Executive Summary

The NECT 10th Anniversary National Convention, held in September 2023, celebrated a decade of the National Education Collaboration Trust's (NECT) work in South Africa's education sector. It brought together key stakeholders from various sectors to reflect on the past 10 years, envision the future, and explore opportunities for education reform. The conference aimed to foster dialogue and collaboration critical to South Africa's education landscape.

Chapter Summaries

  • Chapter 1 highlights key insights and recommendations from the opening remarks by NECT Chairperson. It acknowledges significant progress in South Africa's education sector, emphasising the NECT's role in collaboration and dialogue. Recommendations include sustaining collaboration and committing to long-term development plans.
  • Chapter 2 discusses reflections on the programming and implementation of education change, emphasising the importance of collaboration between the basic education and private sectors.
  • Chapter 3 is divided into four sections, each dedicated to specific discussions, including districts and school roles, policy and systems capacity, education policy, and partnerships and collaboration.
  • Chapter 4 covers discussions related to early grade reading, large-scale change initiatives, policy instruments for driving education reform, and the role of teacher unions and professional associations.
  • Chapter 5 is divided into four sections, each focusing on topics like classroom pedagogics; reading improvement; NECT's role in supporting NDP implementation; and drawing technical capacity from NGOs, academia and the private sector.
  • Chapter 6 outlines concluding remarks, while Chapter 7 concludes the report with a Convention Declaration. This is followed by a gallery showcasing some of the memorable moments we shared together.
The chapters provide valuable insights and recommendations for stakeholders dedicated to improving South Africa's education system, emphasising collaboration, innovation and long-term vision. The convention's discussions also touched on AI integration, language preservation, teacher development, curriculum modernisation and inclusivity, offering policy recommendations to shape the future of education. Unity and collaboration were highlighted as essential in addressing challenges in education and achieving transformative change.