4 changes coming to schools in South Africa Subscribe The Department of Basic Education (DBE) is planning a number of changes to national assessments and examinations at the schools in South Africa. Language changes In its annual performance plan for 2021/2022, the department said that this will include an investigation into the use of bilingual question papers for the first time. “In 2021, the DBE will initiate research on the feasibility of introducing bilingual question papers as part of the assessment programme in selected subjects,” it said. “All stakeholders will be consulted and part of the research will entail familiarity with the specialised vocabulary used during the teaching of these subjects and the piloting of the setting of question papers in African languages in two identified subjects for the November 2021 examinations in Grade 11.”