The DBE, through the support of the Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) is determined to get Grade R lessons fully integrated into mainstream education as mandated by the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act 32 of 2024. According to DBE’s Director-General, Mr Mathanzima Mweli, the alignment of the Grade R curriculum with primary education is a vital step towards strengthening foundations for learning across all nine provinces.

Director-General Mweli made this comment during his engagement sessions with senior education district officials in Bohlabela and Ehlanzeni Education Districts in the Mpumalanga Province this week. The engagement sessions were conducted as part of an ongoing Education District and Learner Support Programme facilitated by DG Mweli across all 75 education districts. The programme has been initiated to encourage education districts to share best practice, whilst promoting education excellence from the General Education and Training (GET) to the Further Education and Training (FET) bands. Through the programme, Mr Mweli held a series of engagement sessions in Gert Sibande on 25 May 2026; Nkangala on 28 May 2026; Bohlabela on 18 June 2026 and Ehlanzeni on 19 June 2026. This is the seventh province covered so far. By the end of today, the DG will have covered 53 districts out of 75 districts in the country. 

Addressing education district officials at Bohlabela Education District on 18 June 2026, Director-General Mweli confirmed that institutionalisation of Early Childhood Development (ECD) Programmes in the Basic Education Sector remain a key lever to enhance effective learning and teaching in the Foundation Phase. Mr Mweli hailed PEDs for putting education districts at the forefront in terms of accelerating the registration of ECD centres countrywide. Mr Mweli concluded his engagement sessions with key education stakeholders in the Ehlanzeni Education District on 19 June 2026. “As a sector, we will need to work together with a shared vision to strengthen ECD curriculum delivery. I encourage you to double your efforts in ensuring that children from 0 to 4 years of age gain access to quality ECD programmes in their respective communities”.

Unpacking progress as far as the ECD institutionalisation is concerned, Director for ECD at the DBE, Dr Janeli Kotze, indicated that South Africa has made significant progress in institutionalising ECD programmes, particularly since the transfer of the ECD function from the Department of Social Development to the DBE. “Progress has been accelerated through strengthened policy, improved coordination, expanded access, and enhanced systems for quality assurance and monitoring. Education districts have played a critical role in the success of the Bana Pele ECD Mass Registration Drive. Districts are responsible for local coordination, stakeholder engagement, and ongoing monitoring, which places them at the centre of implementation support. District officials have assisted ECD programmes with navigating the registration process, convening registration clinics, strengthening relationships with ECD programmes, and providing practical support with digital applications. Their local presence has helped improve communication, build trust, and accelerate registrations across provinces. Since June 2024, nearly 14,827 ECD programmes have been registered at Bronze level, with a further 358 registered at Silver/Gold level. An additional 100,000 children benefited from the ECD subsidy during the 2025/26 financial year, with 100,000 children expected to benefit in 2026/27. The ECD subsidy value was increased to R24 per child per day. Curriculum implementation support packs have been developed to strengthen the implementation of the National Curriculum Framework (NCF). Quality standards and a quality assessment tool have also been developed and are currently being tested through the ECE Outcomes Fund”.

The DG’s Education District and Support Programme is heading to the Limpopo Province next week and will proceed until 2 July 2026.