Basic Education Director-General, Mr Mathanzima Mweli, concluded his first of a kind in the sector Heads-up meetings with the Gauteng and North West Provinces on 20 August 2026. The North West team was led by Mr Lengane Bogatsu, Head of Department (HoD), whilst the Gauteng team was led by Ms Nadine Pote, Chief Director.
Mr Mweli made it clear that classrooms must be transformed into study rooms where all learners can study in safe and conducive environments during the end-of year examinations. As a way forward, Mr Mweli stressed the need for his Five Golden Nuggets for Academic Achievement to be shared, printed and mounted in all classrooms across the country to motivate the Class of 2026: “to attend school every day on time as regular attendance is key to success; to pay attention in class, to listen carefully and observe what teachers say and do in every lesson; to follow a personal study timetable to study at least two subjects for six hours daily; to use quality resources such as study materials wisely and to take notes in class, using materials from teachers and access past examination papers on the DBE website, and using YouTube for additional learning. In conclusion, the nuggets urge learners to be their brother’s and sister’s keeper, by supporting and uplifting fellow learners to succeed together”.
Mr Mweli commenced his Heads-up meetings involving the DBE, Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) and District officials to reflect and attend to urgent matters in the Basic Education Sector after completing the 2026 Learner Support and Monitoring Programme, which covered all 75 districts. Last week, DG Mweli met with the following provinces: the Eastern Cape; the Free State; Limpopo; KwaZulu-Natal; Northern Cape; Mpumalanga and the Western Cape to provide an update on the Quarter 1 and 2 Reports of the Class of 2026 per district and provincially, as well as improvement plans for focussed support to tie up loose ends; and plug gaps ahead of the upcoming examinations.
Mr Mweli noted that the format, times, venues and range of the 2027 Learner Support and Monitoring Programme will be changing as from the new academic year, with a sustained intensified focus across all grades. He called for enhanced support and monitoring for schools in particular as Grades 8 and 9 suffer neglect in high schools. Ahead of the commencement of the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations, DG Mweli indicated the areas that require urgent attention: “We have observed glaring weaknesses in the Foundation Phase; Intermediate Phase; and the Senior Phase as the weakest part of our schooling system. The Class of 2026 is weaker than the previous classes; they require intensified support”.
Ms Mataole Ramohapi, Director in the Office of the DG, gave a presentation on the format and delivery of presentations, highlighting a list of issues that should be noted for support and monitoring, and sharing the meeting dates for the 2027 academic year. She expressed her appreciation to all the provincial officials, district directors and circuit managers for their support during the 2026 Learner Support and Monitoring Programme, which covered all 75 districts.
Mr Hilton Visagie, Director for the Examinations System and Administration Directorate, highlighted the added value of the Provincial, District and Circuit Subjects Participation and Performance Analysis.
A joint presentation on the quality and validity of SA-SAMS data on learner performance was presented by Ms Ayesha Suleman from the Education Management Information System (EMIS) Directorate and Ms Naledi Mahwibila, representing the Data Driven Districts Programme. The first part of the presentation focussed on data quality and how it flows from capture at the school level to reporting at national level — who owns each step, and where the data is verified and signed off. These include data flow of learner assessments; data quality and credibility: the collaboration; and roles and responsibilities at four levels from school, to circuit and district, to provincial, and to national level. Part two looked at how DDD supports the validity of SA-SAMS data, keeping the data reliable and verified at every level.
Mr James Ndlebe, Chief Director: Planning and Implementation Support, explained the role of various officials such as Subject Advisors, Circuit Managers; and District Learner Support Officials in the value chain of support and monitoring, urging schools to conduct regular war rooms as part of the Last Push intervention programme. Effective Circuit Managers contribute to stronger school leadership and accountability; Improved teaching quality; Better curriculum coverage; Enhanced learner achievement and pass rates; Reduced learner absenteeism and dropout rates; and Increased learner support through targeted interventions.
Concluding the meeting, Mr Mweli said: “One of the simplest ways forward is to stick to the basics; continued analysis will lead to paralysis. We have analysed, now action must follow and we must see improved results in the preparatory examinations in September. We need to broaden the notion of accountability as this does not only involve schools that are underperforming, but also schools that are performing well to replicate best practice. Let’s continue to offer support until the last learner finishes writing the last paper”.