Education technology expert warns of systemic issues following school report delays in Gauteng

The Gauteng Department of Education confirmed that term two reports would be delayed due to technical difficulties with the South African Schools Administration and Management System SA-SAMS. Willem Kitshoff, CEO of the D6 school communications application, stated that this issue is more than a temporary outage, pointing to the education sector's reliance on a single national platform. He raised concerns about data governance, protection, and accountability, given that SA-SAMS contains sensitive personal data for millions of learners, parents, and staff.

Kitshoff called for greater transparency regarding the system's operation, costs, and future modernization. He emphasized the need for a fundamental shift in how education technology systems are designed, supported, and maintained, advocating for systems designed for continuity and resilience rather than just functionality. Kitshoff suggested that the private sector could partner with the government to strengthen these systems, improve underlying architecture, and embed stronger continuity mechanisms.

He views the current disruption as a catalyst for reform, urging a move from reactive fixes to long-term resilience planning, collaboration, and modern infrastructure.