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Minister of Basic Education, Ms Siviwe Gwarube, has called for bold and collaborative action to transform South Africa’s education system. Addressing the Western Cape Provincial G20 Education Indaba at the Century City Convention Centre today, Minister Gwarube urged government, universities, and communities to forge stronger partnerships that respond to the evolving needs of learners and educators.

“This gathering is purposeful,” said Minister Gwarube. “It is about ensuring that global debates on education are not abstract, but connected to the classrooms in Khayelitsha, the early childhood centres in George, the high schools of Cape Town, and the rural schools stretching across the Karoo and the West Coast.”

The Indaba forms part of South Africa’s G20 Presidency in 2025, under the theme Taking the G20 to the People. Minister Gwarube emphasised that this moment presents a unique opportunity to align global education priorities with local realities.

Education focus areas

She highlighted two key focus areas from the G20 education agenda that resonate deeply with South Africa’s challenges:

• Quality foundational learning: Strengthening literacy and numeracy in the early years.
• Professional development for a changing world: Equipping teachers for classrooms shaped by artificial intelligence, climate change, migration, and economic uncertainty.

“High-performing systems around the world inspire us,” Minister Gwarube said. “But these models cannot simply be copied. We must design a South African — and indeed a Western Cape — model rooted in our realities, enriched by global best practice, and driven by our vision for excellence.”

Six areas of focus

To support this transformation, Minister Gwarube proposed six strategic areas:

• Policy alignment and responsiveness – Updating teacher training to reflect national priorities, including ECD and bilingual education.
• Professional learning communities – Fostering collaboration between subject advisers and university academics.
• Teacher supply and demand planning – Aligning bursary schemes and recruitment with the needs of under-resourced schools.
• Strengthening work-integrated learning – Ensuring student teachers gain practical experience in diverse school settings.
• Seamless induction and continuous professional development – Supporting teachers throughout their careers.
• Joint monitoring, evaluation, and research – Leveraging government data and academic expertise to drive evidence-based reform.

“These actions will help align teacher education with provincial needs, close gaps in subject specialisations, and embed lifelong professional development in the teaching profession,” she said.

Conclusion

In closing, Minister Gwarube made a powerful call for collective responsibility:

“The G20 is asking for transformative leadership. In education, that leadership begins with us — right here in provinces like the Western Cape. This Indaba must not be remembered for speeches alone, but for the partnerships it builds and the commitments it inspires.”

She urged national and provincial departments, universities, and communities to collaborate deliberately and practically, adding:

“If we meet this moment with rigour, creativity, and a refusal to accept mediocrity, the ripple effects of our work here today will be felt in every classroom across South Africa — and beyond our borders.”

Issued by Department of Basic Education