As part of his Education District and Learner Support Programme, Director-General, Mr Mathanzima Mweli, stipulated that matric cohorts can be strengthened if provincial and district support is concentrated on raising the literacy and numeracy bar in the Foundation Phase.
Director-General Mweli has completed his engagement sessions in 7 out of 12 education districts in the Eastern Cape Province with Chris Hani West Education Districts on 10 July 2026. As part of the visit, DG Mweli engaged more than 15,000 learners in Winter Camps and 500 education district officials across various parts of the province.
DG Mweli's engagement sessions in the Eastern Cape commenced with Amathole East Education District on 4 July 2026. The education districts visited were: Amathole West Education District on 5 July 2026; Sarah Baartman Education District on 6 July 2026; Nelson Mandela Education District on 7 July 2026; Buffalo City Metro Education Districts on 8 July 2026; and OR Tambo Inland Education District on 9 July 2026.
In their presentation, education districts confirmed that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) was on the right track in its quest towards pushing boundaries in strengthening effective learning and teaching from Grades R to 12. They, however, advised the DBE to work closely with Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) in accelerating the filling of vacant posts across all phases, including qualified Grade R Practitioners, Foundation Phase subject advisors, qualified Mathematics and Home Language teachers. The education districts expressed their appreciation to Director-General Mweli for his commitment and dedication in ensuring that all education districts excel in monitoring curriculum delivery subject by subject, with enhanced emphasis on Home Languages.
During his engagement sessions in the province, Director-General Mweli advised education districts to consider best practices shared by other districts in improving school performance in the Foundation, Intermediate and Senior Phases: “I am aware that the Eastern Cape Province has dropped to position nine in the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations, but I am undoubtedly convinced that the province has the potential to transform the landscape of education for the better. Our home languages are persistently performing below the required benchmark of 94% and above. We need to do something to mitigate this challenge. We should therefore use the Funza Lushaka Bursary Programme to address teacher shortages. The bursary is now district-based, and education districts should seize the opportunity to recruit suitably qualified teachers who will be game changers in getting schools to perform at the required level, especially in Home Languages and Mathematics”.
Mr Mweli added that “I am honestly impressed that education districts have prioritised the Bana Pele Mass Registration Drive, which will play a crucial role in strengthening foundational learning in the Basic Education Sector. As part of these engagements, I encourage education districts to ensure that all children from 0 to 4 have access to quality Early Childhood Development (ECD) Programmes. I expect education districts to be on top of their game in education data mining and interpretation to ensure that their strategies are informed by data to enable schools to excel in curriculum coverage across all phases”.
The DG's Learner Support Programme will officially conclude with the remaining districts in the upcoming weeks. These include Alfred Nzo East; Alfred Nzo West; Chris Hani East; OR Tambo Coastal and Joe Gqabi.