During the three-day Lekgotla deliberations, Minister Motshekga referred to the gathering as the “village where robust discussions brainstorm the education sector factors impacting the holistic development, teaching and learning of the African child”. The opening session, a Plenary, featured four presentations that set the scene for the proceedings.
Ms Sophia Ndemutila Ashipala, Head of Education Division: African Union (AU) spoke about Building Resilient Education Systems for Increased Access to Inclusive, Lifelong, Quality, and Relevant Learning in Africa for the 21st Century, unpacking the African Union theme that was launched during the AU Summit. The African Union has designated 2024 as The Year of Education in Africa, under the theme, Educate an African fit for the 21st Century: Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality and relevant learning in Africa. This theme was unpacked in conjunction with the Lekgotla theme for a holistic continental and global approach to the Education Sector and South Africa’s unique challenges.
Prof Heila-Lotz Sisitka, Director: Environmental Learning Research Centre, Rhodes University, South Africa presented on the Mainstreaming Education for Sustainable Development into Education (towards ESD 2030). She summarised the mainstreaming of ESD in ten points. These are: Empathy and Care; Visionary leadership, good policy and strategy; a Systems approach to mainstreaming all parts of the whole; Intersectoral and inter-agency collaboration and shared ownership; Working collaboratively; Maximising existing programmes, partnerships and resources; Training and co-learning support at all levels; Inclusivity; Sharing of knowledge; and Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting to Learn together (MERL).
Mr Sizwe Nxasana, Chairperson: NECT Council, spoke about Education for Economic Reconstruction and Recovery: Approach, Process and Content. He highlighted Language, Mathematics and the role of technology in his presentation and reflected on education achievements during the past few years including the NSNP, the shift of ECD, the Three Stream Curriculum Model and Coding and Robotics, “but the journey is far from complete whilst inequality persists,” he said, adding that, Language plays a crucial role in developing crucial content and skills. The President spoke to courage and commitment; we need those for the advancement of indigenous languages as it required a more focussed and forceful approach.
Prof Martin Gustafsson, Researcher at the DBE, spoke about Recent South African Trends and what they mean for the future. “Skills for the 21st Century are not only about Mathematics and Science, but this is inevitably an important part. The Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA) states that the relevance of secondary education remains a concern as it relates to employability, technical and vocational training and articulation with tertiary education. Mathematics and Science at this level are critical to the development of a well-equipped human capital capable of competing in an increasingly Science and Technology-driven world, as well as the foundation for knowledge-based economies. Prof Gustafsson presented SA trends on the participation in Mathematics, Science and practical subjects, urban versus rural data, as well as gender participation and performance. “We need this reliable data for planning purposes and redirect knowledge and skills for a changing world,” he said.
The second session of the day was a panel discussion on the 2030 Early Childhood Development Strategy, whilst the mid-morning third sessions included presentations under the sub theme: Language and Foundations for Learning. Dr Naledi Mbude-Mehana, DDG for Transformation Programmes at the DBE, said that Minister Motshekga launched Mother Tongue-Based Basic Education (MTbBE) on 21 February 2024 in the Eastern Cape Province where the pilot has been extremely successful. African languages will be used as the Language of Learning Teaching and Assessment (LoLTA) from beyond Grade 3 to qualitatively improve foundational learning and to normalise translanguaging as key multilingual approach for using more than one language in the same lesson. The minimum threshold for MTbBE as an equaliser will be 7 years of schooling (8 years with compulsory Grade R).
The fourth session included three presentations under the sub theme: “Assessment as a vehicle to achieve quality Education”. This was followed by a panel discussion on: “Currency and agency of assessment as a vehicle for realising the envisaged learner”. After the tea break a fifth session in the form of a panel discussion on “Care and Support” for teachers and learners followed, signalling the end of the first day proceedings.
Day two kicked off with a short presentation on Values in Education compiled by Professor John Volmink, Former Chair of the Umalusi Council. This was followed by four presentations on Digital Transformation in Education. The second session for the day started with a discussion on Artificial Intelligence followed by two input presentations on Artificial Intelligence and Digital Learning. The third session for the morning featured two presentations on Skilling the Education Workforce and improving teacher quality. Session 3 also included three presentations on the sub theme: Utilizing Digital learning to contribute to Teacher Development. This was followed by a panel discussion on Entrepreneurship Education.
The DBE also launched the Spotlight Report on Basic Education Completion and Foundational Learning, providing evidence-based insights and analysis of foundational learning in South Africa, during the Lekgotla. The report calls for urgent action to increase access for all children and boost primary pupils’ reading, writing and mathematics skills. This is one of four country reports produced in partnership with UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report, the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) and the African Union, as part of the Spotlight report series on foundational learning in Africa. The Report offers a diagnosis of the current state of foundational education in South Africa, with a focus on the curriculum and presenting concrete actions to improve basic skills, teacher support mechanisms and learning assessments.