Proteus is working on a National dashboard to monitor and assess performance and progress in education. The dashboard is a visionary project designed to address issues like a lack of transparency, data accessibility and co-ordination. It will provide a centralized platform for stakeholders to work together, align resources, and track progress toward better educational outcomes. This project promises to fast-track positive change and effective collaboration in South African education. 

The challenge

Despite significant expenditure and effort across government, the private sector and civil society, outcomes in South Africa are devastatingly low. There are a number of contributing factors to these low outcomes – with a key issue being poor coordination, alignment and collaboration across sectors. Coordination, alignment and collaboration are made challenging in South Africa primarily due to poor data. 

The National Dashboard for Performance and Progress in Education is a visionary initiative that aims to address these critical challenges facing South Africa’s education system. The dashboard aims to enhance transparency and understanding of the National Development Plan goals, provide access to public data on school performance, address accountability gaps, foster coordination in education service delivery, and improve public awareness of government priorities and progress in the education sector. Additionally, the dashboard seeks to consolidate disparate information regarding the challenges and interventions in the education system, offering a centralized platform to promote collaboration, transparency, and accountability for all. Through these efforts, the project aspires to drive positive change and contribute to an improved educational landscape in South Africa.

What we are doing

We are currently in the process of development, working closey alongside government and key partners in the private sector and civil society to ensure a comprehensive, intuitive, useful and relevant dashboard that all stakeholders can engage with. We are working in consultation with our partners to ensure that the dashboard incorporates the following features:

• NDP Goals for Education: A clear presentation of South Africa’s National Development Plan goals for education, with an initial focus on four key areas:
  • ECD access
  • Primary literacy and numeracy
  • Matric pass and throughput
  • University access, with a specific focus on initial teacher training
• Goal Context and Visualization: A detailed description and visual representation of each NDP goal.
• Targets and Indicators: Clear identification of targets and indicators for each NDP goal.
• Progress Data: Regularly updated data for each NDP goal, including expenditure to date, partner organizations contributing to the goals, infographics depicting the number and types of activities, and progress metrics.
• Information Hub: Links to publications, status updates, and policy reforms supporting the NDP goals.

What next?

In July 2026, we soft-launched PULSE, bringing together key stakeholders from government, philanthropy, and the private sector to experience the platform firsthand. The response was encouraging, and we’re now incorporating the feedback gathered into the next phase of development.

We’re continuing to refine the dashboard’s functionality, data integration, and user experience ahead of the final public launch in March 2027 – timed to align with a national conference and key moments in the education calendar. Below is a look at how the dashboard currently looks as we move toward that milestone.