President Cyril Ramaphosa says the deaths of 12 pupils in a crash in Vanderbijlpark, south of Joburg, on Monday morning highlighted the urgent need for collective action to ensure scholar transport is safe and reliable.
Speaking at the basic education lekgotla at the Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre in Ekurhuleni, Ramaphosa said the country could not accept a situation where young lives are at risk when travelling to school.
“We cannot let this tragedy pass. We need to act now and we need to act together to ensure that scholar transport is safe and reliable,” he said.
On the same morning Ramaphosa was speaking about the tragedy, a Limpopo scholar transport driver who had allegedly overloaded his seven-seater vehicle with 22 pupils abandoned his vehicle and fled when he saw traffic officers.
We urge parents, drivers and operators to take responsibility for the safety of our children and passengers
— President Cyril Ramaphosa
The department of transport and community safety in Limpopo said it was appalled by the driver’s “reckless behavior” as he put children’s lives at risk.
“The driver abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene upon noticing traffic enforcement. This incident is a stark reminder of the importance of prioritising road safety, especially when transporting learners. Overloading is not only a serious offense but also a recipe for disaster.
“We urge parents, drivers and operators to take responsibility for the safety of our children and passengers.”
Ramaphosa touched on education outcomes, saying as a country the commitment to a resilient and capable education system must begin where it matters most, which is in the early grades, where the foundations are laid.
He said strengthening early grade reading and numeracy was a national priority.
“When children have not learnt to read for meaning or to work confidently with numbers by the end of the foundation phase, the cost is borne by the entire education system.
“Unless we get it right at the outset, learners spend the rest of their school careers trying to catch up,” he said.
He said the government was intensifying its focus on evidence-based teaching of literacy and numeracy.
The government was also working towards ensuring that every classroom was supported by a coherent curriculum and well-trained teachers.
He said they were also ensuring that every classroom had quality, age-appropriate, grade-specific and culturally relevant learning and teaching support materials.
“By investing in foundational learning, we are building a resilient education system that can sustain learning, adapt to shocks and equip every child with the skills needed to thrive in a rapidly changing world.”
Even more encouraging is that over the past decade the education sector has doubled the number of learners qualifying for admission to bachelor studies
— Ramaphosa
Ramaphosa said the 2025 National Senior Certificate results reinforced the view that without strong foundations in the early years, inequality re-emerges later in the schooling system.
“Over the past 30 years, the department has achieved a remarkable turnaround. Three decades ago, only around half of learners obtained a matric certificate. Last year, 88% of learners attained the National Senior Certificate.
“Even more encouraging is that over the past decade the education sector has doubled the number of learners qualifying for admission to bachelor studies.
“Perhaps the most profound achievement of the Class of 2025 is what I would describe as a silent revolution. More than 66% of learners who qualified for admission to bachelor studies came from no-fee schools.”
He said this meant that the country was making great advances in its struggle against poverty.
Ramaphosa said it was distressing that nearly half a million children who entered Grade 1 in 2014 left school before reaching their matric year in 2025.
He said most of these pupils dropped out between grades 10 and 12.
The president called on the department, teachers, parents and communities to counsel pupils who were contemplating leaving and to work together to ensure that pupils completed their schooling.
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