Minister Gwarube emphasises need for partnerships to strengthen education

Monday, August 18, 2025

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has called for collective leadership and stronger partnerships across government, universities, and communities to transform South Africa’s education system.

“Our challenge and our opportunity lie in

partnerships. For too long, government, universities, and communities have worked alongside each other but not always in full alignment. That must change. We need shared stewardship of the education system, one where accountability is reciprocal and leadership is collective.”

The Minister was speaking at the Western Cape G20 Provincial Education Indaba on Monday.

Held at the Century City Conference Centre, Canal Walk, the event was held under the themes: “Quality Foundational Learning – with emphasis on Early Childhood Development” as well as “Educational Professional Development for a changing world.” 

The Western Cape Education Indaba serves as a response to President Cyril Ramaphosa's recent call for public involvement in the G20 discussions, focusing on the Education Working Group agenda for the 2025 summit. 

Gwarube said the gathering formed part of South Africa’s commitment, as the current G20 President, to bring global debates closer to the realities of ordinary citizens. 

“As G20 President for 2025, South Africa has pledged to ‘take the G20 to the people.’ This is not a slogan, it is a commitment to ensuring that the ideas, policies, and priorities we shape globally are informed by the lived realities of our people. And today, that journey brings us here, to the Western Cape.” 

She commended the Western Cape for its contribution to the country’s economy and education sector, highlighting its recent success in creating 69 000 jobs and maintaining the lowest unemployment rate nationally.

“The Western Cape has also contributed to our country’s educational story. This is a province renowned for its innovation, diversity, and excellence.”

Gwarube said the Indaba was not about abstract discussions but about connecting global priorities to local realities, from early childhood centres in George to high schools in Cape Town and rural schools across the Karoo and the West Coast.

Priorities 

She emphasised two key G20 education priorities – Quality Foundational Learning and Professional Development for a Changing World as crucial to strengthening South Africa’s education system.

“High-performing systems around the world inspire us, including Finland, where every teacher holds a master’s degree, and Singapore, where universities and government work hand-in-hand to define and deliver excellence. 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 injecting excellence in our education system,” Gwarube said. 

The Minister emphasised that the relationship must be deliberate, practical, and unshakably focused on impact. 

“As custodians of knowledge, let us meet this moment with rigour, creativity, and a refusal to accept mediocrity. If we do that, the ripple effects of our work here today will be felt not only in this province’s lecture halls and staffrooms, but in every classroom across South Africa and far beyond our borders," she said. 

The Minister outlined six areas where government and its partners could collaborate to strengthen education in the province:
•    Policy Alignment and Responsiveness – ensuring teacher training stays in line with evolving priorities such as ECD access, literacy, numeracy, and bilingual education.
•    Professional Learning Communities – creating platforms for regular engagement between subject advisers and academics.
•    Teacher Supply and Demand Planning – addressing shortages in high-demand subjects and rural schools.
•    Strengthening Work-Integrated Learning – placing student teachers in schools that offer the right exposure and mentorship.
•    Seamless Induction and Continuous Professional Development – aligning induction programmes with university training.
•    Joint Monitoring, Evaluation, and Research – combining government data with university expertise for evidence-based reforms.

“If we commit to these actions, we will align teacher education with national and provincial priorities; treat teacher development as a lifelong journey; close the gaps between oversupply in some subjects and shortages in others; and build Continuous Professional Development frameworks that are both rigorous and practical,” she said.

Gwarube urged delegates to ensure that the Indaba delivers tangible results.

“This Indaba must not be remembered for speeches alone, but for the partnerships it builds and the commitments it inspires. Let us strengthen the dual responsibility for education between the Department of Basic Education, the Western Cape Provincial Education Department, our universities, and our communities,” she said. – SAnews.gov.za