Minister Gwarube makes 12 major education reform announcements during 2026 Department of Basic Education Budget Vote
The Minister of Basic Education, Honourable Siviwe Gwarube, has tabled the Department of Basic Education 2026/27 Budget under the theme “Strong Foundations for Strong Futures,” outlining a bold programme of reforms aimed at strengthening foundational learning, improving teacher accountability, supporting teacher development, and expanding access to quality Early Childhood Development (ECD).
Minister Gwarube made 12 major announcements that signal the next phase of education reform under the 7th Administration.
The Minister announced that ECD centre registrations have grown by 200% since 2021. Expanding access1.2 million children across South Africa.
To further strengthen early childhood development, Minister Gwarube announced the launch of an ECD Nutrition Pilot in the Eastern Cape aimed at addressing child hunger, malnutrition, and stunting during the most critical years of child development.
The Minister also announced that the Department of Basic Education will develop national screen-time guidelines for children aged 2 to 6 years. The guidelines will assist parents, caregivers, and schools to protect children’s development of language, memory, attention span, and social development amid growing concerns around excessive exposure to phones and tablets during early childhood. Acting Director – Communication and Research: Terence Khala – 081 758 1546 DBE Media Liaison Officer: Lukhanyo Vangqa 066 302 1533
In a major legislative development, Minister Gwarube confirmed that the Children’s Amendment Bill has now been approved by Cabinet and will proceed through Parliament.
“The Bill is critical to unlocking a more efficient, child-centred ECD system so that vulnerable children are not excluded from support because of unnecessary red tape,” said the Minister.
The Minister further announced the establishment of a Multi-Disciplinary Technical Support Team to assist Provincial Education Departments facing severe financial pressures to recover and return to sustainable financial paths.
The Team will consist of experienced technical advisors who will support provinces on budget planning, financial analysis, school resourcing, and financial stabilisation to protect classroom delivery and improve governance.
As part of the Department’s continued focus on foundational learning, Minister Gwarube announced that 10 000 Foundation Phase teachers will receive targeted literacy and numeracy training in 2026/27, while the Department refreshes implementation of the National Reading Literacy Strategy.
Recognising growing administrative burdens placed on educators, the Minister announced that the Department will issue directives to schools to drastically reduce the number of reporting tools teachers are required to complete.
“We are reducing the administrative burden on teachers, educators must spend more time teaching children and less time filling in unnecessary paperwork” the Minister said.
In one of the most significant reforms announced during the Budget Vote, Minister Gwarube revealed that the Department will begin ranking provincial matric performance through an inclusive basket of quality indicators, rather than allowing a single matric pass-rate percentage to dominate the national conversation.
The revised approach will consider indicators such as learner retention, bachelor passes, literacy and numeracy progression, mathematics participation, and overall learning improvement. Acting Director – Communication and Research: Terence Khala – 081 758 1546 DBE Media Liaison Officer: Lukhanyo Vangqa 066 302 1533
The Minister also announced that the Department of Basic Education will launch an independent external forensic investigation into the Foundation Phase National Catalogue process.
On funding, Minister Gwarube confirmed that the Department has been allocated R38.2 billion for the 2026/27 financial year, despite ongoing fiscal constraints.
Of this allocation:
- R32.7 billion consists of conditional grants;
- R11 billion has been allocated to the National School Nutrition Programme;
- R16 billion has been allocated to the Education Infrastructure Grant; and
- R4.6 billion has been allocated to the Early Childhood Development Grant.
The Minister reaffirmed government’s commitment to improving literacy and numeracy outcomes, strengthening infrastructure delivery, protecting learners, supporting teachers, and modernising education governance.
“We must build strong foundations for strong futures. The future of South Africa depends on the quality of education we provide to every child today,” concluded Minister Gwarube.
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