The DBE Ministry, accompanied by Basic Education Director-General, Mr Mathanzima Mweli and a delegation of Senior Managers, briefed the Select Committee on Education and Technology, Sports, Arts and Culture virtually on 20 September 2023.

The request received from Parliament was for the Department to brief the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on matters in respect of Safety Security in Schools; the Delivery of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure and Internet access within schools; the District Development Model (DDM); and how the DBE initiates, monitors and sustains corporate and other funders support.

Deputy Minister, Dr Reginah Mhaule, emphasised the importance of an Inter-departmental approach to governmental programmes and sector challenges, along with the support of community and faith-based leaders, as well as the DBE’s Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign (QLTC). The main objective of the QLTC is to mobilise stakeholders and communities to play a role in the provision of quality education, including factors such as school safety, infrastructure and teacher provisioning. In addition, Dr Mhaule reassured the Committee that all systems are in place for the writing of the 2023 NSC Examinations.

In his presentation, Mr Louis Taylor, DBE’s Director for Partnerships, said that, “The DBE recognises the strength and value of effective partnerships in contributing to the improvement of quality education. Partnerships enhance our goal of making education a societal matter by actively involving communities, businesses, organised labour and non-governmental organisations. A comprehensive list of requirements to form a partnership with the DBE has been developed and shared with potential partners to ensure compliance and resources for partners to sustain the partnership. Consideration and the approval is based on the value of the partnership to the DBE. The Director-General must approve the partnership prior to Legal Services and Partnership’s involvement and the conclusion of agreements. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) or Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) are signed which guides the maintenance of the partnership and ensure its sustainability, providing clear roles and responsibilities for each stakeholder party. The Partnerships and Legal Directorates assist in the vetting of the partnerships between the DBE with the private entity. A Steering Committee, comprising of officials in the Implementing Directorate within the DBE, and partner representative/s is formed to evaluate and monitor the implementation and results of the partnership”.