NORTHERN CAPE
REPORT TO SELECT COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND RECREATION
23 February 2005
A
OVERVIEW
• 2004 Matric Results
• Provision of Learning Support Materials for 2005
• National School Nutrition Programme
• Progress on removal of learners under trees

SOME STATISTICS
• Northern Cape was ranked second amongst the nine provinces
• Results reflect a decrease in the total percentage of passes from 90,7% in 2003 to 83,4% in 2004 - a drop of 7.3%.
• A total number of 6 723 candidates wrote the Senior Certificate examination of which 5 609 candidates passed.
• 1 259 candidates passed with university endorsement (exemption) indicating 18,7% of the total passes.
• Female candidates performed better in all respects and obtained an overall pass of 85% whilst males obtained 82%
• 19,9% females passed with exemption and 17,6% males.

SOME REASONS FOR THE DROP IN RESULTS
• The lower matric pass rate of 2004 must be attributed to a number of factors instead of a single causal factor.
• The cumulative effect of these different factors resulted in the drop in results.
• These factors include the following :
• Learner under-performance in languages, Biology, Physical Science and Mathematics
• Issues related to question papers
• Conditions of learning and teaching
• Cost containment and the effect on MIP
• National context

UNDER-PERFORMANCE IN A SET OF SPECIFIC SUBJECTS
• Languages, Biology, Physical Science and Mathematics
• Poor results in these subjects, particularly the Languages, have had the effect of pulling the overall results down.

ISSUES RELATED TO QUESTION PAPERS
• Various technical issues related to the nature of specific questions
- The manner in which they were set,
- The skills they tested at the different levels
- The level at which they were pitched
• Many of these types of problems were prevalent in the national papers
• The problem was further exacerbated by poor communication to provinces and schools of envisaged changes.

CONDITIONS AFFECTING LEARNING AND TEACHING
• Educators - low morale; high absenteeism, under qualified lack of experience in matric teaching, dependant on departmental interventions, disregard of policy and huge workloads
• Learners - lack of motivation, ill discipline, high absenteeism and lack of vocational guidance
• Schools - poor management, HOD'S not performing, poor general discipline and lack of culture of learning and teaching

COST CONTAINMENT
• Provincial cost containment measures limited the extent and effect of matric intervention programmes.
• The number of participants in winter and spring schools as well as weekend classes was substantially cut.
• The weakness of schools' and educators' own contributions were exposed.
• The over dependence on MIP and departmental interventions became apparent
.
NATIONAL CONTEXT
The national pass percentage has dropped
• This could be viewed as a stabilisation of results in the country.
It is also possible that these results are an indication of a more realistic norm for the province.

DEPARTMENTAL RESPONSE
• Lessen dependency on departmental intervention programmes and locate responsibility for improved results with schools
• Implementing a more holistic, comprehensive and integrated programme to develop schools and all the elements that constitute the attainment of quality education in schools
• The new programme is premised on the fact that all learners in the system must be the full beneficiaries of quality public education not just Grade 12
• All elements and facets of the system to provide quality education come under the aegis of the programme. This includes:
- The provision of resources and LTSM,
- Improved school/institutional management and governance,
- Educator development,
- Curriculum implementation.

STRATEGIES
• Integration of "normal" departmental programmes and specific "priority" programmes
• Immediate focus (priority areas) - Foundation and Further Education and Training (FET) phases
• Specific interventions such as the Matric Intervention Programme, school development strategy, EMGD interventions and curriculum interventions will be implemented as part of the comprehensive and integrated approach of the programme.
• These interventions are designed to achieve specific outcomes within a designated area of concern or weakness
.
PROVISION OF LEARNER AND TEACHER SUPPORT MATERIALS (LTSM)
• The total number of schools in the Northern Cape is 425.
• These schools are functioning as Section 21 and Non-Section 21 schools.
• The majority of the schools (approximately 94%) are recognised as Section 21 schools.
• The rest of the schools are non-Section 21 schools and their provisioning follows the tender route i.e. via the Provincial Tender Board.

• LTSM is divided into 4 categories
- Text and Reading Books
- Writing Books
- Paper
- Stationery
• Orders are tracked per category
• All orders must be placed through companies which are provincially based and pay levies and taxes in the Northern Cape.
• Tender stipulations include the supply and delivery of material, which enables a more effective service in terms of providing the material timeously.
• This process starts in June of the previous year and ends at the end of March of the year in question so as to accommodate any discrepancies in enrolments
• Northern Cape 2005 provisioning records a 100% delivery of the Text and Reading Books ordered.
• In fact, these materials were delivered at schools before the end of the 2004 school year.
• The number of schools which placed no orders at all across the different categories totals 77
• This situation can be ascribed to the fact that enough materials were located at the schools in those categories.

SECTION 21 SCHOOLS
• Amount ordered: R25,804,220
• Amount Delivered: R24,675,432
•% of Order Filled: 96.29%

NON-SECTION 21 SCHOOLS
'Amount ordered: R1,265,982
•Amount Delivered: R1,255,193
•% of Order Pilled: 99.14%

SCHOOL NUTRITION PROGRAMME
• Our vision is to provide an effective, efficient and sustainable community driven Nutrition Programme that ensures access to fresh and nutritious food by all targeted pre-primary, primary and secondary school children during school hours in the Province of the Northern Cape.
• The total beneficiaries were 154 997 in the financial year 2003 / 2004
• 95 004 of the above were funded through NCDOH Conditional Grant and 59 993 having been funded through NCDOE.
• Based on the value of the conditional grant for 2004 / 2005, it will not be possible to feed at the current level
• Accordingly all grades higher than seven (51 000 learners) will no longer be beneficiaries unless additional amounts of funding are found.

• There is a great need for a mind shift within primary schools Management.
• The PSNP differs fundamentally from the SFSP because of three developmental facts
i.e.
- Food production - food gardens as a means of self-sustainability.
- Support of SMME and community based poverty alleviation projects i.e. schools buying
- Job creation - a move away from using suppliers and to prepare food on site to create at least 2 jobs per school for unemployed women.
• This initiative forms part of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) where 1 job for every 200 learners being fed is created

• Our approach is based on the following goals
• Community involvement and empowerment: community members, parents, and education personnel are to be involved in the design, implementation and monitoring of projects;

• A multi-sectoral and interdisciplinary intervention, owned and managed by the Department of Education with close collaboration with various departments such as Health, Treasury, Social Development, Agriculture, Premier's Office and Water Affairs;

• Sustainability. projects are to be part of sustainable development processes aimed at achieving greater self-reliance: food provision is seen as a short term measure, which should be phased out as the Public Private Partnership initiatives start having positive effects in the long term (three to five year framework).

• A holistic approach, linking school nutrition activities to other initiatives to improve education quality, and to community development and health initiatives,
• Indirect beneficiaries include community members situated in proximity to the schools who would supply food and render services (e.g. foodstuffs distribution, meal preparation) through enhanced broader development initiatives, particularly in the area of combating poverty.

• The school nutrition program cannot operate as an island; it is the part of a bigger program that is intended to address hunger.
• The communities that support the schools are known to be suffering under conditions of poverty and starvation. It is for this reason that all sectors should work together and constitute an integrated force against poverty and hunger.

• The NCED will use a quotation system in line with the same process previously used by the Department of Health.
• This process is regulated by promulgated section 21(e) functions to schools.

• The process is guided by systems put in place by Department of Education with improved control by way of a single school banking account i.e. schools have one account for different programs (ex LSM, Food Security) with amounts being ring fenced.

• An advance based on learner total and feeding calendar days for the 1"' month e.g. April 2005 will be transferred to schools by 7* April 2005.
• Schools must obtain three quotations from service providers and will be assisted by NCDOE officials in choosing a suitable service provider.

• Different scenarios in the province:
• (Bigger) Urban schools - able to obtain three quotes, where as in rural remote areas we may have only one service provider, which is not necessarily the cheapest. Schools will be clustered together and encouraged to buy in bulk to save costs.

• Documentation to be used by the schools has been developed and will be distributed at a workshop planned for 4'" -12* March 2005.
• This documentation includes - Quotation Documents, Order Forms, Delivery Notes, Stock Control Sheets, Menu Option Form, List of permitted Food items, Expenditure Claim Forms per month i.e telephone, transport, postage.

• Schools are not permitted to change service providers without written authorisation from the Department.
• Schools should purchase goods in April 2004, using the advance, and submit their claims at the end of April. (After which a follow up transfer based on the claim would be made).

• Road shows/workshop in 4 districts on process - 4-12 March 2005.
• Schools to obtain quotations and submit to District offices. -15-19 March 2005
• NCDOE to scrutinize application for quotations. -23-26 March 2005
• SFSP/PSNF coordinators advise and guide schools on choice of Service Provider - 31 March 2005
• There are no learners under trees in the Northern Cape. However, the Northern Cape Department of education has a number of non-brick structures which we regard as having "learners under trees".

INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAMME
• There are 33 schools, which translates into 439 non-brick classrooms. The department has planned to eradicate these structures over a five year period. The total cost of replacing all these structures has been estimated at R 11 000 000,000 of which R 7 038 000,00 is budgeted for in the financial year 2004/2005.
• There are, however, two schools which the department regards as unsafe structures, i.e. Ulster Primary and Kgotatsana Primary schools. Currently, learners from Ulster has been relocated to Deben. The learners of Kgotatsana have also been relocated to a refurbished school and hostel building.
• The department is in process of concluding the Section 14 agreement with the owner of the farm Ulster. Donor funding has been obtained to construct new classrooms on site.
• The department has fitted water purification plants to three schools which were receiving unpurified water from rivers and canals. In terms of water and sanitation, the bucket toilet system is being replaced by a closed circuit water borne sanitation system at a cost of R 1 750 000,00. This project is still underway.