Ahead of the National Elections and in preparation for the sixth administration, Basic Education Minister, Mrs Angie Motshekga and Basic Education Deputy Minister, Mr Enver Surty, met with DBE employees on 06 May 2019, to express their appreciation for the support received during their tenure in the Department.

Deputy Minister Surty, who has been the longest-serving Deputy Minister in the history of the Department, acknowledged the leadership and camaraderie of Minister Motshekga saying, “Minister Motshekga’s leadership contributed meaningfully to the provision of quality education and the various interventions she had put in place have assisted the sector to progress away from mediocrity towards quality education outcomes. One of the major success stories in education is the quarterly meetings with District Directors that Minister Motshekga institutionalised to ensure inclusivity. However, as every child remains a national asset, the DBE must continue to enhance holistic access and quality education to empower our learners with 21^st Century skills to tackle the Fourth Industrial Revolution head-on.”

In turn, Minister Motshekga expressed her gratitude to Deputy Minister Surty, Basic Education Director-General, Mr Mathanzima Mweli, DBE employees and teacher unions for their support and professional conduct during her stay in the Department. “We have stabilised the Basic Education Sector by improving access; however, more still needs to be done. One of the key aspects for the sixth administration relates to issues of quality and efficiency, and providing citizens with a dividend of democracy”. Minister Motshekga cited the Sanitation Appropriate for Education (SAFE) Initiative; the migration of Early Childhood Development (ECD); the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Rollout Programme; the Three Stream Model; and the reshaping of the curriculum for 21^st Century skills as major focus areas for the next administration.   

“As a teacher and as a child of a teacher, it has been my privilege to drive the Basic Education Sector and to determine the future of the forthcoming leaders of our country. One cannot have a good harvest without preparing the soil. The improved National Senior Certificate (NSC) results are testimony to the upward trajectory of learning outcomes within the Sector. Let’s not lose focus, our successes are measured on work done in the classrooms – the impact of education must be felt in the classroom and in the learning outcomes of our learners,” Minister Motshekga concluded.