In an effort to measure education sector performance, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) commissioned the School Monitoring Survey (SMS) 2011/12, the second SMS in 2017 (DBE, 2017) and the third SMS in 2021 (DBE, 2021).
The aim of the School Monitoring Survey is to monitor progress towards the achievement of some of the goals and indicators set out in the sector plan, Action Plan to 2024: Towards the Realisation of Schooling 2030 (Action Plan 2019) and the Delivery Agreement for Outcome 1: Improved quality of basic education.