President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa’s historic 88% matric pass rate is a clear sign of progress in improving the quality of education. He was delivering the keynote address at the 2026 Basic Education Lekgotla in Boksburg.
Ramaphosa called on the private sector to play a more active role in shaping the education system by clearly articulating the skills they require from future employees. He said companies should begin identifying and nurturing potential talent from an early age.
“Even at a young age, they must begin to identify and nurture the learners they would want to bring into their companies,” the president said. “This is the time for them to go into schools and showcase exactly what they do.”
He stressed that greater emphasis must be placed on the quality of teaching and learning outcomes, particularly in the early grades, which he described as the foundation of the entire education system.
“As a country, our commitment to a resilient and capable education system must begin where it matters most — in the early grades, where the foundations for all future learning are laid,” Ramaphosa said.
The president identified early grade reading and numeracy as both a national priority and a moral imperative, warning that failure at this stage has long-term consequences for learners and the education system as a whole.
“When children do not learn to read for meaning or work confidently with numbers by the end of the Foundation Phase, the cost is borne by the entire education system,” he said. “Unless we get it right at the outset, learners spend the rest of their school careers trying to catch up.”
Ramaphosa also expressed concern about learner dropouts, linking them to repetition, weak progression and the loss of human potential. He said government is intensifying its focus on evidence-based teaching methods for literacy and numeracy.
“We are working to ensure that every classroom is supported by a coherent curriculum, well-trained teachers, and high-quality, age-appropriate and culturally relevant learning materials,” he said.
According to the president, sustained investment in foundational learning will help build a resilient education system capable of adapting to future challenges and equipping learners with the skills needed for a rapidly changing world.
The Basic Education Lekgotla brings together senior education officials, policymakers and key stakeholders to map the way forward for South Africa’s education sector.
