, IBSA Focal Point, Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO).
On 25 August, the DG and his delegation held further engagements with the Brazil Ministry of Education including; an exchange on the overviews of basic education systems of both countries; a discussion on Brazil’s flagship child literacy initiative: the National Commitment to Literate Children, aimed at ensuring all Brazilian children are literate by the end of 2nd Grade (around age 7); and a discussion on the management of education financing, Learning and teaching Support Materials (LTSM), and standardised assessment for literacy.
The delegation visited the Federal Institute of Brasília (IFB), Planaltina Campus, focused on professional and technological education in agriculture, agribusiness, and natural resources. Located in the rural area of Planaltina; the campus offers secondary-level technical courses, under/graduate degrees, distance-learning programs, and short professional qualifications. The Campus runs a structured school feeding program under Brazil’s National School Feeding Program, providing daily meals to students and using the canteen as part of its educational and social responsibility mission.
The visit concluded with approval of a three-year Implementation Plan for the MoU, including teacher development; school leadership; school nutrition; quality foundational learning; and Education Information Management Systems, amongst other areas of cooperation.