The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education Chairperson, Ms. Joy Maimela, has extended her best wishes to the learners, teachers, and parents as the public schools are set to reopen for the 2026 academic year. She mentioned the major importance of this event to the learners starting their education journey at the foundation phase and the learners taking their final important year at the senior phase.
Along with welcoming back students, the chairperson has expressed important concerns about the province of KwaZulu-Natal. Even with the province performing so well in the National Senior Certificate examination results in 2025, there are reports about the late distribution of the Learner Teacher Support Material to the no-fee-paying schools in the province, as highlighted by Ms. Maimela.
The committee has also taken note of the crisis in the province of Limpopo, whereby the flooding has damaged infrastructure, making it impossible for some schools to reopen. The Department of Basic Education has been encouraged to implement contingency measures in a bid to ensure the learners’ right to education. The committee intends to conduct oversight visits in the affected provinces at the end of the month.
The other ongoing challenge experienced is the placement of learners, especially in Gauteng and the Western Cape. On the first day of school, hundreds of learners find themselves without confirmed school placement. Ms. Maimela emphasized that urgent intervention is needed to place these learners, and she declared, “It cannot be that any child is excluded because of something that is purely an administrative delay or inefficiency in planning.”
The chairperson reiterated several constitutional rights that every learner has regarding basic education. She urged provincial departments to strengthen their coordination of admission and to provide alternative placements in case of inadequate infrastructure. The committee will continue strict oversight throughout 2026 to ensure the functionality, safety, and proper resourcing of all schools for the benefit of student success.
