Department of Basic Education

Last updated

Department of Basic Education
South Africa Department of Basic Education logo.png
Logo of the department
Department overview
Formed2009
Preceding Department
Jurisdiction Government of South Africa
HeadquartersSol Plaatje House, Pretoria
25°44′30″S28°11′20″E / 25.74167°S 28.18889°E / -25.74167; 28.18889
Employees730 (2009)
Annual budget R27,000 million (2021/22)
Ministers responsible
Department executive
  • Hubert Mathanzima Mweli, Director-General: Basic Education
Key document
  • South African Schools Act, 1996
Website www.education.gov.za

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) is one of the departments of the South African government. It oversees primary and secondary education in South Africa. It was created in 2009 after the election of President Jacob Zuma, when the former Department of Education was divided into the Department of Basic Education and the Department of Higher Education and Training.

The political head of the department is the Minister of Basic Education; as of May 2009 this is Angie Motshekga. The department oversees all the schools in South Africa, sets up the curriculum for the different grades. DBE works with many stakeholders such as ISASA and NAISA etc. The department is headquartered in Sol Plaatje House, named after the author Sol Plaatje, in Pretoria. [1] This South African ministry has been heavily criticized, especially during the 2012 textbook crisis. [2]

In the 2010 national budget, the department received an appropriation of 6,166.2 million rand, and had 730 employees. [3] In 2019, the department obtained a record matric pass rate of 81.3%. [4]

In 2020, the brand partnered up with eMedia Investments to introduce an educational channel to help learners known as DBE TV on the OpenView platform. [5] Thereafter, they launched a new free-to-air initiative to help out matrics with their exams known as Woza Matrics. In 2020, they had a tough year dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, where schools had to close its doors and open them again.

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References

  1. ↑ "Contact Us." Department of Basic Education. Retrieved on 18 November 2011. "Physical Address Sol Plaatje House 222 Struben Street Pretoria 0001"
  2. ↑ "The causes of the Limpopo textbook crisis - Helen Zille - NEWS & ANALYSIS | Politicsweb". www.politicsweb.co.za. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  3. ↑ "Vote 14: Basic Education" (PDF). Estimates of National Expenditure 2010. Pretoria: National Treasury. 17 February 2010. ISBN   978-0-621-39079-7 . Retrieved 30 August 2010.
  4. ↑ 2019 DBE Matric Results Announcement, archived from the original on 15 December 2021, retrieved 7 January 2020Moodley, Preggie (2020). "2019 DBE Matric Results announcement". SABC News .
  5. ↑ "Entertainment Inside Us: DBE TV to be Added on the OpenView Platform". 31 March 2020.


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