DATA TRACKING SHOWS IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL GRANTS

By Precious Mupenzi

• The portfolio committee on social development has commended the Department of Social Development on using a real-time data tracking system to inform policy decisions.
• The system provides valuable insights into the educational progress of grant recipients, highlighting that social grants play a significant role in school retention and academic performance, Acting Deputy Director-General: Corporate Services Lumka Oliphant told the committee on 12 February 2025.
• In the Class of 2024, 79% of the 882 336 learners who wrote the National Senior Certificate exams were social grant beneficiaries.

The Department of Social Development showed the parliamentary portfolio committee how a newly-implemented data tracking system is able to provide valuable insights into the role social grants play in helping young people stay in school.

This formed part of a comprehensive report to the portfolio committee on social development on 12 February 2025, at Parliament’s Marks Building in Cape Town.

The meeting began with a review of the Central Drug Authority’s annual report 2023/2024 before focusing on the Department of Social Development’s tracking system.

The data tracking initiative, led by the department’s Information Management Systems and Technology division, aims to assess the impact of financial support on educational outcomes.

The system provides valuable insights into the educational progress of grant recipients, highlighting that social grants play a significant role in school retention and academic performance, Acting Deputy Director-General: Corporate Services Lumka Oliphant told the committee.

“The role of social grants in education extends beyond financial support,” Oliphant said.

“We are seeing that these grants help young people stay in school and improve their chances of academic success. The data we have collected will inform our future strategies and shape effective policies to provide targeted support,” she added.

Presenting the report, the department’s Data Warehouse and Business Intelligence Manager, Osborn Nongqunga, said the data revealed a strong correlation between social grant support and matriculation completion rates.

In the Class of 2024, 79% of the 882 336 learners who wrote the National Senior Certificate exams were social grant beneficiaries. Of the 697 502 learners who were recipients of social grants, 59% were female and 41% male.

The data also showed that 272 098 of these learners applied for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), with 261 950 provisionally accepted pending final results and institutional admission. This underscores the critical role of financial support in enabling educational success.

Committee chairperson Bridgette Masango commended the department for using data to inform policy decisions.

She emphasised the importance of ensuring that social assistance not only addresses immediate needs but also builds opportunities for young people.

The committee stressed the necessity for continued monitoring and additional policy measures to support learners beyond matriculation.

There was a call for policies that integrate education funding with existing social grant systems to facilitate a seamless transition from basic education to higher learning.

The committee emphasised that children not included in the data set should be a cause for concern.

The members also expressed concerns about immigrant children who are not fully represented in the data due to the lack of identity documentation.

They advocated for measures to document these children, even in the absence of IDs.

Additionally, the committee highlighted the need for interventions for children over 18 whose grants expired but who are still in school, noting that the Social Relief of Distress grant is not a viable solution for them.

The committee urged the department to explore partnerships with the Department of Higher Education to ensure grant beneficiaries receive the necessary support to further their studies. This collaboration aims to provide targeted support, including increased access to bursaries and post-school training, as part of a broader social support framework.

The committee also requested additional insights into how the data can inform strategies for early intervention, particularly for learners excluded from the data.