With 85% of South Africans affiliated to some form of religion, working with faith-based organisations (FBOs) to foster collaboration and cooperation between communities and schools, the DBE’s Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign (QLTC)’s interest is to ensure that any intervention find reflection in the classroom. This statement has been shared by Mr Jabu Hlakula, Director for QLTC, who led a team of DBE officials as the ELCSA Akasia Lutheran Church established an education desk during their parish rally on 7 September 2025.

Speaking at the rally, Mr Hlakula said that it was crucial to mobilise and galvanise the entire nation to rally around the course of delivering quality education for all
South African children. “The QLTC is building on existing partnerships with stakeholders in business and community organisations and forging new ones in order to ensure that schools are adequately supported. We know the many social ills that schools find themselves faced with, and these have a negative impact on teaching and learning. It would be unjust to let schools and educators handle these non-education-related challenges on their own; communities within which the schools operate need to be roped in and made aware of their role in the education of their children. Drawing on the relationships we have with FBOs allows us to galvanise community support for education and reinforce the message of education being a societal issue,” added Hlakula.

Mr Sifiso Ngobese, Director for Safety in Schools at DBE, formed part of the DBE delegation and shared information on how communities and parents can help curb some of the violent incidents and threats to safety prevalent in schools. “We felt it necessary to join this rally so that we may empower this community with the necessary information on addressing and preventing incidents that threaten the safety of learners and teachers in schools. Bullying and substance abuse, including vaping, have become regular occurrences in our schools. We need parents and the community to step up and play their role in keeping schools safe. We call on everyone to familiarise themselves with the material the DBE has produced on school safety and help us stamp out this phenomenon,” implored Ngobese.

If all sections of society work together - government, communities, health care workers, civil society, business, media and other sectors, we can ensure that all learners benefit from quality education.