SCORE: C
Under Gwarube, the department has seen some real and visible gains this year: record matric pass rates, a renewed strategic focus on early childhood and foundational learning, progress on sanitation and safety and stronger national oversight on finances.
The implementation of the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act, which Gwarube’s Democratic Alliance party is opposed to, has been cautious and incremental, with training and guidance for provincial officials, principals and school governing bodies. Mother Tongue–based Bilingual Education (MTbBE) was officially extended beyond the Foundation Phase: as of 2025, Grade 4 learners are being taught and assessed in their home language alongside English. Around 11 948 schools across all nine provinces are reported to be implementing MTbBE.
Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI) Phase V was officially launched, placing about 200 000 unemployed young people as education assistants and general school assistants in roughly 20 000 schools across all nine provinces. Challenges however still remain including teacher shortages, infrastructure deficits, poor foundational learning outcomes and structural inequality across provinces.
Overall, Gwarube has laid down a coherent and ambitious policy framework and pushed for reforms; but implementation and resourcing remain a still have some way to go.
SCORE: C Under Gwarube, the department has seen some real and visible gains this year: record matric pass rates, a renewed strategic focus on early childhood and foundational learning, progress on sanitation and safety and stronger national oversight on finances. The implementation of the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act, which Gwarube’s Democratic Alliance party is