By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Basic Education Minister, Siviwe Gwarube is going to set up an advisory body to review whether the progression and promotion programme in schools is still achieving their intended goals.
This review will focus on all the requirements, including the policies that dictate the conditions under which pupils can pass or be promoted from each grade.
In the coming weeks I will be constituting an advisory body, the National Education and Training Council, to advise me on matters including school resourcing, teacher workloads and progression and promotion requirements, said Gwarube.
“Whether the pass mark should be 30, 40 or 50% in which subjects must be subjected to a well-researched process of experts. We must be responsible with the curriculum of our children,” she said in Parliament.
Tabling the Department of Basic Education’s (DBE) Budget Vote on Thursday, the Minister said the budget is a signal of continued commitment to targeted investments that close gaps and unlock every learner’s potential.
This as the DBE received a total budget of over R35 billion – an increase of over 8% from last year.
The Early Child Development (ECD) Conditional Grant received increases to over R1.7 billion; with over R230 million allocated to an ECD Nutrition Pilot and R162 million set aside for ECD infrastructure.
Over R4.6 billion has been allocated to Curriculum Policy Support and Monitoring – an increase of over 14% enabling national oversight, teacher support and curriculum delivery.
The department’s R1.2 billion Workbook Programme will continue to provide quality learning materials from Grades R to 9 — including Braille and adaptive formats.
The district teams are being strengthened to offer diagnostic support with the department investing over R1.8 billion in teacher training, mentorship and leadership.
R15.3 billion Education Infrastructure Grant (EIG) will be used by provinces to eliminate pit toilets, expand classrooms and repair schools.
Gwarube added that over nine million learners rely on the school nutrition programme.
“R10 billion will feed over nine million learners daily while we’re improving menus, delivery and local sourcing.
This budget reflects our constitutional duty and belief in education as the most powerful lever for transformation.
The Minister said the DBE has actively supported the sector in implementing the BELA Act, which came into effect on 24 December 2024.
The Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act which amends sections of the South African Schools Act of 1996 (SASA) and the Employment of Educators Act, 1998 (EEA) to account for developments in the education landscape since the enactment of the original legislation.