South Africa
OECD
11%
3/28
AI Gap Index
1/10
Schools
0/8
Workforce
1/6
Governance
1/4
Access
Schools 1/10
D1 AI literacy curriculum exists in schools 1 CAPS includes introductory coding and robotics; the 2024 National AI Policy Framework endorses curriculum reform toward AI literacy; however, the DBE has not issued AI-specific school guidance as of May 2026, leaving teachers without a shared framework. [1]
D2 Curriculum is binding law or mandate 0
D3 Ethics component included in curriculum 0
D4 Teacher training mandated and funded before rollout 0
D5 Dedicated funding attached to the requirement 0
Workforce 0/8
D6 Employers legally required to train all employees 0
D7 Training must cover ethics and critical evaluation 0
D8 Pre-redundancy training obligation exists 0
D9 Workers have rights when AI used in employment decisions 0
Civil Service & Governance 1/6
D10 Civil servants working with AI must receive training 1 National AI Policy Framework (August 2024) sets strategic direction for AI governance; no dedicated independent AI regulator with enforcement powers has been established. [1]
D11 Minimum training standard is defined 0
D12 Enforcement mechanism exists with named authority 0
Public Access 1/4
D13 Free or publicly funded AI literacy resources available 1 Microsoft partnership with the Department of Higher Education and Training targets digital and AI skills for one million South Africans by 2026; publicly accessible training through the collaboration. DHET-Google MoU adds 10,000 scholarships and Generative AI for Educators programme via public universities, TVET and CET colleges (April 2026). [1]
D14 Digital infrastructure support for schools and institutions 0
Subregion map
Coloured regions are scored. Grey = no data yet. Click a region to open its profile.
Sources
- 1. Policy south africa national ai policy framework 2026-03-19
- 2. Sentiment south africa mercer global talent trends 2026-04-14
- 3. Policy south africa national ai policy cabinet approval 2026-03-25
- 4. Policy south africa dhet google ai scholarships 2026-04-02
- 5. Policy south africa national ai policy withdrawn 2026-04-27
- 6. Sentiment south africa ai schools policy gap 2026-05-22
Regions & states
Subregions inherit supranational obligations from their parent country but may have additional local policy. Scores reflect local policy only.
Region
Schools /10
Workforce /8
Governance /6
Access /4
Total
Eastern Cape
0
0
0
0
0 0%
Gauteng
0
0
0
0
0 0%
KwaZulu-Natal
0
0
0
0
0 0%
Western Cape
0
0
0
0
0 0%
Index history
May 30, 2026 3/28 May 2026 refresh: commentary confirms DBE has issued no AI-specific school guidance; teachers experimenting ad hoc; OECD Digital Education Outlook 2026 cited as benchmark South Africa has not met. No new binding policy — scores unchanged.
May 6, 2026 3/28 Draft National AI Policy (Mar 2026) withdrawn April 2026 after AI-generated citations found; no score change — existing scores based on 2024 Framework and DHET partnerships, not the withdrawn draft.
April 22, 2026 3/28 Scheduled refresh — all pending leads already covered in prior research; no new distinct items identified within 90-day window
April 21, 2026 3/28 South African Cabinet approved National AI Policy for public comment (deadline June 2026); DHET-Google MoU delivers 10K scholarships and educator training; Mercer Global Talent Trends 2026 shows 65% of workers would trade 10% pay for AI upskilling — no score change (consultation stage, private-sector MoU)
March 19, 2026 3/28 First research pass: CAPS curriculum provision and AI Policy Framework scored; Microsoft-government partnership for public AI skills training noted; no binding AI education law or workforce mandate.