The DBE briefed the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education on its Sector Plan, including the revised Annual Performance Plan (APP) on 17 June 2025. Along with an update on the Sector Plan, the delegation, led by Minister, Ms Siviwe Gwarube and Acting Director-General, Dr Granville Whittle, delivered a presentation on the Department’s anti-bullying campaign and strategies to combat this phenomenon in South African schools.
The Sector Plan remains focussed on the following sector priorities: expanding access to quality Early Childhood Development (ECD); improving teacher support and development, post provisioning and strengthening curriculum delivery in the Foundation Phase; Mother Tongue-based Bilingual Education (MTbBE); infrastructure delivery; and learner safety. However, targets were adjusted and new indicators added to the APP to align to the Medium Term Development Plan (MTDP) 2024-2029. These relate to the candidates achieving 60% and above in Mathematics and Physical Science in the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations; and job opportunities created through the Basic Education Employment Initiative. All targets are based on realistic, attainable indicators and taking into account the current financial constraints for the next 5 years. The Minister indicated that she has requested PEDs to submit a Financial and Service Delivery Recovery Plan for mediation: “We must do more with less,” she added.
“The prevalence of bullying and violence in our schools is of great concern, affecting learner and educator wellbeing, mental health and academic performance. The Department has taken a zero tolerance stance on any form of bullying,” the Minister said.
Mr Sifiso Ngobese, Director for School Safety, delivered the presentation on the DBE’s anti-bullying strategies: “The Care and Support for Teaching and Learning (CSTL) is linked to pillar two of the Integrated Crime and Violence Prevention Strategy (ICVPS) as an integrated approach to crime and violence prevention. The DBE’s multidisciplinary approach is focussed on early violence prevention programmes targeting 0–12-year-olds, involving functional School-Based Support Teams (SBST) for psychosocial support to victims, along with a School Code of Conduct. Deputy Minister, Dr Reginah Mhaule is spearheading an Inter-Departmental Campaign with six provinces covered to date.
The National School Safety Framework (NSSF) is a guiding strategy to curb violence in schools, empowering schools to conduct school safety audits, complete diagnostic tools and to develop safety plans. School Safety Committees are responsible for coordinating school safety and security. To date, 327,297 officials have completed the South African Council for Educators (SACE) accredited digital training course. The Protocol to deal with Incidents of Corporal Punishment in Schools and the Protocol for the Management and Reporting of Sexual Abuse and Harassment in Schools deal with school violence. The Online Safety Programme in Schools is currently rolling out the Online Safety Curriculum Guidelines to reinforce online safety and digital wellbeing amongst learners, addressing cyberbullying, and is active in five provinces. Partners include the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, Media Monitoring Africa, the Film and Publication Board, Google and UNICEF. The DBE is conducting an evidence-based review of its Bullying Prevention Manual with the Institute for Security Studies. Other programmes include the implementation of the Learner Code of Conduct Anti-Bullying Policy and a partnership with Njabulo Media in showcasing a bullying prevention movie for the youth.
The DBE remains committed towards addressing bullying and all other forms of violence in schools, urging all South Africans to unite against bullying to create an environment that is conducive to teaching and learning.