DBE

The Department of Basic Education is a South African government department responsible for the administration and oversight of primary and secondary education in the country. The department falls under the national government and is led by a Cabinet-appointed minister. Its mandate covers curriculum development, educational policy formulation, teacher training standards, school infrastructure planning and the provision of learning materials including textbooks to public schools. The department works in conjunction with provincial education departments, which handle day-to-day school administration and implementation of national policy. Key functions include setting national curriculum frameworks, administering national examinations, regulating independent schools and managing programmes aimed at improving literacy, numeracy and overall educational outcomes. The department also oversees school nutrition schemes, infrastructure grants and interventions to address educational inequality. Textbook procurement and distribution to schools across South Africa's nine provinces is a significant operational responsibility, involving large-scale tendering and logistics. The Department of Basic Education was established in 2009 when the former Department of Education was split into two separate entities: the Department of Basic Education, focusing on primary and secondary schooling, and the Department of Higher Education and Training, which oversees tertiary education and skills development.