The Tshwane North Education District, in partnership with the National Association of Social Change Entities in Education (NASCEE) and Citizen Leader Lab, launched a pilot this month to explore how district-level co-ordination might work in practice.

The initiative aims not to add another programme, but to test a collaborative model built on existing efforts that can be developed and led by the District Partnership Team and potentially replicated across other districts.

The event brought together government officials, non-profit companies, and private sector partners, all aligned for the single purpose of ending duplication, competition, and resource fragmentation in education.

Keynote speakers framed collaboration as both a strategic necessity and a moral imperative.

Gauteng Education Chief Director for Tshwane, Paula Galego, reminded participants that collaboration is embedded in South Africa’s National Development Plan (NDP) and linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4, which calls for inclusive, equitable, and quality education for all.

Galego was candid about the ongoing challenges, saying, “What still doesn’t work is the existence of fragmentation, with organisations competing for resources and visibility. We need to address that”.

Her sentiments were echoed by Soso Motloung, Special Programmes Manager at the MTN Foundation, who highlighted that alignment, not just resources, determines impact.

“When there is collaboration and alignment, using the strength of government, the resources of the private sector and the grassroots insights of NPOs, we can achieve a lot,” she said.

The session was both celebratory and reflective, showcasing progress while confronting challenges.

Sandra de Bruyn, Senior Education Specialist and member of the Tshwane North Partnership Team, highlighted the district’s reliance on partnerships to extend services beyond what state funding alone can support, from zero-rated e-learning platforms to legal and advisory services for school principals.

She cautioned that “there is a backlog of almost two years. The need for collaboration to close this gap is urgent”.

District Director at the Gauteng Department of Education, Thea Coetser, praised Tshwane North’s performance, noting it ranks among the top 10 districts nationally, with more than half of matric learners qualifying for university entrance.

Yet she warned that challenges persist, especially in foundation phase literacy and numeracy, grade 8 and 9 mathematics, and early childhood development.

“This provides a clearer picture of the district’s needs and highlights where collaboration is most needed,” she said.

NASCEE Chairperson, Lungile Zakwe, underscored the pilot’s importance in aligning civil society efforts with government priorities.

“Historically, the problem is that civil society’s work has been fragmented and not aligned with government goals. NASCEE exists to close this gap,” she explained.

NASCEE’s data and analytics lead, Davina Murphy, introduced the National Education Directory, a platform mapping school needs and profiling organisations able to meet them.

“If we describe the education system as a bus, then everyone must be pushing in the same direction to move that bus forward,” said Murphy.

The practical portion of the day featured an interactive workshop led by Citizen Leader Lab CEO and NASCEE board member, Komala Pillay, alongside facilitator Dr Mariette Myburgh.

Participants engaged in dialogue around three key questions: what is needed to increase collaboration, what first steps are necessary, and what commitments can be made.

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