Department of Basic Education

The Department of Basic Education is one of the departments of the South African government. It oversees primary and secondary education in South Africa. It was created in 2009 after the election of President Jacob Zuma, when the former Department of Education was divided.The political head of the department is the Minister of Basic Education; this is Angie Motshekga. The department is headquartered in Sol Plaatje House, named after the author Sol Plaatje, in Pretoria. This South African ministry has been heavily criticized, especially during the 2012 textbook crisis.In the 2010 national budget, the department received an appropriation of 6,166.2 million rand, and had 730 employees.