Parliament, Tuesday, 10 March 2026 – The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education today called for stricter accountability in how the Department of Basic Education spends public funds. The committee noted that the department has spent about 80% of its adjusted budget by the end of the third quarter of the 2025/26 financial year, while performance targets in some areas were not met.
The department on Tuesday briefed the committee on its performance in the third quarter of the 2025/2026 financial year.
The committee Chairperson, Ms Joy Maimela, further cautioned that departmental performance reports should not rely solely on numbers. Ms Maimela noted that what is needed is a comprehensive narrative that explains the realities in schools. This, the Chairperson noted, will provide the committee with better insight into the challenges and the effectiveness of the department’s efforts.
Members highlighted a variance of approximately R262 million below projected expenditure. This sparked concerns about the efficiency of provincial spending. Members called for clarity on the factors contributing to this and asked what mechanisms are in place to ensure provinces spend conditional grants efficiently.
The committee requested that the department identify which provinces were underperforming in spending conditional grants, particularly those relating to infrastructure and early childhood development (ECD) programmes. Members expressed concerns about the low level of spending on school infrastructure, which accounted for only 40.9 per cent of the school infrastructure backlog grant for the 2025/26 financial year. The committee pointed out that this low expenditure comes at a time when many schools are facing overcrowding and urged the department to consider tracking infrastructure delivery as a key performance indicator to strengthen oversight.
Members further emphasised the need for spending and programme delivery to be aligned. They noted that underspending may mean that much-needed services are not being delivered and conditions in schools are not improving. The committee also stressed that with 90% of the department’s budget transferred to provinces through conditional grants, there is a need for strong monitoring and accountability mechanisms to ensure funds are used effectively.
To illustrate the need for stronger narrative reporting, Members noted their findings from previous oversight visits, which showed that in some ECD centres, many eligible learners were not fully subsidised due to budget constraints. The Chairperson said such realities should be reflected in departmental reports so that Parliament and communities understand both the progress being made and the limitations in implementing programmes.
The committee noted the expansion of ECD services through the Bana Pele mass registration campaign and requested a breakdown of the increase in these centres by province. They also stressed the need for the department to ensure it has the necessary capacity to inspect and support these centres, particularly in rural areas.
Further concerns were raised about the discrepancy between the number of teachers being trained and the number that are ultimately absorbed into the workforce. The committee noted that the department awarded over 10 000 Funza Lushaka bursaries, but that only 2 662 qualified educators aged 30 or below had been appointed in schools for the first time during the quarter under review. Members urged the department to ensure that its investments in teacher training translate into employment opportunities that will help address teacher shortages.
Members also emphasised the ongoing reports of bullying and gender-based violence in schools while welcoming the DBE–SAPS Safe Schools Protocol. The department launched the programme to strengthen collaboration between schools and law enforcement.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON BASIC EDUCATION, MS JOY MAIMELA.
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact:
Name: Alicestine October (Ms)
Cell: 083 665 4345
E-mail: aoctober@parliament.gov.za
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