The Overview: Eastern Cape’s 3rd Education Partnerships Conference

The 3rd Eastern Cape Education Partnerships Conference, held on 6 and 7 August 2026 in KuGompo City and co-hosted by the Eastern Cape Department of Education, NASCEE and DGMT, took Advancing Learning Outcomes Through Stronger School Government and Civil Society Partnerships as its theme.

The theme reflected a central challenge facing the education sector. Many organisations are committed to improving education, but commitment alone does not guarantee collective progress. Strong partnerships depend on shared priorities, clearly defined roles and an honest understanding of what each partner can contribute.

Attendees search for their name tags at the registration desk at the 3rd annual Partnerships Conference 2026.

“Partnerships don't fail because people don't care. They fail when purpose, priorities and implementation aren't aligned. They require honesty about what is working, where the gaps are, and what each partner could realistically contribute. ” Dr Naledi Mbude-Mehana

This need for greater alignment was reflected in the broader call for government and civil society to move beyond working

alongside one another towards more productive forms of collaboration. Dr Crai

g Paxton noted:

“There’s a lot of movement towards the space where we are partnering together in productive ways. This includes the government and civil society.”

Beginning with the education priorities of the seventh administration, the programme examined where government and civil society efforts were aligned and where gaps remained between policy, planning and implementation. Conversations explored five common areas of misalignment within education partnerships, what effective collaboration with government looks like in practice, the realities of teaching and learning in multilingual classrooms, and the Eastern Cape Reading Strategy. Although these discussions approached the education system from different perspectives, they repeatedly returned to the same conclusion: improving learning outcomes cannot depend on individual organisations working harder in isolation.

IMAGE 2: Insights on strengthening education partnerships and collaboration.

Day 2 extended the partnership conversation by focusing on young people's role in strengthening education and the pathways these opportunities

could create for them. Through discussions on the future of BEEI, training and ongoing support, and sustainable youth pathways, one central point emerged: placement alone is not enough. If youth employment programmes are to benefit both schools and participants, scale must be matched by quality training, mentorship, clearly defined roles and consistent support.

IMAGE 3: Young people shared how SEF and BEEI shaped their journeys.

The discussions also highlighted the need to connect temporary work opportunities to longer-term education, employment and livelihood pathways. This requires the government, civil society, employers and training institutions to work together so that young people leave these programmes with stronger skills, experience and clearer next steps.

The Youth Voices panel grounded this conversation in the experiences of former SEF and BEEI participants from Axium Education, Masinyusane Development, Small Projects Foundation and the Eastern Cape Department of Education. Their reflections reinforced why young people should help shape the programmes intended to support them. The closing focus on Youth Capital's PEPs4Youth campaign carried this message forward, calling for

sustained public employment opportunities that create value for communities and credible pathways for young people.

Across both days, the conference made the case for intentional spaces where people at different levels of the education system can learn from each other, take stock of what is working, and strengthen how they work together. Progress will not come from any one organisation doing more on its own. It depends on shared priorities, clearer roles, and young people playing a part in the work.