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National
Department
of Basic
Education

"Every child is a national asset."

What is the DBE?

The Department of Basic Education was formed when the former National Department of Education was split into two: Department of Basic Education and the Department of Higher Education and Training. The DBE deals with all schools from Grade R to Grade 12, including adult literacy programmes. The aim of the DBE is to develop, maintain and support a South African school education system for the 21st century.

Though the DBE deals primarily with the public school system, you can register with the department to home educate your children as an alternative to sending your children to public school.

Registering for Home Education with the DBE

The registration process is reasonably straightforward, and ensures that you are completely aligned with government curriculum requirements for your children's education. You will also be expected to keep records of various aspects of your home education, such as a portfolio of each learner's work, attendance records and more to prove that you are complying with government minimum standards of basic education.

Sample page 1 of Western Cape home education application form from the Department of Basic Education.

To apply, you will first need to download the application form for your province, supply the required documents (these will be listed usually on the first page of the application form, as seen in the sample above). These can be downloaded for your province from the DBE Home Education page, which we have linked below.

visit DBE home education page

Taking the next step with the Department of Basic Education

To learn more about the Department you can visit their website using the button below. We have included contact details or each region in the next section of the page.