President Cyril Ramaphosa took time out of his busy schedule to address Lekgotla delegates on 27 February 2025: “Education is the bedrock upon which societies are built and on which they thrive. We therefore regard the annual Basic Education Lekgotla as one of the most important events on the national calendar,” he said.
South Africa assumed the G20 Presidency on 1 December 2024, under the theme “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability”. South Africa takes over the G20 Presidency of the Education Working Group (EdWG) “Educational Professionals for solidarity, equality and sustainable development,” as a fitting theme of the 2025 G20 EdWG; with a view to address Quality Foundational Learning; Educational Professional Development for a Changing World; and Mutual Recognition of Qualifications in a Global Context as key priorities. South Africa’s G20 Education Agenda draws heavily on national plans of the 7th Administration to prioritise strengthening Early Childhood Development (EDC); Literacy; Numeracy; and Mother Tongue-based Bilingual Education (MTbBE); and Skills and Competencies for a Changing World. The DBE has therefore purposely aligned the 2025 G20 agenda and the 2025 Basic Education Lekgotla agenda; to promote wider sector participation and cultivate a G20 EdWG Presidency that reflects the voices and aspirations of the entire basic education sector.
The President’s address, was in direct support of the Lekgotla theme and sub-themes. “In its recent South Africa Economic Update, the World Bank singled out basic education as one of three sectors with the greatest potential to drive inclusive growth and transform South Africa into a high-income country. What is greatly encouraging is that the reforms proposed by the World Bank, such as prioritising foundational years, are aligned to the Department’s vision. ECD, numeracy and early grade reading are just some of the focus areas highlighted in the World Bank report,” he added.
The 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) showed that more than 80% of Grade 4 learners in South Africa cannot read for meaning in any language, including their home language. South Africa also ranked low in a recently published study on Trends in International Mathematics and Science (TIMSS), which surveys capabilities in Grades 4 and 8. Not having mastered basic skills in reading and mathematics at foundation level sets the tone for how a learner will perform in high school and beyond. At a foundational level, learners develop essential skills in literacy and numeracy, reducing pre-existing learning gaps, and form the building blocks for lifelong learning. ECD is a strong social equaliser, with children from disadvantaged families benefiting most. Foundational numeracy and literacy must improve, using the MTbBE approach.
The President said that Government was encouraged by the Department’s efforts to review and realign the existing curriculum, including assessment, learning and teaching support material and teacher development programmes, including promoting access to quality education for learners that are blind, deaf or who have other disabilities. “Our hard-working educators are the backbone of the sector. We welcome the ongoing provision of teacher support and development programmes focused on skills, pedagogy and methodology. The alignment of the national curriculum and the schooling system with South Africa’s economic imperatives must be an apex priority for the Lekgotla”.
In addition, entrepreneurship for self-employment, as well as structured technical and vocational education pathways in the schooling system that run parallel to the general academic education pathway must be encouraged. The diversification into academic, technical and vocational pathways provides learners with greater choices based on their interests, abilities and aptitudes. “We need to be more assertive in marketing these pathways to learners, including through life orientation and career guidance classes. As stakeholders in the sector we need to work together to address the prevalent bias towards general academic education, and even the stigma that exists around choosing vocational occupations. Vocational training should not be seen as a fall-back option for learners who have been identified as unlikely to obtain the marks needed for university entry. It should be seen as an attractive proposition for all learners”.