The appointment of the new Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has been met with a chorus of demands. Stakeholders are urging her to prioritise eradicating pit latrines, addressing overcrowding, building school infrastructure, and reforming the curriculum. While these issues are undeniably critical, Education Analyst and CEO of IDEA, Dr Corrin Varady, emphasises that before tackling them, the minister should establish a new vision of success for the department and education in South Africa, along with Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) aligned with international standards to ensure educational excellence. “It certainly is not a 30% matric pass mark.”
“For the department to deliver outcomes-based learning and address current challenges, Minister Gwarube will need to consider revamping the budget to ensure that it is spent appropriately to meet these goals,” he points out. “Consultation and trust-building with provincial departments will be crucial in this regard as they have autonomy over their budgets and student needs. Despite her being a product of the Democratic Alliance (DA), as the national department leader, she must work effectively with all provinces regardless of differences in political affiliation.”