The Minister of Basic Education, Ms Siviwe Gwarube, this week, announced her decision to maintain the suspension of the new Foundation Phase National Catalogue for Grades 1-3. This decision has been taken in the best interests of South Africa’s education system and its 13.7 million learners. “My first responsibility is to protect our learners and ensure that schools are ready for the 2027 academic year. I will not allow uncertainty around a procurement process to become uncertainty in our classrooms,” she said.

For the 2027 school year, the existing Catalogue of previously approved Foundation Phase materials will remain available to provinces and schools for procurement. Each procuring authority must comply with the requirements that apply. In parallel, the legal verification and rectification of the new Catalogue will continue. This interim arrangement follows material findings from the independent investigation into the new Catalogue and is intended to protect the 2027 school year while those findings are properly addressed legally.

The decision also recognises the needs of South Africa’s educators, who require certainty about the learning and teaching support materials available to them. Teachers cannot plan effectively if materials are delayed or procurement remains uncertain. Public money must be spent responsibly, transparently and in a manner that can withstand legal scrutiny. This decision gives provinces and schools a clear path to secure previously approved materials for 2027 while the new Catalogue undergoes legal scrutiny and remediation.

The decision follows the conclusion of an independent investigation into the development of the new Catalogue. The investigation examined, amongst a range of issues, the broader processes used to develop, evaluate, and implement the Catalogue. It identified material areas of non-compliance, governance weaknesses and potential procurement and financial management risks. While the investigation has made factual findings, the legal consequences of those findings and the appropriate remedies still require independent legal advice. This is why the Minister has enlisted the services of the State Attorney to obtain Senior Council advice on this matter.

The Minister emphasised that the findings must be addressed without placing the 2027 academic year at risk: “The investigation has identified material problems that cannot be ignored. At the same time, millions of children cannot have their education placed on hold while those findings are properly addressed. We can and must do both: protect the integrity of the process and ensure that schools have the materials they need.”

The Minister has therefore directed the Department to take the administrative and coordinating steps needed to implement this interim arrangement. Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) and schools that exercise procurement powers remain responsible for their own procurement, in line with applicable legal requirements. The Department will coordinate with provinces and other stakeholders to protect ordering and distribution timelines. The Minister has been clear that the integrity of the education system and the interests of learners remain paramount. The aim is simple: when the 2027 school year begins, educators must be able to teach, learners must be able to learn, and parents must have confidence that public resources have been handled responsibly.