REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION ON THE CONSIDERATION OF THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION VOTE 15 ON 25 OCTOBER 2005

REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION ON THE CONSIDERATION OF THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION VOTE 15 ON 25 OCTOBER 2005

1. Background

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (Act 108 of 1996) recognizes that legislatures have a critical role to play in overseeing and monitoring the performance of Departments and Public Entities.

Section 65 (1) of the Public Finance Management Act requires that Ministers table the Annual Reports for Departments and Public Entities for which they are responsible. The date for tabling of Annual Reports of Public Entities and Departments responsible for is 30 September each year.

Section 65 (1) of the Public Finance Management Act (1996) states that when tabling a report the Executive Authority responsible for a department or entity must table in the National Assembly or a Provincial Legislature, as may be appropriate. The Annual Report and Financial Statements referred to in section 40 (1) (d) and the audit report on those within one month after the Accounting Authority for the Public Entity received the audit report.

All Parliamentary Portfolio Committee’s are required to consider and report on Departmental and Public Entities’ annual reports after tabling and referral. The Committee decided to invite the Department to come before it on 25 October 2005.

The purpose for consideration of the annual reports is to assess the performance of the department or public entities against the targets set in the previous financial year.

2. 2004-2005 Annual Report of the Department of Education Vote 15

The Acting Director-General, Mr. Philip Benade, briefed Members of the Committee on the 2004-2005 Annual Report of the Department for the year ended 31 March 2005. The presentation focused

Administration, Planning and Monitoring, General Education and Training,

Further Education and Training, Higher education, Higher Education Strategic Objectives, Quality Promotion

and Development and Challenges facing the Department.

2.1 Administration

The original allocation for the Department included in the Estimates of National Expenditure 2004 amounted to R11,344,957 million. The Adjustments Estimate for 2004/05 included an additional amount of R60,138 million which increased the allocation to R11 405,095 million.

2.2 Planning & Monitoring

To facilitate the equitable distribution of financial resources and norms and standards for funding, a Budget Monitoring Support office was established in accordance with education funding norms policies. This was done to facilitate organisational and systems improvement of provincial education departments in the monitoring of schools and setting up a uniform reporting system.

In relation to physical planning, draft norms and standards policy documents are in the process of being finalised for internal approval. Reports from Provincial Education Departments have been collected and collated and presented to HEADCOM and CEM. These reports are not always received on time and they are not always of an acceptable quality. To improve collection, processing, retrieval analysis, as well as quality data, a national Education Management Information System was implemented.

2.3 General Education & Training

To ensure effective delivery of viable Early Childhood Development, a total of 500 000 learners enrolled in Grade R. To develop and maintain operational systems for effective delivery of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) in the GET band with particular focus on ECD, a total of 4 500 practitioners enrolled for Level 4 training and 3 967 graduated with full ECD qualification.

For effective ECD learning programmes, a successful collaboration with the South African Broadcasting Corporation was launched to support curriculum implementation.

To ensure implementation of national policies in order to increase access to quality education and training for vulnerable children, a Guideline for the Development of Inclusive Learning Programmes to assist teachers in the classroom to manage diverse needs within one class has been completed.

2.4 Further Education & Training Schools

To improve the quality of teaching and learning in schools, the new curriculum for Grades 10-12 was finalised. A new National Senior Certificate for Grade 12 would be finalised in 2008.

Colleges

The merging of 150 technical colleges into 50 multi-sited colleges was supported in the establishment of academic boards and student support services. To ensure Colleges develop plans for consolidation, Management and governance structures at all colleges were established. Plans for recapitalisation of colleges have been completed. It is envisaged that the re-capitalisation would increase to R1,5 billion.over 3 years.

2.5 Higher Education

The Higher Education Branch has been able to meet most of the strategic objectives that were identified in the Department’s Strategic Plan. The 2003/04 Strategic Plan identified six (6) strategic objectives and their respective performance measures.

2.6 Higher Education Strategic Objectives

The six strategic objectives identified were:

to produce quality graduates needed for social and economic development in South Africa,

to achieve equity in South African higher education system, to achieve diversity in the South African higher education system,

to sustain and promote research in South African higher education system, to provide institutional support to higher education institutions,

to provide quality Management Information System for Higher Education (HEMIS).

2.7 Quality Promotion & Development

To ensure sustainability of the National School Nutrition Programmes through the establishment of vegetable gardens or other food security initiatives, the NSNP continues to make a significant difference in the health, nutritional and educational status of learners in poor schools. Collaboration with the Department of Health has seen the mobilisation of health workers to visit schools on a regular basis in order to promote a healthy lifestyle as well as to identify learners who are in need of health-related intervention or treatment.

2.8 Auditor General’s Opinion

The Auditor-General, without qualifying the audit opinion, emphasized the following:

The Accounting Officer, in terms of the Treasury Regulations, should take full responsibility and ensure that proper control systems exist

In terms of the Public Finance Management Act, the Accounting Officer must ensure that the provisions of the Division of Revenue Act are complied with when transfer of funds take place

The information technology security did not specify any security requirements for the transversal systems.

2.9 Challenges facing the Department

The following are challenges faced by the Department.

To promote social cohesion, societies still find it difficult to transform and integrate diverse cultures

Lack of Infrastructure at schools inhibit active participation by all and interest in school enrichment programmes

Effects of fronting as Small, Micro and Medium Enterprises (SMMEs) and the monopoly by large businesses in NSNP inhibits economic development and poverty alleviation

Teacher development in Maths and Science and future training needs remains a priority area

Education Management Information System to update the School Register of Needs (for detailed exposition, see copy of presentation).

2.10 Conclusions

The Chairperson thanked Members for attending the meeting. He further thanked the Acting Director-General and his team for the manner in which each Programme Director had briefed the Committee explicitly.

2.11 Recommendations

Having interrogated the 2004/05 Annual Report of the Department of Education in terms of the requirements of Public Finance Management Act, the Committee recommends as follows: That the Department:

Put in place proper Asset Management Systems to ensure that proper control of assets exists

Put in place Education Management Information System for retrieval, storage, and provision of accurate and reliable data.

Report to be considered.