South Africa has seen yet another beacon of light in this coalition between ANC and the DA.
Our new minister of education, Siviwe Gwarube born in the Eastern Cape began her career in politics as a personal staff member in communications working her way up to being elected in 2019 as a MP.
Mrs Gwarube studied law, politics and philosophy at Rhodes University in Grahamstown. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 2012. In her final year as a student, Siviwe was recruited into the DA Young Leaders Programme. This is where she met Lindiwe Mazibuko, the leader of the opposition, who become her mentor.
Siviwe Gwarube , the youngest Cabinet minister in South has plans to improve the standard of basic education in the country.
Stepping into the Ministry of Basic Education, Gwarube faces myriad challenges, including dilapidated schools, a shortage of basic supplies, overcrowded classrooms, bureaucratic inequalities that divide the education system.
In the Daily Maverick Newspaper, she emphasises that her priority is to meet with her team and get a good sense of where the department is at, she later added that she is more concerned about the literacy and numeracy rates in South Africa.
Although infrastructure falls under the Department of Public Works, she plans to leverage relevant legislation to eradicate pit toilets that are still being used at schools at this day of time.
On the controversial Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) Bill, Gwarube advocates for a balanced approach. The DA argues that the Bela Bill undermines the authority of school governing body and centralises decision-making power.
The current president, Cyril Ramaphosa identified ECD centres as top education priority in the next 5years. He addressed during the State of the Nation Address that over the next five years, they will focus their attention on expanding access to early childhood development and improving early grade reading, where they have already started to see progress. He furthers goes to say that, moving early childhood development to the Department of Education was one of the most important decisions as they are now able to devote more resources to ECD and ensure that through cooperative governance, various departments of government get involved in the ECD augmented by the Department of Basic education.
Dr Janeil Kotze, Acting Director for ECD updated the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education on the five key priority for ECD implementation in 2024. She stated during the SONA meeting that the government is implementing its 2030 Strategy for universal access and will target resources for vulnerable families and children in townships, informal housing and deep rural areas to benefit. A social Compact for ECD will be launched to ensure strengthened coordination and Integration. She added that implementing partners will assist with expanding access, quality improvement and support and that parental involvement is crucial for the implementation of the model.
