The engagement with the Northern Cape was chaired by Mr Paddy Padayachee, DDG for Business Intelligence, on 10 October 2025. Ms Doris Sibiya chaired the engagement on behalf of Dr Michelle Ishmail, Acting Head of Department. “The Northern Cape Department of Education (NCDoE) have pulled out all stops to support the Class of 2025 under strict cost containment measures; we are currently engaged in spring camps as our last push activities. We confirm our state of readiness to administer the internal and external examinations with the highest standard of integrity, security and efficiency,” she said.
The meeting commenced with a presentation by Mr Ricky Willemse on the Tracking of Learner Performance per grade and per subject from Grades R to 12 for the five districts. On Early Childhood Development (ECD) and the Bana Pele Mass Registration Drive, 420 applications were received, with 374 completed and a total of 333 approved. To ensure that the Reading Strategy is implemented at district and classroom level, empowerment sessions for Grade R practitioners are continuing, focusing on emergent reading strategies, shared reading methodologies and phonemic awareness development, including assessment practice and implementation. On MTbBE, five subject advisors were capacitated to support Grade 4 Mathematics and four to support Natural Sciences and Technology (NS TECH). During Terms 1 and 3 the number of schools and districts covered for MTbBE advocacy was 170 and 141 respectively.
The DBE’s DDG for Transformation Programmes, Dr Naledi Mbude-Mehana, highlighted the importance of language vitality in the foundational years. Due to the demographics of the province, many learners are still learning in Afrikaans, whilst not being Afrikaans Home Language speakers. She again appealed to the province to engage closely with the Department to assist with a deeper dive into the provincial strategy for language nutrition as the challenge remains reading for meaning.
Dr Barney Mthembu, DDG for Curriculum Policy, Support and Monitoring, expressed his concern about the decreasing numbers of learners who are offering Mathematics, Business Studies, Economics, Social Sciences, Accounting and Technical subjects, suggesting that the province must craft a strategy to encourage learners to take Mathematics in Grades 10, 11 and 12. Social Sciences also remain a challenge. The province responded that they have developed a three-year plan for improved performance in the General Education and Training (GET) band, identifying the gaps from Foundation Phase upwards, as well as challenges that persist in Home Languages, Afrikaans and Setswana.
The province reported that five focus schools have been established thus far. Ms Mataole Ramohapi, Director in the Office of the DG, expressed her concern that IT subjects were not offered in all districts, especially considering the digital age. Art and Hospitality Studies were also listed, along with technical subjects due to the tourism and mining potential of the province.
The NCDoE registered 14,210 full-time and 1,846 part-time candidates for the NSC examinations. A total of 214 new qualified teachers has been appointed, and 27,652 learners have been placed for the new academic year, with remedial classroom measures in place to accommodate learners across the province.