Report of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education on
Budget Vote 14: Basic Education, dated 20 April 2010.
The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education, having
considered Budget Vote 14: Basic Education, reports as follows:
A. INTRODUCTION
1.
The Portfolio Committee notes that as part of the
process of restructuring government departments when the new administration
took over in May 2009, the Department
of Education was split into two new Departments i.e. (a) Basic Education and
(b) Higher Education and Training. It should be noted that this year is the
first year that the Department of Basic Education submits its own Budget to the
Portfolio Committee as a separate entity.
2.
The
budget briefings also served to acquaint the Portfolio Committee with the mandates
and projects of each unit in the Department and the named statutory bodies.
3.
The
budget review of the Ministry and Department of Basic Education was undertaken
on 16 March 2010 and the budget review of the statutory bodies accountable to
the Portfolio Committee was undertaken on 23 February 2010, 2 March 2010 and 9
March 2010.
B. PARTICIPANTS IN THE BUDGET HEARINGS
1.
Those
who appeared before the Portfolio Committee included a delegation from the
Department of Basic Education - Mr E Surty Deputy Minister: Basic Education,
Mr B Soobrayan Acting Director-General, Ms K Mohoebi Acting Parliamentary
Liaison Officer, Dr W Makgalancheche Acting Chief Director, Mr P Njobe
Acting Deputy Director-General, Ms V Carelse Deputy Director-General, Mr T
Tredoux Acting Chief Financial Officer, Ms N Molalekoa Director, Mr P Mnisi
Director and Mr R Van Den Heever Parliamentary Liaison Officer: Ministry.
The South African Council for
Educators (SACE) was represented by Mr R Brijraj Chief Executive Officer, Mr
M Mapindani Chief Financial Officer, Ms M Dipholo Chief Operations Officer,
Mr T Ndlovu Strategy & Stakeholder Relations Manager, Mr J Breed Board
Member and Ms N Kedama Personal Assistant to the Chief Operations Officer.
The Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training
(Umalusi) was represented by Dr M Rakometsi Chief Executive Officer, Mr J
Thomas Chief Finance Officer and Ms E Rabe Chief Operations Officer. The
Education Labour Relation Council (ELRC) was represented by Mr M Govender
General Secretary, Mr J Motshakga Chief Financial Officer and Mr H Worst
Chief Knowledge Officer.
C. Department of Basic
Education (DoBE)
Address by Deputy Minister Surty
Mr Surty
extended the apologies of the Minister who could not attend due to ministerial
responsibilities beyond her control. Mr Surty explained the reasons for the
many acting positions were due to the restructuring that was occurring. He
also touched on the reconfiguration of the organogram and structure of the new
Department. He mentioned that education formed part of the apex priorities -
and that we recognised that there were serious challenges. These challenges
needed to be identified and efforts made to solve them. The mandate of the Department
remained action and implementation of policy how to measure performance in
terms of efficiency and accountability.
There was
a need to strengthen ECD with much attention on learner reading, numeracy and
comprehension. The Department also had to study what informed the learning
environment and the minimum requirements. Mr Surty spent some time on the
issues around the workbooks and explained the reasons for delay in the roll-out
of these workbooks. He also talked of the visits to schools to monitor and
assess the different challenges faced by different schools and providing the
necessary support.
Budget Review Presentation
Mr
Soobrayan gave the structure of the presentation which included a high level
overview, strategic objectives and targets and the budget.
High Level Overview
Mr
Soobrayan mentioned the aims and vision of the Department and the 3-year
strategic plan in response to Education being an apex priority. These outputs
included:
·
Improved National Senior Certificate Examinations
Performance.
·
High quality of teaching and learning through
appropriate teacher development initiatives.
·
Improved Literacy and Numeracy at schools.
·
Early Childhood Development
The above
would be achieved through outcomes-based planning, a focus on the entire sector
and a new system of performance management based on performance agreements
between the President and Minister cascaded through the sector. There would
also be concrete mechanisms for working with and through provinces and an
active focus on implementation through support, M&E and accountability.
Strategic Objectives and Targets
Mr
Soobrayan touched on the key objectives, activities and targets of the
Department which included the following:
·
Improved Curriculum Implementation based on
curriculum review recommendations,
·
Integrated strategy on learner assessment, releasing
curriculum and assessment policy statements
·
New Integrated Plan for Teacher Development including recommendations of Teacher
Development Summit and QLTC
·
Distribution of Workbooks for Grades R to 9 learners
and teacher manuals to improve learner achievement
·
Enhanced education management development capacity
within the system to improve school functionality.
·
Enhanced pro-poor packages to eradicate previous
inequalities in school funding, school infrastructure, learner well-being,
Grade R, Inclusive education , learner retention, support by district offices,
Adult basic education and monitoring, research and communication
·
Establishing a long-term sector action plan, Schooling
2025.
·
Better assessment & reporting on the state of
basic education to all key stakeholders and the public to promote
accountability - NEEDU will play a vital role.
·
Promoting e-Education strategy to effectively deploy
technology toward improving the quality of learning and teaching in schools
2010 MTEF Budget
Mr
Soobrayan explained the various activities and targets of the various
Programmes in ENE. On the budget, the Committee received the necessary
breakdowns in respect of the establishment of the Department of Basic Education
and the Budget Distribution Framework: Education. Figures included the
following:
|
2010 ENE ALLOCATIONS FROM TREASURY |
|||
|
|
2010/11 |
2011/12 |
2012/13 |
|
|
R'000 |
R'000 |
R'000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Baseline allocation |
5 379 252 |
6 514 107 |
6 839 629 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Additions to baseline: |
800 750 |
1 052 546 |
1 278 010 |
|
National assessments: Grades 3,
6 and 9 |
10 000 |
8 000 |
10 000 |
|
New building project |
30 000 |
32 000 |
34 000 |
|
Workbooks |
750 000 |
930 000 |
1 000 000 |
|
Compensation of Employees
adjustment |
10 750 |
12 546 |
13 610 |
|
|
- |
- |
120 400 |
|
Dinaledi Schools |
- |
70 000 |
100 000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Less: |
( 13 802) |
( 16 841) |
( 18 323) |
|
Baseline Efficiency Savings |
( 13 802) |
( 16 841) |
( 18 323) |
|
2010 ENE ALLOCATIONS |
6 166 200 |
7 549 812 |
8 099 316 |
|
SERVICE |
2010/11 R000 |
2011/12 R000 |
2012/13 R000 |
|
Compensation of Employees |
199 910 |
210 729 |
221 940 |
|
Examiners and Moderators |
13 830 |
14 660 |
15 393 |
|
Transfers to Public Entities |
441 350 |
467 831 |
491 223 |
|
Other Transfers |
12 348 |
13 081 |
13 730 |
|
Conditional Grants |
3 931 371 |
5 048 080 |
5 447 384 |
|
Earmarked Funds |
1 454 314 |
1 672 686 |
1 780 319 |
|
Departmental Operations |
65 119 |
68 135 |
71 763 |
|
Projects |
47 958 |
54 610 |
57 564 |
|
Total |
6 166 200 |
7 549 812 |
8 099 316 |
In
conclusion Mr Soobrayan mentioned the following:
·
Anticipation
of budget constraints but will seek to optimise quality of spending
·
The
establishment of a dedicated Basic Education Department coupled with a new
approach to delivery, marks a decisive shift away from business as usual
·
Confidence
that Sector-wide outcomes-based planning; sector-wide performance management
& accountability; strong focus on implementation monitoring & support;
strong focus on working with & through provinces will help to deliver
results
The Committee requested that the
Department supplied the following:
·
Provide
the necessary slides i.r.o provincial budget breakdowns (over the past two
years)
·
A
written response on the issue of when the post of Director-General would be
finalised
·
On
Legal Services a report on cases being handled, cases outstanding/pending and
nature of cases (even at provincial level)
·
A
full report on International Obligations (are they Multi-Lateral/Bilateral)
·
A
copy of the blue-print for school infrastructure
·
A
full report on Teacher Development (including programmes of SACE, ELRC etc. +
resources)
·
A
report on the various sources of funding
in respect of HIV/Aids (both awareness and treatment) in the wider
education sector
·
A
breakdown of amount of Grade 12 learners who pass with university acceptance
who actually go to university
It was also agreed that a briefing be arranged for the
Department to brief the Committee on the issues surrounding tenders and the
tender process generally and specifically on the workbooks.
D. South African Council for Educators (SACE)
Mr
Brijraj, after introducing his team, opened with remarks on some of the issues
raised during their last engagement with the Committee. These included the issues
around teacher ethics, wasteful expenditure, profiling and strike action by
teachers. Mr Brijraj then touched on the mandate of the Council which included
the following:
· Set
registration criteria and register all educators;
· Ensure
professional development of all educators; and
· Uphold the
ethics of the profession.
· SACE
registration is compulsory for ALL educators
The
strategic objectives of SACE were:
· To set,
maintain and update registration standards and procedures:
· To
register all outstanding educators:
· To
maintain and sustain the credibility of
the educator data system:
o
Improve communication with clients; updating data
base;
o
Upgrading of types of certificates for registration
o
Issuing of registration card system
o
Improve office capacity.
Mr Brijraj
took the Committee through the targets and goals for 2010/11 in respect of
Professional Development and the Code of Ethics. On Administration, Mr Brijraj
touched on the issues of Publicity and Outreach, Resources and Infrastructure.
Figures in respect of the Budget were as follows:
2010/11 Budget:
INCOME
Registration fees 1716 000
Reprint of certificates 120 000
Subscription fee
75 015 540
Interest receivable
2600 000
Sundry income 180 000
CPTD grant (non guar.) 0
79 631 540
EXPENDITURE
Registration 900 000
Professional Dev. 15 500 000
Publicity & Comm 3 100 000
Code of Ethics 1 200 000
Building reserve 28 382 540
Admin expenses 30 549 000
TOTAL
BUDGET 79
631 540
Mr Brijraj concluded with some of
the areas in respect of Work in Progress which included:
Piloting the CPTD system
Interacting with all nine provincial departments to
tie partnership on: WTD day; handling of cases; piloting regional offices; CPTD
implementation and PD programs
Preparation of bid for refurbishment of the building
Advocacy campaigns
Database improvement
It was resolved that SACE would supply the Committee with
the following:
·
A
copy of the application form and handbook on the existing Code of Ethics
·
A
copy of the SACE research findings in respect of supply and demand and the
implications on the system as a whole
·
A
copy of all documentation on teacher development
·
A
written report on the issues surrounding the fees specifically on union
involvement which unions were having problems and what were the issues.
·
A
possible arrangement for a workshop with the Committee on CPTD
E. Council for Quality
Assurance in General and Further Education and Training (Umalusi)
Dr Rakometsi gave a brief overview
of the presentation which included Umalusis mandate, vision, mission, goals
and key performance areas. The presentation focused on the 2001/10 Budget
(current), 2010/11 Budget (Forecast) and 3-Year Budget Forecast. The important
issue was the 7 key result areas which included:
Improving
and maintaining the system for quality
assuring assessment for certification
Establishing
and implementing a system for evaluation
and accreditation of providers
Establishing
and maintaining a system to certify
and quality assuring qualifications and curriculum
Research, diagnose and
report on quality in general and further education and training supported by
statistical analysis.
Developing
and maintaining management support
structures and governance
Ensuring
that Information Technology
systems are established, maintained and improved
Ensuring
that finance, human resources and
administrative support systems are maintained and improved
Mr Thomas took the Committee
through the Budget with the following highlights:
2009/10 Budget (Current) Income Budget vs. Actual
|
Accreditation Fees |
2 000 000 |
1 706 192 |
|
Certification Fees |
18 900 000 |
26 054 375 |
|
Department of Education Grant |
16 494 000 |
16 494 000 |
|
Interest |
2 000 000 |
1 472 287 |
|
Reserve Funds |
10 449 713 |
0 |
|
Verification Fees |
4 000 000 |
2 332 177 |
|
Other |
0 |
480 084 |
|
R 53 843 713 |
R 48 539 115 |
|
|
As approved by the Minister of
Education on 12 March 2009 |
|
|
2009/10 Budget (Current) Expenditure Budget vs. Actual
|
Quality Assurance of Assessment |
9 014 366 |
7 172 386 |
|
Evaluation &Accreditation |
3 439 366 |
1 807 320 |
|
Qualifications, Curriculum &
Certification |
3 765 076 |
2 586 587 |
|
Statistical Information&
Research |
1 689 365 |
1 958 088 |
|
Management Support Structures |
1 566 785 |
1553 815 |
|
Corporate Services: IT |
4 386 804 |
1 902 037 |
|
Corporate Services: Finance |
5 362 304 |
2 603 785 |
|
Corporate Services: HRM & D |
24 619 647 |
21 039717 |
|
R 53 843 713 |
R 40 623 734 |
|
Mr Thomas then took the Committee
through the 2010/11 Budget Forecast for the various programmes; showing the
current budget and the forecast budget (with the percentage increase). He
touched on the 3 Year Budget Forecast as follows:
|
2009/10 |
2010/11 |
2011/12 |
2012/13 |
|
R 53 843 713 |
R 69 481 474 |
R 80 656 970 |
R 92 723 528 |
|
Y/Y Percentage Increase |
|||
|
23% |
29% |
16% |
15% |
Umalusi currently faces the
following challenges:
-
The financial sustainability of the organisation
through increased funding from DoBE / NT:
·
Possible new funding model,
·
Move from certificate fee structure to a QA levy,
and
·
Increase baseline allocation of the grant
It was resolved that Umalusi would supply the Committee with
the following:
·
A
written report on the budget analysis (what was asked for/what was
received/shortfall etc)
·
A
full Human resources Report number of staff, staffing levels, salary figures
(expenditure year-on-year on staffing)
F. Education Labour
Relations Council (ELRC)
The core business of ELRC was
primarily dispute resolution services and collective bargaining (this was
extended to the FETC sector in 2008). Mr Govender also gave the Committee a
breakdown of the support services rendered which included:
·
Management, intervention and facilitation services
·
Compliance and investigation services
·
Governance support services
·
Mobilising employees services
·
Research and development
·
Media and communication
·
Finance and accounting services
·
Facilities management services
Mr Govender mentioned that the
activities were organised in five programmes:
·
Dispute resolution services
·
Collective bargaining
·
Executive services
·
Corporate services
·
Capital expenditure
Mr Govender went on to give a
summary of these programmes with its strategic and operational objectives. Mr
Motshakga gave the Committee the notes on the budget mentioning that:
—
As at end of first quarter 30 June 2009, the reserve
funds stood at R30, 489,335.
—
These funds were insufficient to carry ELRC up to
year 2011/2012.
—
ELRC required an additional R19, 587,144 to carryout
all functions in year 2011/12 and 2012/13.
—
Savings in previous years would enable accumulation
of funds which can be used in year 2011/12 and 2012/13.
Other figures mentioned included:
—
Reserve funds as at 30 June 2009 - 30,489,335
—
Less: Transfer for 2009/10 and 2010/11 - 26,648,476
—
Total funds remaining end of March 2011- 3,840,859
—
Funds required in 2011/12 and 2012/13 - 19,587,144
Mr Motshakga continued with a
summary of the budget as well as the allocations of the budget to the various
programmes. Mr Govender concluded as follows:
—
With the variation
of the scope of Council to include the FETC sector the Councils operation has
been broadened to include Basic Education and Higher Education and Training.
—
As from
the 1st July 2009 operations were also separated into 2 areas namely:
—
Basic
Education
—
Higher
Education and Training
The income of the FETC sector however is insufficient to meet their
expenditure. Consequently the Basic Education sector of the ELRC has to
subsidise the deficit in the Higher Education and Training budget.
It was resolved that ELRC would supply the Committee with
the following:
·
An
analysis of the budget (a global picture) with each of the increases and
breakdowns of expenditure
·
A
more detailed organogram a full report on who they are, how long they in
their positions, the kind of support services you have etc.
·
Negotiations
how long they last, the implication on the organisation. Since inception
how many agreements forged, the nature of these agreements, resolutions,
implementation, what are the challenges in this respect
·
Any
outstanding disputes progress in respect of resolving these disputes
·
Detailed
analysis of your legal framework (which laws give you your mandate). Also legal
parameters i.r.o childrens rights
·
Laptop
issue A copy of the Tender Report progress to date, and the process going
forward
·
Teacher
Development a report on progress to date
·
A
copy of the Collective Agreement (i.r.o. displaced teachers/principals
G. Conclusion
1.
The
Committee believed that the submissions are in part a response to past
resolutions and mandates.
2.
The
reviews have also presented a picture of where we are as government to enable
us to look at the progress and challenges we are faced with.
3.
This
session has given us an opportunity to deliberate on issues with the aim of finding
practical ways of coordinating our efforts in moving forward with an efficient
machinery of delivery.
4.
The
Committee further commits itself to strengthening its oversight role through
visits to schools, stakeholders and our statutory bodies.
5.
The
Committee thanks parties concerned for the progress made so far.
6.
The Committee is thus focusing on implementation of service delivery,
building and strengthening capacity; developing human and financial resources
and having the necessary skills required in implementing government programmes.
7.
The Committee conveys its appreciation to the department (DoBE) and all
the statutory bodies for their participation and co-operation in the reviews.
Report
to be considered.