REPORT OF THE VISIT TO THE FREE STATE PROVINCE BY THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND RECREATION:
17 October 2005 – 21 October 2005.

1. Introduction

The Select Committee on Education undertook a provincial visit to the Free State Province between 17 October 2005 and 21 October 2005.

Objectives

The main objective of the visit to the Free State province was to exercise oversight. The Select Committee on Education and Recreation exercise oversight over the following departments; Education, Sport and Recreation, Arts and Culture and Science and Technology.

The committee focused on the following:

Education
Primary School Nutrition Programme
School sanitation and water supply
Early Childhood Development
Adult Basic Education and Training
Education for Learners with Special Education Needs
Governance in schools (School Governing Bodies)
Progress on removal of learners under trees
Programmes on HIV / Aids
School vandalism and sexual abuse
School staffing and availability of classrooms
General challenges facing the schools

Sport and Recreation

School sports and extra mural activities
Programmes for the disabled and disadvantaged
Rural sport development
Women sport
Funding policy for sport development

Arts and Culture

Ongoing projects and programmes started as a major area in the provinces that needs to be developed.

The committee also visited the Cultural Heritage sites, to help the province preserve and declare sites as national treasures, and promote a culture of national pride.


3.Delegation

A delegation from the Select Committee under the leadership of Mr BJ Tolo, Chairperson of the committee included, Ms FN Mazibuko- Gauteng, Mr JO Thlagale- North West, and Mr M Thetjeng- Limpopo. The Committee Secretary, Ms C Gcasamba accompanied the delegation.

4.Overview of the visit

On the first day of the visit the committee met with both the departments of Education, and Culture and sport. The delegation also visited the following sites; Vredeford Dome, Flavius Mareka FET College, Zamdela Arts and Culture and Mass participation, Thiboloha School, Kgola Thuto School, Maluti FET College, Basotho Cultural Village, Modderpoort, Mmabana Cultural Centre, Vulamasango Secondary School and Tjebelopele Primary School. The visit was concluded by a debriefing session with Education MEC, Ms MA Tsopo and the officials from sport and culture department.

5. Briefing by the Director General of Education, Mr Rakometsi

The Director General, Mr Rakometsi gave the overview of the province on issues relating to Education, as follows:

The province is made up of five districts; namely, Motheo, Xhariep, Lejweleputswa, Thabo Mofutsanyana and Fezile Dabi. The province has 1 922 schools, 23 554 educators and 694 790 learners.

The total expenditure for the current financial year was at 47% at the end of September.

PROGRESS ON BUILDING OF SCHOOLS

The province does not have learners under trees but there is a high problem of overcrowding. Currently the province is building more schools, through the departmental allocation, grant allocated to schools affected by floods and incentives for the best performing schools. The department received additional funding from treasury to cater for renovations. Other projects include building of flush toilets, septic tanks and conversion of pit toilets, resource centers, green patch hostels and administration blocks.

PROCUREMENT AND DELIVERY OF LEARNER TEACHER SUPPORT MATERAIL TO NON-S21 SCHOOLS

These were issued on the 8^th September 2005. About 40% has been received at the warehouse to date. Stationery was issued on the 22 September; about 50% has been received at the warehouse to date. Distribution to schools will commence on the 07 November 2005. Arrangements have been made with the Districts to get contact numbers of Educators or School Governing Body members who will be receiving LTSM five days after the school had closed. The cooperation and the long standing mutual relationship between the Department and Publishers, stationery suppliers and distributors, dedication and commitment of book packaging officials is guaranteed that 100% LTSM will be distributed to all Non Section 21 schools by the first day of school in January 2006.

NO FEE SCHOOL FOR 2006

The amount that is allocated in the 1^st quintile is R703 per leaner. Schools in quintile one will be persuaded to be no fee schools in 2006. Total budget for all the schools is R341m. Currently the number of schools in quintile one is 1 237 and 174 in quintile two.

LEARNERS WITH SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS

The province has 19 special schools scattered in four districts. Learners in the Xhariep district are accommodated in the Motheo district. The nature of learners at special schools includes the deaf, mentally mild, intellectually severely impaired, physically disabled, visually impaired and neurology handicapped.

FURTHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

The province has four FET institutions, namely, Flavius Mareka (3 campuses), Maluti (8 campuses), Motheo (13 campuses) and Goldfields with two campuses. All the campuses offer the following fields: agriculture; manufacturing, engineering and technology; physical planning and construction, Business, Commerce and Management Studies; Physical, Mathematical, Computer and Life Science; and hospitality and services.

ADULT BASIC EDUCATION AND TRAINING

The province has 201 centres, 197 centre managers and 1 842 educators.

EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

There are 887 ECD Practitioners and 22 687 beneficiaries. The sites include community based, free standing, school based, Flemish funded and Learnership projects.

LEARNER SUPPORT PROJECTS

The projects were introduced last year. Included are the National School Nutrition Programme, Hostels and Learner transport. The total allocation for the project is R36 830m. Currently, the number of farm school learners is 1 011, learners benefiting from NSNP is 75 000, vulnerable learners (orphans) receiving food parcels is 23 475 and number for transported learners is 364. It was indicated that not all routes are covered due to lack of service providers.

154 schools in all five districts have started with food gardens. Workshops were held to capacitate schools. The vegetables are given to the community over the weekends.

6.BRIEFING BY MR TA JONAS, SENIOR MANAGER: ARTS AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS

Mr Jonas briefed the delegation as follows:

The cultural affairs programme comprises of four sub-programmes; namely; management, cultural affairs, museum and heritage resource services and language.

a)Visual and Performing Arts:

This unit aims at advancement of performing, creative and visual arts in the province contributing towards poverty alleviation and the improvement of quality of life through projects and programmes and promotion of performing arts in the province by staging Macufe and to support other performing arts programmes.

b) Musicon

Musicon promotes and teach music in the province to ensure skills and people development and job creation.

c) Mmabana Cultural Centre

Its goal is to maintain and further develop community arts centres in Thaba Nchu, Thabong and Zamdela to serve the arts and culture needs of the communities so that people’s development and job creation takes place.

Mmabana has nine units, namely, dance, theatre, drama, sewing, arts, music, folkloric, food production and Early learning centre.

GOVERNANCE

The centre in Thaba – Nchu has been governed under the old Boputhatswana dispensation and in September 2005 the Free State Legislature repealed the Mmabana Foundation Act. This means that the centres will be fully integrated into the department. A new financial manager was employed in September to assist in streamlining and putting financial systems in place for the three centres. Only recently in September that the coordination process was started between the department and Local Municipalities, who are pilots of Rural Policy Initiatives.

FINANCE ADMINISTRATION AND SUPPORT UNIT

The main purpose of the unit is to support the core units of the Mmabana cultural centre, the Thabong Arts and Culture centre and Zamdela Arts and culture centre that are satellite centres of Mmabana.

Production units find themselves in a compromising situation when they cannot carry on with their tasks due to budget constraints. Money brought in barely covers the running costs of the centre. Service delivery has been affected due to high vacancy rate in the component. The centre has lost professional positions, and key positions that are supposed to be adding value to our communities.

The Mmabana concept, to a certain degree has become irrelevant due to the activities being isolated and instructors being oblivious to developments taking place in the arts and culture industry on a daily basis.

In transforming Mmabana to fit into the department programme, a consultative approach should be engaged. This will allow the department to understand the Mmabana concept and how to fit it within its strategic programme, without dampening Mmabana’s ability to develop and nurture talent.

TRAINING

With funds from Investing in Culture in 2004, the department managed to send Dance Instructors from Thabong and Zamdela Arts Centres to Durban on two occasions to attend training.

Challenges:

Funding of outreach programmes.
Creation of more posts for a diversity of dance discipline need to be considered.
Teaching and choreographing are two special areas. The two should separated in order to have prolific results in the development of dance. This approach will allow for job creation as performing companies can be formed.
The centre is faced with the situation that equipments and machinery have aged beyond repair.
Outdoor play equipment is not sufficient for the Early learning centre.
There is a poor student intake due to unemployment of parents.

FUTURE PLANS

The department plans to:

Establish a community theatre linked to community arts centres in a way of job creation.
Take part in more national drama
Educate and inspire existing and prospective audiences.

MEMORANDUM OF COOPERATION BETWEEN DEPARTMENTS OF CULTURE AND EDUCATION

Both parties expressed their willingness to co-operate in provision and promotion of Arts and Cultural Affairs.

ONGOING PROJECTS AND PROGRAMMES;
Visual Arts and Craft

Investing in culture projects:

These projects are funded directly by the National Department of Arts and Culture (DAC). The provincial department only monitors the progress of the projects. There are currently four projects in the province that are being funded. All of these projects were already operational when funds were allocated and some products were being produced. In most cases, the allocation is used to further develop the products, give further training, and buy better equipment and to market the products.

The projects are the following:

Afriwo projects in Mangaung.

Two projects merged for the purpose of funding. One part is the production of paper mache masks and wood sculptures. Five people are involved. The other part of the project is involved with the production of various craft items like wire and bead products and wooded objects. Ten people are involved. The project received funding of R217 000.

Ikgopoleng project in Thabong:

Ikgopoleng produces various sewing products and variety of beadwork. Fifteen women are involved. Thabong Cultural Centre manages it. Ikgopoleng received R300 000 funding.

Bompodi project in Virginia:

Bompodi produces handmade paper products, sewing products like embroidered and beadwork. Fifteen women are involved. R153 104 funds the project.

Menwana Clay and Buttons projects in Clocolan

Menwana produces clay beads, buttons and other clay objects. Twenty women are involved. The management of the project and support for accessing markets will be given by an established pottery studio near Ladybrand (Mud Studio). A retail outlet will also be established in the town of Clocolan. R290 500 funds the project.

Past Projects (Poverty Alleviation)

Fourteen projects in the Free State received funding between 2000 and 2003 from DACs poverty alleviation funds. In most cases, the allocation was used to further develop the products, give further training, and buy better machinery or equipment and to market the products.
It was reported that some of the projects are currently much better off than before and are self- sustainable and income generating, although no profits are made. Examples are Kutloano Papermaking project in Welkom, the Thusano Beads project in Viljoenskroon, the Tshwarisanang knitting project in Qwaqwa, Namahadi Craft project in Frankfort and the Intabazwe candle-making project in Harrismith.

The Free State Craft Development project was also funded from poverty alleviation funds from DAC, but implemented by the provincial departments Visual Arts and Craft section. This project aimed to develop the quality and improve the variety of Free State craft through product development, workshops, marketing actions, distribution network and exposure for crafters. The implementation of the project started in October 2003 and will continue the end of 2005.

Thaba Blinds Grass Weaving Factory

The factory was established as a joint project between Department of Arts and Culture, and the Social Development. It has been in operation since August 2003. It mainly produces grass blinds for the home decoration industry and the blinds are of a very good quality, while a wide variety of designs are available. The raw material for the weaving all come from the Qwaqwa rural area and is collected by the people of the area.

The project created 30 full time jobs and was providing a regular income for more than 100 people in the poverty stricken rural area of Qwaqwa through its grass-harvesting program before it run into financial difficulty and had to stop operating. Currently it is not in production.

Various efforts to secure further funding to save the factory from closing down have produced only promises so far, but no funding. A skeleton staff is still keeping the factory open, but very little has been produced since June 2004. Business partners and funding are needed.

7.Briefing by Ms K Thlakudi, Assistant Manager; Mass Participation

Mass Participation

Background:

Mass Participation project is a national project initiated by Sport and Recreation South Africa running in all 9 nine provinces to establish a cultural movement of mass participation through active involvement in positive leisure activities within the field of sport and recreation.

Mass Participation in Free State

Free State has identified 22 hubs. Three activity coordinators were appointed in each hub, and additional three coordinators at Mmabana, Zamdela, and Thabong cultural centre. Activity Coordinator (AC) 1 is responsible for aerobics and general gymnastics. AC 2 is responsible for soccer, handball, basketball and fun walk or fun run. AC 3 is responsible for indigenous games and managing the hubs. Assistant Provincial Coordinator is responsible for administration and coordinating the programme within the province.

There are 73 Activity coordinators (AC), 20 Hub Coordinators and 1 Assistant Provincial Coordinator in mass participation. The total number currently is 94.

On the 18^th April 2005 until 22^nd July 2005, AC 1 and AC 3 were trained, AC 1 in General Gymnastics and Aerobics and AC 3 in Netball and Volleyball and Mangaung Community Development Centre.

On the 24^th July 2005 – 28^th July 2005 district training was conducted for hub coordinators, AC 1, AC 2, AC 3 on Administration, Indigenous games, Fun Run, Fun Walk and Life Skill at Thabo Mofutsanyane District.

At the end of October 2005 training on Baseball Event Management, First Aid and Life Skills will be conducted for all MPP in Motheo district.

EQUIPMENT

All 20 municipalities have received equipment. Only three AC are still outstanding.

PARTICIPATION

Total participants from April stand at 97 765.
Number of women: 56 620
Number of youth: 95 616
Number of disabled: 877
Number of elderly: 13 500
The target for 2005/6 is 346 400

The following challenges were highlighted:

Insufficient funding
The department is seriously understaffed

8.FLAVIUS MAREKA FET COLLEGE

The college offers programmes that have been previously offered in technical colleges. It also offers learnership programmes and short courses with municipalities. Engineering is the main stream in the college.

CHALLENGES

The main challenge highlighted is funding. The college depends on transfer funds, which are not stable. There is no staff establishment for the college. Buildings belong to somebody else and it is difficult to maintain them. The equipment is not enough.

9.ZAMDELA ARTS AND CULTURE CENTRE AND MASS PARTICPATION

The centre offers outreach programmes for the community. It helps the prisoners with sewing classes and also helps Orangeville residents with exhibiting the staff they produce.

There are 6 hubs and 19 coordinators. Elders are involved in indigenous games.

CHALLENGES

Equipment is insufficient. A delay was highlighted regarding the payment of stipends for activity coordinators.

10. Kgola- Thuto Secondary School

Kgola Thuto is one of the Dinaledi schools in the Free State. The school has 24 educators, 898 learners and 30 classrooms. The teacher learner ratio is 1:34. The school performs section 21 functions. The school has functional school governing body. The exemption policy is used in the school and parents are encouraged to apply for exemption. The principal further reported that the school is successful due to team spirit prevailing among all staff members. Educators are focused, motivated and have positive attitude. The school management teams always come up with developmental programmes.

The following challenges were raised:

Changing the negative perception of most of the parent community towards the previously disadvantaged schools in comparison to the previously advantaged schools.
Feeder schools push over aged learners to the school and that brings disciplinary problems. Parents to these learners do not support the school and do not attend parents meeting.

Training for OBE and NCS is inadequate. It is only now that educators are being exposed.

Departmental workshops that are called over school holidays cause a serious inconvenience, as the school cannot run its vacation classes. This year, the school could not run such classes during Easter and winter vacation.
The school is still using ventilated pit latrine toilet system
There is no school clerk since 2000. Teenage pregnancy has gone up.
Insufficient laboratory and library equipment

11. Thiboloha Primary School

Thiboloha is a school for the disabled with 261 learners and 30 educators. The school has been started as pilot resource center. After Grade 9, learners are taken to technical institutions to prepare them for the labour market. The school is currently in the process of building a lab.

The school is facing the following challenges:

The school requires the services of health proffesionals
The school buys medicines and assistive equipment from the school allocation.
Sport facilities needs to be upgraded
Exemption policy is not properly applied, it needs some revision
The school fencing is poor.
Some parents do not co-operate.

12. MALUTI FET COLLEGE

The college has eight campuses. These campuses are located in Bethlehem, Bonamelo, Harrismith, Itemoheleng, Kwetli-song, Lere a Tshepe Tseki, Sefikeng and Main Campus. The college is offering the following fields, Educare, Engineering, Public Management, Business Management, Financial Management, Marketing Management, Human Resources Management, Hospitality and Catering, and Management Assistant.

Challenges:

Funding was mentioned as a major problem
All campuses need full renovation that is, walls, and razor wire to ensure maximum security.
Additional classrooms and office space is required
Training needs
Inaccessible and unsafe built environments
Student support services are insufficient

13. BASOTHO CULTURAL VILLAGE
This friendly village lies in the scenic Qwaqwa National Park in an area rich in natural beauty. The village houses a traditional Sotho Museum, a sandstone amphitheatre, a restaurant and a curio shop. The museum introduces visitors to the South Sotho (Basotho) nation, from its inception through its history till their present day existence. Guided tours of the museum are conducted daily, seven days a week.

14. MODDERPOORT

Modderpoort with its historical cave, priory, buildings and farms has been in the care of Anglican Diocese of Bloemfontein since 1865. It is located between Ficksburg and Ladybrand. Buried there is one of the most revered of local saints recognized by the Basotho by the name Anna Mantsopa Makhetha, a prophet. She was the most famous Mosotho woman of the 19^th Century. Her prophecy turned out to be an excellent description of what took place at the Battle of Viervoet Northwest of modern day Ladybrand when major Warden and Baralong troops from Thabanchu were badly defeated by the Basotho.

Challenges:

The missionaries are refusing to give the site to the department of Arts and Culture so as to declare it a Heritage site.

15.VULAMASANGO HIGH SCHOOL

Vulamasango is a section 20 school, with 816 learners and 30 educators. It is one of the schools that has been chosen for beautification project and also qualifies for minor repairs. The school received seven computers from the department of education. It was clearly indicated that the school is operating under difficulties. 200 learners have been exempted from paying school fees.

Challenges:

Learner performance declined since the introduction of OBE
Educators are demoralized
Buildings need major renovations
Sport facilities need an upgrade
Shortage of support staff
Learners are not disciplined
The community is very poor, learners come to school without food

16.TJEBELOPELE COMBINED SCHOOL

The school started in 2001 as Bothahadi but due to increased enrolment, Tjebelopele was born in 2002. The school has 1 342 learners and 40 educators. 83 learners have been exempted from paying school fees. The school has a morning and afternoon session due to lack of classrooms.

The majority of learners are poor and the school is working with the Red Cross Society to provide food parcels to learners. The school has a school garden, which also provide for the community over the weekends. The principal indicated that the school is getting full support from the district and the staff is committed. The SGB is very committed.

Challenges:

Buildings are not acceptable (prefabs)
There is overcrowding
There is a shortage of furniture for the learners
Learners are not safe especially, those that attend the morning session
There is no nutrition programme from the department

17.DEBRIEFING SESSION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND THE DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE AND SPORT

Mr Tolo, leader of the delegation briefed both departments on findings, which were the following:

In Zamdela, the payment of stipends to activity coordinators is delayed

Equipment is not sufficient, that affects the work of the activity coordinators

The department of Sport is under staffed

Clarity is required as to who should be responsible for libraries and museums, in terms of governance, between Local government and Arts and Cultural affairs

The FET Colleges require more funding to facilitate smooth running

Equipment in Flavius Mareka is obsolete

Thiboloha primary requires renovations

There is an urgent need of medical staff in Thiboloha primary

Thiboloha is buying medicine for the school out of its funds

In Mmabana Cultural Centre, the Early Learning Centre needs an urgent attention of the Department of Education

The theatre group is completely neglected; there are no resources to continue with its work.

The gymnasium has been privatized.

18.CONCLUSION

In the five days the committee visited a number of schools, Further Education and Training Colleges, Heritage sites and Community Art Centres.

The committee is of the opinion that although schools visited may not necessarily be a representative sample of all the schools and colleges in the province, but they provided the framework for the Committee to better comprehend the state of Education in the Province. Most of the issues that were identified during the site visits were also highlighted during the briefing session.

Despite the challenges facing the Province, the committee would like to express its appreciation to the Province for its input during the visit.

Report to be considered.

2. Report of the Select Committee on Education and Recreation for the Provincial visit to the Western Cape (South Cape Region), 13-17 March 2006.

1. INTRODUCTION:

The Select Committee on Education and Recreation undertook a provincial visit to the Western Cape Province (South Cape Region) between 13 March and 17 March 2006.

The objective of the study tour was to exercise oversight and to undertake the monitoring function of the committee and to get a report on issues highlighted below:

National School Nutrition Programme
Exemption policy in schools (School fees)
Progress report on removal of learners studying under trees and hazardous conditions
Water supply and Sanitation in schools
Governance in schools (Schools Governing Bodies)
Readiness of the province to implement National Curriculum Statement
General challenges facing schools

2. DELEGATION:

Mr. BJ Tolo - Mpumalanga (Leader of the delegation),
Ms JM Masilo -North West
Ms NF Mazibuko- Gauteng
Mr M Thetjeng- Limpopo
Ms JN Vilakazi- KwaZulu Natal
Ms AND Qikani- Eastern Cape
Mr JO Thlagale- North West
Ms C Gcasamba- Committee Secretary
Ms C Sheldon- Committee Assistant

3. BRIEFING BY REGIONAL DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION

3.1 Overview of the region

There are 227 mainstream schools, 5 special schools, 57 preprimary and Educare centres and 14 private schools.

3.2 NATIONAL SCHOOL NUTRITION PROGRAMME

The three national focus areas of the programme are providing meals at schools, facilitating food gardens or other food production projects in schools and educating learners and the community at large about good nutrition.

The programme is expected to target public schools serving previously disadvantaged schools and the poorest communities, with particular priority given to farm, rural and informal settlements for school feeding. It is funded through a conditional grant with which the province buys goods and services.

Below is the statistics of the distribution of the programme in the region: