The DBE and Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) are satisfied with the state of system readiness for the 2025 academic year. The 2025 school calendar resumed smoothly this week with various Government officials, community leaders and representatives of the private sector visiting several schools in education districts across all nine provinces. As part of her Oversight and School Monitoring Programme on the first day of the 2025 school calendar, Basic Education Minister, Ms Siviwe Gwarube, joined by Eastern Cape MEC for Education, Mr Fundile Gade, engaged with School Management Teams, learners and members of School Governing Bodies (SGBs) at Khwezilesizwe Primary and Healdtown Secondary Schools in Fort Beaufort and Fundisa Special School in King Williams Town in the Eastern Cape Province.
The visit assessed the state of readiness, as well as challenges encountered by schools for urgent intervention. School safety, scholar transport, rationalization of small schools and the improvement of foundational learning, were tabled as key areas of focus. During her briefing session with the Eastern Cape education officials, Minister Gwarube was assured that the province had all systems in place to ensure the smooth administration of schooling this year. Additional focus areas included the provision of Learning and Teaching Support Material (LTSM); the implementation of the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP); teacher provisioning; the state of admission for Grade R learners; and intervention strategies for the delivery of the ECD curriculum.
MEC Gade applauded the Eastern Cape’s education districts for their contribution towards the overall provincial performance in the NSC examination. The province obtained 84,98%, with the majority of its education districts performing above the 80% ceiling: “The support shown by the education district as well as provincial and national education officials have made a significant contribution towards improving learning outcomes in most of the education districts”.
Minister Gwarube also attended the provincial release of the 2024 NSC examination results at the East London International Convention Centre on 14 January, indicating that the DBE and PEDs will have to double their efforts in ensuring that schools were adequately supported to improve literacy and numeracy in the General Education and Training (GET) band. The DBE will therefore embark on an urgent strategic reorientation of the system towards strengthening foundational learning, according to the priorities listed during the announcement of the NSC results.