Basic Education Minister, Ms Siviwe Gwarube, accompanied by Deputy Minister, Dr Reginah Mhaule, recently hosted the Ministry’s first quarterly meeting with District Directors on 24 April 2026. District Directors are responsible for the effective coordination and administration of teaching and learning in all 75 districts across the nine provinces and the meetings remain a critical platform for sharing best practice and improving quality academic outcomes within schools. The next meeting is set for 23 July 2026, culminating in the annual National Education Excellence Awards (NEEAs) on 24 July 2026.
The NEEAs were designed to recognise excellence across districts through various categories including, amongst others, Top Performing District based in National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination performance and the highest bachelor passes achieved; Participation versus Performance in some Gateway Subjects: Accounting, Mathematics and Physical Science; Most Improved District; Excellence in District Leadership and Management; Excellence in Support for Improving Primary Schools Learning Outcomes; Recognising Inclusive Education: Best Improved Full-Service Schools; Upkeep and Maintenance of School Infrastructure and Facilities: Primary and Secondary Schools; Top performing Public Ordinary Schools from Quintile 1 to 5; and the Special Ministerial Award.
During her meeting with District Directors, Minister Gwarube said that District Directors have kept the system steady throughout the start of the 2026 academic year amidst flooding, scholar transport, admissions and fiscal challenges. “The Ministry values the work done by District Directors; the improvement in the National Senior Certificate (NSC) results is as a result of your commitment at the forefront of the issues we are facing on the ground, resulting in the stabilisation of the education system. Owing to your leadership, all districts have performed above the 80% pass rate, even in rural districts”. The Minister identified three main areas of focus: the filling of educator vacancies; the procuring and delivery of Learning and Teaching Support Material (LTSM) and textbooks to ensure that learning and teaching time is protected; and the importance of Foundational Literacy and Numeracy: “Grade R is mandatory and we have to ensure that we have qualified Grade R practitioners in our schools; Foundational literacy and numeracy should be strengthened for children to take up Mathematics, Science and Technology later in their schooling career”.
Deputy Minister Mhaule reiterated President Ramaphosa’s call for Mathematics improvement by the end of the 2026 academic year. Mr Seliki Tlhabane, Chief Director for MST and Curriculum Enhancement Programmes, responded that the DBE will be working closely with districts to improve Mathematics participation rates and strengthen monitoring, along with the implementation and expansion of Mathematics Fridays to the Further Education and Training (FET) band.
Dr Khanyi Mantshongo, Acting Director for Provincial, District Planning and Implementation Support at the DBE, confirmed that discussions during these meetings proved fruitful with strategies to improve throughput rates; participation in Mathematics; and the development and implementation of District Development Plans, amongst the main areas for deliberation. A wide variety of presentations shed light on, amongst others, Term 1 Learner Performance; the Modernisation of SASAMS; the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act (BELA) Regulations; Expansion of Focus Schools; the Continuing Professional Teacher Development (CPTD) Online Platform; The School Safety Sector Audit and Monitoring; the General Education Certificate (GEC); Entrepreneurship, Employability and Education Programme; the quality assurance of School-Based Assessments; and the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Schools (WinS) programme. Provinces shared strategies to improve Mathematics participation and throughput rates and development and implementation of District Improvement Plans.
In closing, Minister Gwarube provided assurance that the DBE will continue to work closely with Education Districts to assist them to support schools: “I am looking forward to more robust discussions on strategies that require our collective efforts in preparing learners for the skills of the changing world, from Early Childhood Development (ECD) to empowering them to access post-school employment and developing as holistically-functioning South African citizens”.