Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube announced an independent probe into textbook procurement and outlined priorities for early childhood development during her 2026/27 budget vote on 26 May.
Gwarube tabled a R38.2-billion budget focused on school nutrition, infrastructure and early childhood development. She allocated R11-billion for nutrition programmes, R16-billion for infrastructure including sanitation, R4.6-billion for early childhood development and smaller amounts for mathematics, science and learners with disabilities.
She ordered an urgent independent investigation into the Foundation Phase National Catalogue process for grades 1 to 3 textbooks. The probe follows concerns from National Treasury over deviations from competitive bidding procedures.
Gwarube also announced a shift to a broader set of quality indicators for provincial performance instead of relying solely on matric pass rates. Three provinces, KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and the Northern Cape, were placed under a new multi-disciplinary support team due to budget shortfalls.
The minister reported that 99.9 percent of identified pit latrines from the 2018 backlog have been eradicated, with one project remaining. She expressed frustration at the time taken to complete the work.
