Using evaluations to inform policy and practice in a government: Departmentthe case of the department of basic education in South Africa

Abstract

This chapter examines the Department of Basic Education’s (DBE) journey and looks at two mini-cases of the use of evaluations, the Funza Lushaka Bursary Programme for teachers, and the National School Nutrition Programme, which were selected based on the importance of the programmes and the DBE’s intention to use the products and outcomes of the evaluations in strengthening policy support and implementation. The new Department of Education began crafting policy to transform, seek redress, and enable equity and quality education outcomes for all South Africans. Education is shared between the national and provincial levels, with provincial having the responsibility for running the school system and national responsible for policy and functions such as teacher training and universities. Despite South Africa’s middle-income status and a large proportion of government spending on education, the major shortcoming is the quality of education outcomes, which can be seen in relation to our Southern African Development Community neighbours.