The intervention strategies employed by education districts towards sustained efficiency and quality in support of schools will assist the Basic Education Sector in improving foundational learning. DBE's Director-General, Mr Mathanzima Mweli, has successfully concluded his Education District Support Programme in the KwaZulu-Natal Province after fruitful engagement sessions in 12 education districts this week. During a series of engagement sessions, the education districts tabled data depicting school performance from Foundation Phase (FP) up to the Further Education and Training (FET) band. In his address, DG Mweli indicated that the majority of districts were progressing well in terms of supporting FET, adding that the same support should be doubled in the Foundation Phase.
“The education data presented across districts shared light on school performance in various subjects and further revealed a decline in terms of learner participation and success rates in critical subjects such as Accounting, Natural Sciences, Information Technology; Computer Applications Technology (CAT), and Technical Subjects. As a result, education districts are expected to come up with strategies to increase learner participation rates in these subjects. Education districts need to work harder in ensuring that schools are well resourced to introduce occupational and vocational subjects that can assist the sector in mitigating youth unemployment challenges. This will bolster the sector's efforts towards the diversification of the curriculum, whilst broadening career pathways for learners,” highlighted DG Mweli.
During the engagement sessions, school principals requested DG Mweli to assist in addressing content gaps encountered in Grade 7 down to the Foundation Phase to develop a strong cohort for the Grade 8 syllabus, complementing the DBE’s commitment towards strengthening curriculum coverage in the Foundation and Intermediate phases. District directors further affirmed that reading for meaning was key, especially in improving the standard of literacy in the lower grades. They reassured the Director-General that schools will be supported to play a crucial role in promoting a reading culture amongst learners.
Sharing her perspective on the work done by the DBE on promoting reading, Dr Nompumelelo Nyathi-Mohohlwane, Director for Reading, said that reading was one of the most critical components for academic achievements, adding that it should be nurtured across all grades: “To strengthen reading outcomes, the DBE has published the National Reading Literacy Strategy and Plan for 2024-2030, which provides the national framework for improving reading for meaning. The strategy places particular emphasis on strengthening literacy in African languages and bilingual contexts, improving access to quality reading materials in all official languages, supporting teachers through better professional development and practical classroom guidance, and mobilising parents, caregivers and communities to support reading. It is important to recognise that children’s reading outcomes improve significantly when the key environments in their lives, home, school, and community, work together to support language and literacy development. Schools, parents, communities, and libraries all need to work together if South Africa’s reading culture is to develop, deepen and flourish. These efforts must be unified and rooted in advancing reading development in African languages and culturally relevant practices”.
The Education District Support Programme will continue to the Free State Province from 17 to 24 April 2026.