Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has announced a series of reforms aimed at strengthening basic education, improving financial accountability and expanding early childhood development (ECD), while warning that growing financial pressures in provincial education departments threaten service delivery in schools.
Presenting Budget Vote 16 for basic education under the theme “Strong foundations for a strong future” on Tuesday, Gwarube said South Africa's education system is failing the majority of children before they reach higher grades.
Using the example of two hypothetical 10-year-old children – Lindiwe, who attended a well-equipped ECD centre, and Nelson, who did not – the minister said inequality starts long before matriculation.
He said, “More than 90% of South African children are Nelsonians, not Lindiwe. This is the education injustice of our times.”
Gwarube said that over the past two years the department's focus has shifted towards “reform, discipline and delivery” despite severe financial constraints.
The Minister identified quality ECD, literacy and numeracy, inclusive education, teacher development, infrastructure and governance as the key priorities of the Department.
A major focus of the speech was the expansion of ECD access. Gwarube announced that the government has surpassed its target of registering 10,000 ECD centers in a year by registering over 13,300 centres.
According to the minister, ECD registrations are expected to increase by 200% between 2021 and 2026, with more than 1.2 million children now accessing registered ECD programmes.
He also confirmed that the ECD Nutrition Pilot to address childhood undernutrition has begun implementation in the Eastern Cape.
“This directly responds to Thrive by Five's findings that 7% of South African children are stunted due to malnutrition,” he said.
Gwarrub announced plans to develop national screen-time guidelines for children aged two to six amid concerns about excessive screen exposure impairing childhood development.
Additionally, the Department is reviewing the 2004 White Paper on e-learning and developing national guidance on the use of artificial intelligence in classrooms.
“Our vision is clear: the machine can assist, but the teacher must decide, the learner must think and the system must protect trust,” she said.
On the implementation of mandatory Grade R, Gwarube said the government faces major funding challenges.
He revealed that aligning Grade R practitioner salaries with Foundation Stage teachers and hiring additional teachers would cost about R10 billion in the medium term.
Because the National Treasury did not allocate the full amount required, the Department redirected R800 million from the ECD grant to address immediate Grade R pressures.
He said, “It is not ideal, but doing nothing would be worse. We will continue to engage the National Treasury for sustainable long-term funding.”
BELA Act and other draft regulation
The Minister also underlined the progress in implementing the BELA Act and said that draft regulations on admissions, school capacity and learner pregnancy have already been published for public comment.
Additional draft rules will be applicable on teacher development, home education and school governing body elections during the financial year.
The government is also working on amending the South African Schools Act to formally recognize and regulate online schools.
Meanwhile, Cabinet has approved the Children Amendment Bill, which Gwarube described as crucial to creating a “more efficient, child-centred ECD system”.
Financial position of departments
The minister expressed concern over the deteriorating financial condition of many provincial education departments.
He recalled that a fiscal analysis conducted in 2024 projected that many provinces would face serious budget shortfalls over the period of the medium-term expenditure framework.
Those risks are now materializing in KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and the Northern Cape, he said.
In response, Guarube announced the establishment of a multidisciplinary recovery technical assistance team to assist provinces with budget planning, financial analysis and school resourcing.
“When provincial education finance fails, learners are the first to suffer,” she said.
payments to schools
The minister also warned provinces against delaying payment of norms and standards to schools.
“These funds are not optional. These are not a favor to schools. They are the lifeblood of teaching and learning,” he said.
Training and Administrative Burden
Gwarube said the government will intensify support for basic education by training 10,000 foundation stage teachers in literacy and numeracy during the current financial year.
The department is also reviewing the administrative burden placed on teachers.
He said, “I am pleased to announce that the National Council on Education and Training has submitted proposals to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy, and the Department will soon issue instructions to provinces to reduce reporting tools.”
He said the Funza Lushaka Bursary Program has increasingly prioritized Foundation Stage teaching.
According to the minister, 55% of scholarships are allocated for foundation stage education in 2026, up from 42% in 2025.
Improvement
Gwarube also announced reforms to the way provincial education performance is measured.
Welcoming the Class of 2025's national matric pass rate of 88% – the highest in South African history – he argued that quality cannot be assessed on pass rates alone.
The department will now rank provincial performance using a broader “basket of indicators” including graduate pass attainment, distinctions, gateway subject participation and learner retention rates.
“This will give South Africans a more honest picture of the quality, participation, progress and depth of the subject,” he said.
The Minister further confirmed that disciplinary and criminal processes are underway after examination irregularities were discovered in a small number of scripts in Gauteng during the 2025 matriculation examinations.
Read | Basic Education confirms integrity of NSC examinations
infrastructure
On infrastructure, Gwaruba announced that 99.9% of pit latrines identified under the 2018 SAFE Initiative backlog have been eliminated, with only one project remaining under construction.
However, he admitted disappointment over the delay.
“I'm glad we're closing the last project on that backlog, but angry that it took so long. Project management in the public service must improve,” he said.
The government has allocated R16.3 billion through education infrastructure grants for sanitation, safety, congestion reduction and rural infrastructure projects.
Foundation Stage National Catalog
The Minister also announced an independent external investigation into the Foundation Stage National Catalog procurement process following concerns over potential irregularities.
This process pertains to procurement of instructional material for classes 1 to 3.
While the National Treasury's assessment was inconclusive, Gwarub said there were sufficient concerns regarding deviations from competitive bidding processes to require a full investigation.
“This investigation should be immediately conducted by a reputable, independent law firm with the expertise, credibility and capability to withstand the investigation.
“Corruption in education is never victimless. And neither is weak administration. Children ultimately pay the price of both,” he said.
to rule well
Budget Vote 16 allocates R38.2 billion for fiscal year 2026/27, including R32.7 billion for conditional grants.
This includes approximately R11 billion for school nutrition, R16 billion for school infrastructure, R4.6 billion for ECD, R477 million for mathematics, science and technology and R307 million for learners with disabilities.
Concluding his address, Gwarube said the government would ultimately be judged not by policy announcements but by whether children “can read better, count better, learn in safety, eat at school and leave school with a stronger future because we have governed well.” – sanews.gov.za