The Budgetary Review and
Recommendation Report of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education on the
performance of the Department of Basic Education for the 2010/11 financial year,
dated 20 October 2011
The
Portfolio Committee on Basic Education, having considered the performance of
the Department of Basic Education, reports as follows:
1.
Introduction
1.1. The role
and mandate of the Committee
The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education is mandated by sections 55
and 92 of the Constitution of the
·
Monitoring and overseeing the Department of Basic Education
in its day-to-day and overall performance.
·
Conferring with relevant governmental and civil society
organs on educational matters in order to participate in the development of
strategies and policies aimed at ensuring the quality and integrity of the
education system.
·
Processing and approving
legislation and international protocols and conventions relating to education
in accordance with the Rules of Parliament and the Constitution.
·
Participating in national and
international educational dialogues relating to education.
·
Conferring with the National
Council of Provinces on legislation pertaining to education which affects the
Provinces.
·
Engaging in various activities
and programmes aimed at the development and delivery of quality public
education to all South Africans.
·
Dealing with any other matter
referred to the Committee by the Speaker or the National Assembly.
The
Committee is further mandated to perform an oversight role by the Money Bills
Amendment Procedures and Related Matters Act, No. 9 of 2009. Section 5 of the aforementioned
Act requires the National Assembly, through its Committees, to annually assess
the performance of each national Department and submit Budgetary Review and Recommendation
reports (BRRR) for tabling in the National Assembly. These reports are referred
to the Committee on Appropriations for consideration when considering and
reporting on the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) to the National
Assembly.
This report provides the Committee’s assessment of the performance of
the Department of Basic Education for the 2010/11 financial year to the first
quarter 2011/12.
1.2.
Processes followed by the Committee in arriving at this report
In compiling this BRRR, the Committee assessed the performance of the Department
of Basic Education with reference to the following:
·
The strategic priorities and measurable objectives as
set out in the strategic plan.
·
Expenditure trends drawn from the reports and notes of
the National Treasury; the 2010 State-of-the-Nation address priorities; the reports
of the Auditor-General of
·
The financial statements and annual report briefings,
in terms of Section 65 of the Public Finance Management Act No. 1 of 1999,
which requires the Ministers to table the annual reports and financial
statements for the Department and public entities before Parliament.
·
Departmental briefings, including quarterly briefings
and the progress update on the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals.
1.3. The mandate
of the Department
The Department of Basic
Education derives its mandate from the Constitution of the Republic of South
Africa (1996) and several pieces of legislation, including the National
Education Policy Act (Act 27 of 1996) (NEPA); the South African Schools Act
(Act 80 of 1996) (SASA); other Acts and White Papers that guide the employment
of educators, qualifications, inclusive education and quality assurance of
curricula and assessment. The Constitution provides the overarching framework
for transformation in education. According to the Bill of Rights contained in
the Constitution, everyone has the right to a basic education, including adult
basic education and further education, which the State, through reasonable
measures, must progressively make available and accessible.
The Department is also
guided by international protocols on education, particularly the commitments
made in terms of the Education for All Declaration in
In
line with its mandate, the Department has a vision of a
2. The Department of Basic Education’s
Strategic Priorities and Measurable Objectives
2.1 Strategic Priorities of the Department
Education
has been set as a key Government priority in the fourth democratic
administration. The Department of Basic Education has been tasked to provide
quality education for all South Africans. In the period under review, the
strategic goals of the Department were centred on the “Schooling 2025: An Action Plan for the Improvement of Basic Education”.
The Schooling 2025 Action Plan outlines the sector goals the Department intends
to achieve. The two key goals and priorities as per the Schooling 2025 action
plan are:
·
To increase the number of Grade 12 learners who pass the
national examinations and qualify to enter a Bachelors programme at university
from 105 000 to 175 000 by 2014. Linked to this is the aim to
increase the number of Grade 12 learners passing mathematics and physical science
to 225 000 and 165 000 respectively by 2014.
·
To increase the percentage of learners in Grades 3, 6 and 9
in public schools who obtain the minimum acceptable mark in national
assessments for language and mathematics (numeracy) from current figures
varying between 27% and 38% (depending on the subject and grade) to 60% by
2014.
The above sector
priorities are learner performance based. They seek to improve on the current
performance of learners particularly on the critical grades of learning and on
the critical subjects and learning areas. As sector priorities, they have major
influence in shaping the strategic direction the Department intends to take.
The two sector priorities are supported by the following priorities:
·
All children will participate in Grade R by 2014.
·
All learners and teachers will engage in teaching and
learning for the requisite number of hours per day.
·
Workbooks that can ensure that critical exercises and tasks
are performed by learners and teachers will be distributed to all schools.
·
Standardised national assessments of the quality of learning
will take place in all public schools.
The above priorities are
a roadmap to 2014. The expectation is that there must be a steady increase in
the achievement of such priorities so that by 2014 they are fully realised.
2.2 Measurable Objectives of the Department
The Department of Basic
Education identified the improvement of the quality of learning in the basic
education system as its over-arching goal. To achieve this goal, the Department
set eight (8) key strategic objectives that defined its target areas in the 2010/11
financial year. These are:
·
Improved curriculum implementation by:
o
Removing certain administrative and reporting burdens and
streamlining the existing curriculum for Grades R to 12 in order to create more
time and opportunity for teaching and learning.
o
Releasing the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement
(CAPS) per grade and learning area.
·
An integrated strategy on the assessment of learners:
o
Developing a detailed and integrated strategy on how the
assessment in Grade R to 9 should be taken forward based on lessons learned
from data emerging from assessments.
·
A new integrated plan for teacher development by:
o
Producing a first version of the integrated plan for teacher
development.
·
Workbooks for Grade R to 9:
o
Distributing sufficient workbooks for learners from Grades R
to 6 accompanied by teacher manuals.
·
Enhanced education management development capacity within
the system:
o
Presenting a detailed proposal on enhancing education
leadership, management, and governance capacity within the system.
·
The Schooling 2025 action plan:
o
Releasing a first version of the Schooling 2025 action plan.
·
Better reporting on the state of basic education:
o
Publishing the first Department of Basic Education annual
report, setting the tone for the right approach for subsequent annual reports.
·
Promotion of the e-Education strategy through web-based
access to education information:
o
Launching a new Department of Basic Department website.
o
Improving the availability of information to the education
research community.
These
goals were further articulated in the five programmes of the Department.
Adding
to the above eight priorities, the 2010 State of the Nation Address outlined
the following strategic priorities relevant to the Basic Education sector:
·
Reinforcing the Department’s invariable commitment to the
basic fundamentals or non-negotiables in education, by all directly affected
stakeholders, with a resolute expectation to both learners and educators to be
in school, in class, on time, learning and teaching seven hours a day.
·
Assessing all the 27 000 schools by officials from the Department
of Basic Education and the findings to be recorded in an auditable written
report.
·
Consolidating commitment by three educator unions: National
Professional Teachers Organisation of South Africa (NAPTOSA), South African
Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) and Suid-Afrikaanse Onderwys Unie (SAOU) to the
Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign (QLTC) as from 2010.
The
above priorities articulate the priorities as set out in the Medium Term
Strategic Framework (MTSF).
3. The Analysis
of the Departments’ Prevailing Strategic and Operational Priorities
This section provides an analysis of the first quarter of the 2011/12
financial year. The analysis of the 2010/11 cycle is undertaken as part of the
examination of the Department’s Annual Report in Section 6.
3.1 2011/12
Strategic Priorities
The Department of Basic Education 2011-2014 Strategic Plan continued to articulate
the over-arching goal of improving the quality learning and learner
achievement. The key strategic priorities comprise the following:
The
over-arching goal of the Department as set out in the 2011/12- Strategic Plan
is to improve the quality of learning and learner achievement[1].
This goal is complemented by Outcome 1 on the delivery agreement signed by the
Minister ― Improved quality of
basic education. The outcome is anchored by processes and actions outlined
as the following four outputs:
·
Output 1: Improve the quality of teaching and learning.
·
Output 2: Undertake regular assessment to track progress.
·
Output 3: Improve early childhood development.
·
Output 4: Ensure credible outcomes-focused planning and
accountability system.
The four outputs give effect to its
over-arching goal of improving quality basic education particularly improving
quality of learning and learner achievement. Many other activities and effort
within the Department, provincial Departments of education, at schools and by
all affected stakeholders should aim to support the realisation of the four
outputs.
The
2011 State of the Nation Address amongst others, emphasised investing more on
teacher training, especially in mathematics and science; focusing more on
Triple T ― Teachers, Textbooks and Time; and tracking progress on the
implementation of annual national assessments in literacy and numeracy that are
internationally benchmarked, for grades 3, 6 and 9. These priorities overlap with or give effect
in one way or the other to the goal of improving quality of teaching and
learning. The Department inculcated these priorities in its strategic planning.
To realise the four outputs, the Department seeks to:
· intensify teacher development;
· provide learner support materials;
· conduct Annual National Assessments
in literacy and numeracy; and
· Accelerate schools infrastructure delivery
initiatives.
3.2 General Performance per
Programme
Programme 1: Administration
This Programme covers the re-organisation of the Department of Basic Education,
tax reconciliation of the Department of Basic Education, international
co-operation agreements and the drafting of legislation.
Within
this programme, and for the first quarter 2011/12 financial year, the Department
achieved the following:
Organisational
Matters:
·
Broad consultation on
organisational structure was conducted.
·
Fifteen new appointees were
inducted.
·
Forty-seven internships were
implemented for unemployed graduates.
·
Twenty-six officials
attended training/professional development activities.
·
Balances and submitted tax
reconciliation were on time.
Legislation:
·
Drafted and assisted in the
processing of legislation and regulations on the Education Laws Amendment Bill
and NEEDU Bill.
·
Regulations implemented in
terms of section 38A of SASA.
Global
Partnerships:
·
The DBE
hosted a delegation of senior officials from the Education Resource Centre in
·
Draft
co-operation agreements with
·
The DBE
made a presentation, on its objectives and Action Plan 2014, to newly appointed
ambassadors at a DIRCO function.
·
Proposed
co-operation agreements were received from
Programme 2: Curriculum Policy,
Support and Monitoring
The
second programme, Curriculum Policy, Support and Monitoring deals with the development
of curriculum and assessment policies for Basic Education and assists in
monitoring the implementation of such policies. The programme has four
sub-programmes namely:
- National School Curriculum
implementation;
- Early Childhood Development
(ECD);
- Inclusive Education;
and
The
Kha Ri Gude project has been identified as a mass based programme that will
recruit 41 000 volunteer educators and coordinators ― thereby
contributing to poverty alleviation. This programme provides support in
improving teaching and learning by ensuring that every child has a textbook on
time; children access ECD; provide ICT in schools; and support Science and
Mathematics initiatives.
Achievements
include the following:
The Department developed and printed numeracy and
literacy Workbook No. 2 for
Grades
1 – 6 in all official languages. A total of 86.9 per cent of learners received Volume 2 Grade 1-6 Language and
Mathematics workbooks.
Screening of textbooks for Foundation Phase (Grades 1-3) and Grade 10
took place from 27 June to 15 July 2011 in preparation of the implementation of
CAPS in 2012.
The National Guidelines for School Library and
Information Services (2010) had been developed. Templates to cost the different
areas of library provisioning were sent to provinces for their inputs. The
costing plan was finalised at the HEDCOM meeting on 2 June 2011.
The Department analysed the 2010 National Senior
Certificate Examination scripts in order to identify problem areas that could
assist Grade 12 learners in 2011. This report was shared with PEDs and training
institutions to ensure that teacher training in 2011 focused on these
problematic areas. PEDs were requested to include these findings in their
intervention programmes.
Programme 3: Teachers, Education
Human Resources and Institutional Development
Programme
three aims to promote quality teaching and institutional performance through
effective supply, development and utilisation of human resources available
within the Department. This Programme has crucial line items that prepare
educators for efficiency in terms of professionalism and subject content. It
covers teacher development; intensifying district support and Initial Teacher
Training through Funza Lushaka bursary programme.
Selected achievements include the following:
The Human Resource Planning Framework that was approved would guide the
teacher recruitment plans of PEDs over the medium- to-long-term. Teaching posts were filled in May 2011 at a
rate of 61.5 per cent. The annual target was 70 per cent.
The target of awarding 5 000 bursaries in the first quarter was exceeded,
as 6 742 bursaries were awarded. This was due to improved administrative and
coordination systems.
A total of 2 341 schools were visited by external Integrated
Quality Management System (IQMS) moderators
during the first quarter for the purpose of monitoring the implementation of
the IQMS. Provincial reports indicated
that 41 611 educators participated in development activities in this
quarter in Foundation Phase (FP) Literacy and Numeracy, and FET Mathematics and
Science, Accounting and Technology.
Regular negotiations occurred in the ELRC. These included task team
meetings to finalize instruments for the Teacher Performance Appraisal System
(TPAS) for school and office-based educators; developing performance contracts
for principals, deputy principals, circuit managers and subject advisors as
part of the Education Management Service (EMS).
The support to schools by districts was the major
focus of the period. A total of 58 District Improvement Plans were analysed (72
per cent) to determine the effectiveness of district support to schools. A two-day meeting on sign language was held to coordinate the training of
educators and district officials of full-service schools.
Programme 4:
Planning, Information and Assessment
Key issues for this programme included:
·
Accelerated School
Infrastructure Delivery Initiative (ASIDI).
·
Annual National Assessment
(ANA).
·
Grade R Funding.
Accelerated School Infrastructure Delivery Initiative (ASIDI):
The National Steering Committee was constituted and the first meeting was
held on 19 May 2011. An implementation plan for the Accelerated School
Infrastructure Delivery Initiative was approved by National Treasury, in terms
of which 50 mud schools in the
Annual National Assessment (ANA):
The report on the first verification ANA at Grade 3 and 6 levels, on
learner performance in both literacy/language and numeracy/mathematics, was
released by the Minister on 28 June 2011. This report provided all education
stakeholders with an accurate indication of the performance of the learners in
these key areas and would inform the design and implementation of appropriate
remedial programmes.
The results of the pilot study in Grade 9
mathematics and language to determine the baseline was expected to be available
at the end of September 2011. Preparatory work, mainly preparation of relevant
assessment instruments for assessing Grade 9 language and mathematics
performance in 2012, was partially completed
Policy
on Grade R:
Cost projections of different Grade R funding scenarios – to be used in support of securing additional
funding for implementing an amended funding model within the revised Grade R
policy framework - was completed and submitted to the Director-General. Further
work has been done on the costing which will be circulated within the Department
before finalisation.
Programme 5: Educational Enrichment
Services
The
aim of this programme is to develop policies and programmes in order to improve
the quality of learning in schools. This Programme seeks to create a safe
learning environment in schools and ensure an overall wellness of educators
through multi-stakeholders partnerships which included:
- The South African
Police Services (SAPS)
- Teacher Unions
- Governing Bodies
- Learner
Representatives
- Department of Health
Key achievements include:
Health screening of 32 289 Grade 1 learners was conducted during the 2011
academic year. Screening was conducted in
Participation by the Department in the fifth SA AIDS
Conference - and hosted a satellite session on the Draft Integrated Strategy on
HIV and AIDS as well as exhibited the range of HIV and support programmes and
materials developed by the Department.
Stabilisation
of the feeding programme was achieved in the
Promotion of the Bill of Responsibilities through the
Department’s partnership with LeadSA was achieved on four radio stations. Classroom activities from the teacher’s guide
formed part of the Primary Matters insert in Independent Newspapers’
daily newspapers. The training manual,
"Values in Action” which promoted the practice of values, human rights and
gender equality among School Governing Bodies and Representative Council of
Learners, was developed and signed off by the
Minister of Basic Education in June 2011.
Implementation of phase one of the Partnership Protocol between the Department
and SAPS was completed by 31 March 2011. From April to June 2011, phase two
commenced in
4. Analysis of Expenditure
trends
1st
Quarter Expenditure Report for 2011/12 Financial Year
Expenditure Trends
At the end of the 1st quarter, the Department had
spent R3.8 billion or 27.2 per cent of the total available budget of R13.9 billion for 2011/12. This is depicted in the following table:
|
Summary Table |
Total budget |
Actual expenditure to end of June |
Percent of budget expended |
|
Current Payments |
2 136 878 |
298 717 |
13.98% |
|
Compensation of Employees |
325 554 |
66 337 |
20.38% |
|
Goods and Services |
1 811 324 |
232 380 |
12.83% |
|
Transfers and Subsidies |
11 025 277 |
3 471 526 |
31.49% |
|
Payments for Capital Assets |
705 979 |
729 |
0.10% |
|
Total |
13 868 134 |
3 770 972 |
27.2% |
The Department
spent R298.7 million or 14 per cent of its current payments allocation. The
slower than expected spending was mainly
reflected in goods and services where 12.8 per cent had been spent. This slow spending was mainly
due to:
·
Delays
in the payment of the Kha Ri Gude project
·
Delays
in the implementation of the Annual National Assessment for Grade 3, 6 and 9
·
Delays
related to the work of the National Education Evaluation and Development Unit
(NEEDU)
·
Delays
in appointing a service provider to conduct the baseline study
The Department’s budget
was dominated by transfers and subsidies, which represent 95.8 per cent of their budget. They transferred
R3.3 billion or 31.5 per cent of the available R11 billion for transfers which was in line with the
approved projections. The Department had spent R729 000 or 0.1 per cent of the R705 million
available budget for the payment of capital assets. The slow spending was mainly in Programme 4,
where the payment for the infrastructure backlog did not take place as initially projected.
Spending
trends per economic classification
|
Economic Classification |
Projected expenditure to end of June |
Actual expenditure to end of June |
Percent of budget expended |
|
Compensation of Employees |
77 848 |
66 337 |
85.2% |
|
Goods and Services |
154 812 |
232 380 |
150.1% |
|
Transfers and Subsidies |
3 480 674 |
3 471 526 |
99.7% |
|
Payment for Capital Assets |
59 942 |
729 |
1.2% |
|
TOTAL |
3 773 276 |
3 770 972 |
99.9% |
Programme Spending
·
Programme 1 – Administration
Spending
was lower than expected in this programme where they had spent R59.9 million or 19.9 per cent of the R301.7 million
available funds. The deviation was due to delays in submission of invoices by the State Information and
Technology Association (SITA) and the Department’s
travel agent for Travel and subsistence.
·
Programme 2 - Curriculum, Support and Monitoring
Spending
amounted to R212.6 million or 11.6 per cent of the R1.8 billion available
funds. The slow spending was in goods
and services where 11.7 per cent or R179 million of the available R1.5 billion had been spent. This was mainly due to
delays in the submission of claims for
payments related to Kha-Ri-Gude, the adult mass literacy campaign.
·
Programme 3 – Teacher and Education Human Resources
Development and Management
Spending
was on track in this programme, where spending was R464 million or 89.9 per cent of the available R521.9 million. The
high percentage spent was mainly attributed to the
transfer to National Student Financial Aide Scheme (NSFAS) for Funza Lushaka Bursaries for initial teacher development
which was made in April.
·
Programme 4 - Planning, Quality Assessment and
Monitoring and Evaluation
Expenditure
was slower than expected where 12.45 per cent of the budget was spent on goods and services and only R18 000 of
the R700 million of the available budget had been spent on payment for Capital Assets. Spending was lower than
expected, due to the delays in the
implementation of the Infrastructure Backlog Grant and the Annual National Assessment for Grade 3, 6 and 9.
o
Programme 5 - Social Responsibility
Just over 99 per cent
of total expenditure in this programme was on conditional grant transfers to provinces for the
National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) and the HIV and Aids Lifeskills grants. Overall spending was on track where
R1.6 billion or 33.9 per cent of
the available budget had been spent. However spending was slower than expected on goods and services where R1.3
million or 9.8 per cent had been spent. The low spending was mainly
due to delays in conducting the NSNP baseline study.
4. Analysis of
the Annual Report and Financial Statements
4.1 The Department of Basic
Education
The
Portfolio Committee on Basic Education considered the Annual Reports and Financial
Statements of the Department of Basic Education and its relevant statutory
bodies for 2010/11 from 11 – 18 October 2010 in Parliament. The 2010/11 Annual Report of the Department of Basic
Education was the first report on the operations of the newly formed Department
of Basic Education.
The annual report briefings served to acquaint the Committee
with the progress of each unit in the Department and the named statutory
bodies. This report includes an overview of the presentation made by the Department
and its entities – with a focus on the achievements/successes, and challenges,
performance per programme, human resource management and financial performance.
4.1.1 Performance per Programme
The
Department had reported on the following five budget programmes:
Programme
1: Administration (Unspent – R 7. 670 million)
The programme focuses on pursuing
African advancement and enhanced international cooperation in education;
bilateral and multilateral cooperation; integrating and coordinating UNESCO
activities in
The Programme spent 97.1 per cent of
the available funds. The
under-expenditure was due to savings on compensation of employees due to the
non-filling of vacant posts as a result of the reorganisation of the Department
- as well as savings on transfer payments to UNESCO as a result of the
favourable Rand/Dollar exchange rate.
Key Successes:
The programme recorded the following
achievements:
· Attended the
first World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education in order to assess
progress towards the goal of expanding and improving comprehensive early
childhood care and education (ECCE).
· Presented the
2010 Education for All (EFA) Country Report to the EFA stakeholders’ meeting.
· The Minister
visited the
· The Director
General attended the UNESCO High Level Group on Education for All (EFA) on
leading the development of a global general education framework.
· The Deputy
Minister attended a meeting that tracked the progress made by member states
towards the achievement of six Education for All goals by 2015.
· The Basic
Education Laws Amendment (BELA) was processed.
Key Challenge: Shortage of
staff in the International Relations Directorate.
Programme 2: Curriculum Policy, Support and
Monitoring (Unspent: R 608. 945 million)
This programme prioritised amongst
others the expansion of Early Childhood Development (ECD) opportunities; improve the quality of
teaching and learning in Grade R – 12; improve access and quality of education for learners who
experience barriers to learning; support implementation of curriculum; provide workbooks for
Grade R – 9 learners; expand provision basic literacy for adults and be able to monitor and evaluate the
delivery of such programmes; and provide appropriate Learning and Teaching Support Materials for basic literacy
programmes.
The Programme
spent 54.7 per cent or R736.7 million. The slow spending was mainly in goods
and services where 51.2 per cent or R620.1 million of the available R1.2
billion was spent.
The under-expenditure was due
mainly to:
·
Delays in procurement
processes as well as the processing of payments in respect of the Technical
Secondary Schools Recapitalisation Conditional Grant for the
Key
Successes:
The programme recorded the following
achievements:
· Early Childhood
Development (ECD):
o
Data for all ECD centres had been captured by the Department
of Basic Education and the Department of Social Development (DSD) and was being
analysed to provide more accurate information on Grade R coverage.
o
Fifteen thousand additional ECD resources kits were
distributed to 81 district offices.
o
Embarked in a joint project with ETDP SETA to verify the
number of ECD practitioners undergoing training as well as to evaluate the
training programmes.
· Curriculum Development
Grade R – 12 and Innovation, especially the Curriculum and Assessment Policy
Statement (CAPS)
o
Fifty per cent of CAPS documents were sent to the publishers
for the development of textbooks.
o
A project manager had been appointed to manage the LTSM
project for the Department.
o
The criterion for textbook screening was developed.
o
Foundation Phase orientation for subject specialists on CAPS
took place.
o
The FET and Foundation Phase Language CAPS were finalised
and submitted to the publishers.
o
Forty CAPS for Foundation Phase and FET were edited and
finalised.
o
Plans for Grade 10 CAPS training for district officials were
made available.
o
A draft question and answer booklet on the CAPS was being
edited to promote and inform key stakeholders about the CAPS process.
o
A total of 569 Grade R Foundation Phase toolkits in all
official languages were uploaded in the Foundation Phase learning space on the
Thutong Educational Portal.
·
Inclusive Education:
o
Grade 1 – 4 English and Afrikaans workbooks for numeracy and
literacy were converted to Braille.
o
Grade 1 – 2 workbooks and a selection of Grade 10 – 12
textbooks were submitted to the printers for production.
o
Three of the five provinces who made provision in their
budgets placed orders for assistive devices and basic learner packages for
leaners with visual impairment. Other provinces will also budget for
procurement.
·
A total of 2 600 primary schools received Sunday Times
Storybooks for use in classroom libraries.
·
Numeracy and Literacy Workbook - Book 1, for Grades 1 – 6,
had been distributed to 19 000 primary schools in all nine provinces.
·
A total of 583 200 learners (including blind and deaf
learners) completed their final assessments.
·
Savings were incurred for the Workbooks project by
using the in-house services of the Department for the design, layout, and development
and Book 1 had been distributed. The second volume of workbooks was handed over
to the printers but would only be finalised in the 2011/12 financial year.
Programme 3:
Teacher and Education Human Resources Development and Management (Unspent – R
17. 086 million)
The programme focuses on
implementing an Education Human Resource Management Information System; Revising the Personnel Administrative
Measures (PAM)[i]; finalising
discussions at the Education Labour
Relations Council (ELRC) on the revised instruments on Teacher Appraisal with the intention to train all educators;
visiting 8 000 underperforming schools and
40 district offices to establish the quality of support rendered; developing a
comprehensive framework on the role of
education districts; completing the development of the Integrated National Planning Framework for Teacher Development;
and increasing the number and quality of new teachers
through the Funza Lushaka bursaries.
The under-expenditure
was mainly due to:
·
Under spending on the
National Education Evaluation and Development Unit project due to the process
of establishing the new unit.
·
Savings on compensation of
employees for the Integrated Quality Management System project due to the uncertainty
as to whether the project would be extended or not.
Key Successes:
The programme recorded the following
achievements:
· HR Connect project was
completed in order to provide the system with reliable information and to provide
an accurate indication of skills existing n the system and to identify the
gaps.
· The Personnel
Administrative Measures (PAM) was amended.
· A total of 7 160
schools were visited by IQMS moderators and they gave the required support on
IQMS implementation; delivery of the curriculum; and have sensitised the Department
on the lack of furniture, dilapidated buildings and vacancies in schools.
· Thirty thousand
applications for Funza Lushaka bursary were received, and 10 073 were
funded from the first year of study through to Post Graduate Certificate in
Education (PGCE) with 1 842 qualifying at the end of 2010.
· A guide on the
organisation, roles and responsibilities of Education Districts was finalised.
· A total of 1 488
principals were enrolled in the Advanced Certificate in Education (ACE) in
School Leadership.
· The Policy on Learner Attendance was
implemented.
· The SGB Support Tool and
the Annual Academic Performance Reporting Template were developed.
Key
Challenges: There were no key challenges reported for this programme.
Programme 4:
Planning, Quality Assessment and Monitoring and Evaluation (Unspent: R 18. 407
million)
This programme focuses on physical
planning; national school assessments and examinations; integrated education management system based on individual
learner records; and National Education
Evaluation and Development Unit (NEEDU).
The Programme spent 88.4 per cent of their budget. The under-expenditure was mainly due to:
·
The decision to reschedule
the Annual National Assessment (ANA) meant that the service provider contracted
to conduct Verification ANA could only be paid in the next financial year.
·
Under spending in respect of
the Education Management Information System project was due to late invoicing,
as well as incomplete service delivery by the State Information Technology
Agency regarding certain projects.
Key
Successes:
The programme recorded the following
achievements:
·
Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Delivery Initiative
(ASIDI) was finalised and additional funds were made available.
·
There was an improvement in the conducting, management and
administration of the National Senior Certificate examination and examinations
in
·
NEEDU was established and was in the process of refining
mechanisms through which the evaluation and development of schools could be
effectively undertaken.
Key
Challenges: The Department still faced capacity constraints due to the split of the
former Department of Education.
Programme 5: Social
Responsibility (Unspent R 4. 814 million) –
This programme focuses on arts, culture and music
education and training in schools; physical education; school sport; school
feeding; knowledge and awareness of health promoting behaviours; identification
and treatment of health barriers to learning; gender-related barriers; gender
equality; human rights, social cohesion and national identity; and the quality
of rural and farm schools.
Programme 5 spent 99.8 per cent of
its budget. Over 99 per cent of total expenditure in this programme is on
conditional grant transfers to provinces for the National School Nutrition
Programme and the HIV and Aids conditional grants. The slow spending in this
programme in goods and services, where R9.6 million or 77.6 per cent was spent,
was mainly due to the delay in appointing a service provider to conduct a
baseline study for the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP).
Key
Successes:
The programme recorded the following
achievements:
· Through a collaborative
partnership with the South African Police Services (SAPS), 9 000 schools in
all nine provinces were linked to police stations.
· Eight thousand safe
school committees were established.
· The evaluation of the Sport
for Development project was completed.
· Preparations for the
establishment of School Sport leagues were completed.
· The National School
Nutrition Programme (NSNP) reached 8 125 695 learners in 20 250
Quintile 1 – 3 primary and Quintile 1 – 2 secondary schools.
· A national campaign to
create awareness of healthy lifestyles was accomplished with the successful
hosting of the National Nutrition Week.
· The Draft Integrated
Strategy on HIV and AIDS, 2012 to 2016 was approved and opened the for
consultation process.
· The HIV and AIDS Life
Skills Education Programme business plans for the provinces were approved.
· The HIV Counselling and
Testing (HCT) in schools strategy was developed and approved by HEDCOM.
· The second draft of the
National Strategy for the Prevention and Management of Substance abuse amongst
learners was developed.
· The school health
screening programme was facilitated through the two School Health Weeks where
42 580 Grade 1 learners were screened.
· Learner focussed
guidelines for dealing with sexual abuse in schools was developed.
· A draft strategy on the
prevention and management of teenage pregnancy was completed.
· Regulations dealing with
learner pregnancy were developed.
· A training manual on
human rights and school governance was developed.
· The Bill of
responsibilities was developed.
· Progress was made on the
project on “Building social cohesion in school communities”.
· Access and retention of learners in rural and
farm schools was promoted.
· Fourteen SASA Section 14
agreements were signed for the 2 641 public schools that were situated on
private property.
· Guidelines for functional
school hostels were developed.
· One hundred and four
teachers, 16 district officials and eight provincial (except
Key
Challenges: There were no key challenges reported for this programme.
4.1.2 Human
Resource Management
In
the 2010/11 financial year the Department of Basic Education had 661 posts,
with 612 filled and a total of 49 vacancies at a vacancy rate of 7.41 per cent.
Programme 1, Administration had the highest vacancy rate at 16, 26 per cent.
Furthermore, the Department had a vacancy rate of 23.07 per cent at Senior
Management levels and 21.05 at skilled levels. The Department still faces
capacity constraints in some programmes, particularly in Programme 1 and at
senior level of management. The 23.07 per cent vacancy rate at strategic level
may be a cause for concern and this has a potential of affecting the
supervisory role within the Department. The staff turnover rate was minimal at
5.93 per cent.
4.1.3 Report
of the Auditor General
The Department continued to receive an unqualified
audit opinion from the Auditor-General (A-G). However, attention was drawn to
the following:
·
Inadequate
programme performance information.
·
The continued
use of the Department of Education processes and procedures.
·
Under
resourcing of the internal audit unit.
The
Department reported some progress in addressing the above shortcomings. It has
developed a Turnaround Strategy to ensure that they do not recur in future.
4.2 Statutory
Bodies
4.2.1 Council for Quality Assurance in General
and Further Education and Training (Umalusi)
The Council is mandated
to quality assure qualifications and standards, monitors and moderates
learners’ achievement and issues certificates. The Council also evaluates
whether providers of education and training in the sector have the capacity to
deliver and assess qualifications and are doing so to expected standards of
quality.
Achievements
UMALUSI
reported significant achievements with regards to its activities during the
period under review. These achievements cover the areas of Quality Assurance of
Assessment, Evaluation and Accreditation, Qualification, Curriculum and
Certification, Statistical Information and Research.
Challenges
In
respect of Quality Assurance of Assessment there was a scarcity of suitably
qualified people to serve as external moderators for NCV. Due to an
unavailability of some moderators for the National Senior Certificate (NSC)
examination there was an 88 per cent achievement on internal assessment. The
ERCO examination board used a question paper that was not approved by UMALUSI.
Assessment bodies did not submit evidence for prescribed samples or were not
making available the required samples. There was no reporting on International
Continuous Assessment (ICASS) on Further Education Training (FET) as indicated
on the strategic plan.
In
respect of Statistical Information and Research, the final research report with
Higher Education South Africa (HESA) on international benchmarking was not
reported on.
Umalusi also
reported that it was using R 15m of its
reserves of R 23m, to fund 2011/12, of which R6,4m would be used for
renovations leaving the entity with R 2m earmarked for the Adult matric project
over three years, thus leaving it without any reserves. Umalusi had proposed to
the Department for a move from a Certification Fee model to a Quality Assurance
Levy or increasing its baseline allocation substantially. Umalusi had provided these options in its
budget proposals - and should the increase in their baseline allocations not be
available for 2012/13. Umalusi was left with no alternative but to dramatically
increase certification fees to fund future years. The
Department was considering raising the baseline allocation.
Financial Performance
The
Independent Auditors to the Council gave an unqualified audit opinion, on
completion of the examination of the UMALUSI financial statements. UMALUSI had
sound internal Audit controls and it had reported on its predetermined
objectives and in compliance with the PFMA (Act 1 of 1999) as amended. It is
also good to note that there were no matters raised on compliance with laws and
regulations and internal control.
4.2.2 Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC)
The primary business of the Council is to
promote the maintenance of labour peace in the public education sector through
the provision of dispute resolution (and prevention) services. To this end, the
grievance and disputes of educators and officials were resolved through
conciliation and/or arbitration. The secondary business of the Council involved
promotion and maintenance of labour peace in the public education sector
through the provision of consultation and negotiations between trade unions and
the state as the employer, as represented by the Department of Education.
The
Achievements
The Council embarked on a number of programmes for commissioners – that
would later be extended to include dispute practitioners and the presiding
officers in all provinces. Of the 14 cases referred, nine cases were finalised.
There were also significant achievements and progress with regard to the areas
of facilitation, professional development, training, collective bargaining, allocation
of shop stewards, lap-top initiative and QLTC.
Challenges
The Council had not achieved its 30-day target for Conciliation during
the 2010/2011 period mainly due to panelist capacity and DoE and unions’
capacity. The Council had not been able to meet the Arbitration target due to
the fact that parties were represented by lawyers who were not readily
available for dates. Other challenges included:
- Verification of Basic Education Levies
- Management of Surplus Funds
- Generally recognised accounting practices
- New reporting framework on performance information
- Audit opinion on performance information
In respect of QLTC provinces complained of a lack of funds. Some
provinces mentioned a lack of common understanding of the QLTC, with poor
directives from the National Department – with many provinces struggling to get
structures active and functional.
Financial Performance
ELRC
has received an unqualified audit report. However there were several matters of
emphasis raised by the Auditor General including:
·
The
entity incurred irregular expenditure of R2 505 559.
·
There
was a disclosure of R116 952 fruitless expenditure.
·
Some
procurement prescripts were not followed.
·
No
effective and appropriate steps were taken by the accounting officer to prevent
irregular and fruitless expenditure.
·
There
was insufficient exercise of oversight regarding financial reporting and
internal controls.
·
No
sufficient procedures were in place to prepare accurate and complete financial
reports.
4.2.3 South African Council for Educators (SACE)
The South African Council
for Educators (SACE) was responsible for the registration and professional
development of all educators as well as upholding the ethics of the profession.
The Council further advised the Ministers of Basic and Higher Education and
Training and promoted research on professional matters.
Achievements
SACE
reported a number of achievements with regards to its activities during the
period under review. These included the areas of registration of educators and
the professional development of educators. The Council further exposed
educators to the Code of Ethics and reviewed this Code.
Challenges
The
Council faced challenges in respect of the authenticity of the SACE Database.
The Council failed to set, maintain and update registration standards, criteria
and procedures by reviewing existing standards in line with the current
challenges and international standards. In respect of the professional
development of educators, the strategic objectives and targets in the mandate
was not accurately explained in the annual report, strategic plan and the
presentation made before the Portfolio Committee on the 23 February 2010. The Continuing
Professional Teacher Development (CPTD) system was not running in all provinces
with only a committee of seven evaluators having been established. SACE failed
to make available to all schools copies of the SACE Code of Ethics with at
least 100 000 copies of study materials not produced. There seemed to be a
perceived confusion of the specific role of SACE played in respect of the CPTD
programme – and under whose authority it resided.
Financial Performance
The
Independent Auditor gave an unqualified audit opinion, on completion of the
examination of the SACE financial statements. However the following matters
were raised by the Independent Auditor and the Audit Committee for SACE:
·
The SACE administration needed to improve its professional
role.
·
The SACE administration must improve the management of
performance. In particular, it should deliver on its commitment to align
reporting with the approved strategic plan.
This was the second year running that this matter was raised. It was
raised last year by the Auditor General that SACE’s “reporting of targets in
some instances were not in line with targets and objectives set out in the strategic
plan”.
5. Other
Sources
5.1 Report
on Millennium Development Goals
The basic education
sector in
In
terms of the South African government’s development priorities, the focus on
education was not only on access to education, but more on quality of
education. The focal point was on a range of practical steps for attracting,
retaining and teaching children including the provision of no fees for schools
servicing poorer communities, up scaling school nutrition and feeding schemes
and further allowing for free transport. The focus also included: improving
access to Grade R; expanding the provision of infrastructure, facilities and
learning resources at primary and secondary schools; and broadening access to
specialist services for Learners with Special Education Needs (LSEN).
5.1.1 Goal 2: Achieve universal
primary education
The
Department reported progress in achieving this goal on the following three
indicators:
-
Net enrolment rate in primary education
-
Completion rates of primary education for 18 year olds
-
Literacy rate of 15 – 24 years old, women and men
Net enrolment rate - On the matter of the Net Enrolment Rate
(NER) in
Completion rates of primary education for 18 year olds - Completion rates of
primary education and higher for those aged 18 years increased from 89.6% in
2002 to 93.8% in 2009.
Literacy rate of 15 – 24 years old, women and men - The Department reported
that the functional literacy rate among 15–24-year-olds, which was based on
educational achievement of up to Grade 7, had steadily increased from 88.0% in
2002 to 91.0% in 2009. It was further reported that the functional literacy
level for female youths in 2009 was at 93%, slightly higher than their male
counterparts who were at 89%.
According to the Department,
Learner outcomes however remained a challenge needing
to be addressed. The results of the recently released 2011 Annual National
Assessments (ANA) gave evidence that most learners did not acquire the skills
and understanding that gave substance to the right to education.
In terms of the
different levels of performance, over half of the total learners assessed
performed at a level that indicated that they had clearly not achieved the
competencies specified in the curriculum. In Grade 6, the results indicated
that approximately 70% of learners fell into this category. At the top end (at
least 70%), very few learners were able to achieve outstanding results. For
instance, only 3% of learners in Grade 6 mathematics could be considered
outstanding.
5.1.2 Goal 3: Promote gender
equality and empower women
The
target of Goal 3 was to eliminate the gender disparity in primary and secondary
education by 2005 and to continue doing so in all levels of education no later
than 2015. The Department reported progress in achieving this goal on the
indicator of the ratio of girls to boys in primary and secondary schools. The Department
reported that all education goals could be achieved well before the end of
2015.
5.2 Audit outcome of the Provincial Education
Departments
The
Portfolio Committee on Basic Education received a briefing from the Office of
the Auditor-General on the audit outcomes of the Basic Education Sector and
related entities for the year ended 31 March 2011.
Audit
outcome of Provincial Departments of Education for 2010/11
|
Province |
Audit Outcome |
|
|
|
2010/11 |
2009/10 |
|
|
Disclaimer |
Disclaimer |
|
|
Qualified |
Qualified |
|
|
Unqualified |
Unqualified |
|
|
Qualified |
Unqualified |
|
|
Qualified |
Disclaimer |
|
|
Unqualified |
Qualified |
|
|
Qualified |
Qualified |
|
|
Qualified |
Disclaimer |
|
|
Unqualified |
Unqualified |
The briefing highlighted that the overall audit
outcomes of the Provincial Education Departments performance continue to be
unsatisfactory with 60% of the departments receiving modified audit opinions.
Although there are improvements at some departments, this was a movement from category of
modified audit opinion to another.
Limpopo and
The briefing
further showed that unauthorised expenditure for the Sector for 2010/11 stood
at R 959 million compared to the R 2.2 billion for 2009/10 (as identified by
auditees). Irregular expenditure for the Sector for 2010/11 stood at R 1.2
billion (as identified by auditees) and R 4.3 billion (identified during
audit).
The main
root causes of defective financial statements were poor key control monitoring
by leadership, ineffective audit committee review, slow rate of filling of
vacancies, vague action plans (lacking fixed timeframes), asset management and
skills-sets of officials.
6. Committee
Observations
6.1 As in the previous reporting period, the Committee commended the Department
and its entities for continuing to receive an unqualified audit opinion in
relation to the management of its finances. This suggested the existence of
strong performance management systems at national level. To further enhance
these management systems, the Committee expected the affected entities to work
towards ensuring that the problem areas highlighted as matters of emphasis do
not arise in future.
6.2 The Committee noted with appreciation that
6.3 Notwithstanding
these significant achievements, the Committee noted the following issues and
concerns
regarding the performance of the Department and its entities:
·
Members of the Committee remain concerned about
poor performance of learners as one of the proxy indicators for measuring the
quality of education
·
The Committee is concerned about the poor utilisation
and supply of teachers in the system and would like to see greater progress
made in resolving this challenge.
·
The Committee notes that
government funding has significantly increased access to ECD opportunities and
practitioner training. However, the conditions of service of practitioners at
ECD at registered ECD sites remain a cause of concern.
·
The Committee is concerned about efficiency challenges
regarding the distribution of Learner Teacher Support Material (LTSM),
including workbooks. Some schools still receive insufficient workbooks or do
not receive them on time.
·
The strategic objectives and targets for SACE were not
accurately explained in the entity’s annual report and strategic plan. This
restricted effective monitoring of service delivery,
·
The Committee noted that Umalusi was using its reserves to fund its mandate, including
renovations, thus leaving Umalusi without any reserves.
·
The poor management of finances in several Provincial
Education Departments as reported by the Office of the Auditor General continues
to be a serious cause of concern to the Committee, as it impacts on service
delivery. The Committee urgently requires that the parties involved update it
on the impact of their intervention strategies to resolve this issue.
·
Efforts at improving learner outcomes continue
to be severely constrained by the existence of overcrowded classes
in many schools which impacted on class size.
·
The Committee is concerned that the roll out of
incentives for rural teachers is uneven across the provinces and may not have
been sufficiently budgeted for in some cases.
·
There is a need for Sign Language to
become an official language.
7. Conclusion
Despite the above mentioned concerns, the Committee is satisfied
that
the Department of Basic Education, together with its three entities, remained
focused on
ensuring that they deliver on the commitments made in their respective Strategic
Plans during the period under review. The Committee is further satisfied that
the Department and its entities are largely compliant with Treasury regulations
and the PFMA. A strong foundation has been laid towards improving the quality
of basic education.
Recommendations
Based
on the observations made above, the Committee recommends the following:
(1)
The Minister for Basic Education should ensure that the
Department:
- Intensifies its targeted interventions to improve the quality and
functionality of education if the goal of access to education is to be realised.
- Continues to prioritise
teacher skills development.
- Makes representations to ensure that Sign
Language becomes an official language in order to enhance quality learning
and teaching.
- Harnesses,
expands and implements the accumulated knowledge, expertise and experience
at some NGOs, private and public schools related to the effective
implementation of the curriculum and the enhancement of the learning and
teaching capabilities of teachers and learners.
- Gives special attention
to the reduction of actual class size in all schools by way
of a further review of the National norms and standards in respect of
class size.
- Fast
tracks the introduction of performance agreements for principals and deputy
principals.
- Together with Provincial
Departments of Education deliver sufficient Learner Teacher Support
Material, including workbooks to schools on time.
- Together
with Provincial Education Departments prioritise and scale up the roll out
of motivational incentives for educators in rural areas particularly those
teaching scarce subjects such as Mathematics, Science and Technology. The
implementation of these incentives should be monitored closely to ensure
that they have the desired effect. Sufficient funds should be made
available for these incentives.
- Updates
the Committee as a matter of urgency on the nature and impact of
interventions to improve the management of finances in affected provinces.
It should follow up on this issue in collaboration with relevant
committees of Parliament.
- Ensures
that the recommendations arising out of the recent review of the quintile
system effectively eliminate inconsistencies in the current classification
of schools and the consequent underfunding of some schools.
- Gives special
attention to the improvement of conditions of service of ECD
practitioners.
- Ensures
that SACE pays special attention to its Strategic Plan and Predetermined
Objectives as well as ensures that there is value for money and
suitability of the purchase of its new building.
- Report
back to the Committee on the progress made in respect of infrastructure so
as to ascertain whether they were reaching their targets.
- Ensures
there is the necessary capacity to continue the monitoring and maintenance
of school infrastructure.
- Ensures
that the Committee received the necessary quarterly reports on progress in
respect of ASIDI.
(2)
The Minister of Basic Education should ensure that additional funding be provided
to UMALUSI in order for the entity to effectively carry out its extended
mandate.
The
Portfolio Committee requests that it receives a written response to the
recommendations alluded to within 14 days of the tabling of the report.
Report
to be considered