ATC121121: Report of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education on its engagement with the Department of Basic Education in Cape Town, dated 20 November 2012
Basic Education
Report of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education on its engagement
with the Department of Basic Education in
1
.
Introduction and Background
1.1
The
Portfolio Committee on Basic Education, in attempting to strengthen its
oversight role held a three day workshop with the Department of Basic Education
(DBE) and Heads of Department (
HODs
) of the
Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) or their representatives between 25 and
27 July 2012 at the Monkey Valley Resort,
Noordhoek
,
1.2
The Committee had
observed that although the national Department of Basic Education (DBE) had
sound policies and initiatives to improve the basic education system, there was
evidence from the reports of the Committee that implementation posed a
challenge in certain provinces. The workshop was one of the mechanisms through
which the Committee sought to build a comprehensive understanding of the extent
of the National Departments influence over the Provincial Education
Departments implementation of programmes and the challenges thereof. The
Committee also sought to receive updates on the implementation of key
programmes that were not sufficiently covered during the normal briefing
sessions in Parliament. These included the Accelerated School Infrastructure
Delivery Initiative (ASIDI); Inclusive education; the National School Nutrition
Programme (NSNP); Technical Schools Recapitalization Grant: and International
Agreements of the DBE.
1.3
The workshop also
allowed the Provincial Education Departments to give an overview of their
strategic priorities and progress reports in terms of implementation and
challenges thereof.
Moving from the
premise that the Portfolio Committee conducted oversights between 25 and 29
July 2011 in North West and Mpumalanga on inclusive education and in the
Eastern Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalanga between 10 and 19 January 2012 on school
readiness; the Committee gave an opportunity to the affected provinces to
respond and give progress reports to the findings and the recommendations made
by the Committee.
1.4
This report
provides a brief summary of the presentations made by the Department of Basic
Education as well as the
HODs
of the various
Provincial Education Departments and
summarises
pertinent issues that the Committee noted and recommended in order to craft a
way forward.
2.
Objectives of the
Workshop
The
objectives of the workshop were as follows:
·
To
enquire regarding the extent of the national Departments influence over the
Provincial Education Departments implementation of programmes and the
challenges thereof.
·
To
examine the monitoring mechanisms in place in order to follow the activities of
provincial departments.
·
To explore the challenges and obstacles hindering the
national Department to enforce policies and pieces of legislation effectively
in some provinces.
·
To explore the experiences and responses of the
most affected provinces on the effectiveness of national Department policies
and interventions to improve the basic education system.
·
To
consider progress reports in respect of addressing issues raised and
recommendations made during key Oversight Visits.
·
To
consider updates on the implementation of key programmes receiving insufficient
attention during normal briefing sessions in Parliament.
·
To document findings of the workshop and highlight
policy implications on the monitoring of the implementation of initiatives by
the provinces.
3.
Composition of the delegation
3.1
Portfolio
Committee on Basic Education
The delegation from the
Portfolio Committee on Basic Education comprised of Hon
H
H
Malgas
MP (Chairperson), Hon N Gina MP (ANC), Hon Z S
Makhubele
MP
(ANC), Hon A C Mashishi MP
(ANC), Hon C
Moni
MP (ANC), Hon F
F
Mushwana
(ANC)
MP,
Hon A Lovemore MP (DA), Hon D Smile MP (DA), Hon W Madisha MP
(Cope), Hon A M Mpontshane MP (IFP)
and Hon K J
Dikobo
MP (AZAPO). Members
of staff included Mr L
Mahada
(Parliamentary Researcher), Mr L A Brown
(Committee Secretary) and Mr M
Erasmus (Committee Assistant).
3.2
Department
of Basic Education (DBE)
The delegation from the Department
of Basic Education comprised Mr B Soobrayan:
Director-General,
Ms V Carelse: Deputy Director-General, Ms G Ndebele: Deputy
Director-General, Ms P
Tyobeka
:
Deputy Director-General,
Ms N
Molalekoa
: Chief
Financial
Officer, Mr P
Padayachee
: Deputy Director-General, Mr
G Coetzee:
Director, Mr R van den
Heever
: PLO in the
Ministry,
Ms T
Diale
: Programme
Manager, Mr R
Mafoko
: Director,
Ms K
Mohoebe
: PLO in the Office of the Director-
General, Ms B
Khenyane
:
Branch Coordinator.
3.3
Provincial
Education Departments (PEDs)
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
(vi)
(vii)
(viii)
(ix)
The
4.
Welcome and
Introduction
In her
introductory remarks, Hon H
Malgas
welcomed all
present at the workshop, especially the delegation from the Department of Basic
Education and the Provincial Heads of Department (or representatives from the
HODs
Office). She indicated that the workshop was an
important one and much overdue. Part of the expected outcomes of the engagement
was to create a platform to build stronger relations between the DBE and the
PEDs. Hon H
Malgas
also mentioned that the Portfolio Committee was not entirely happy with the
state of affairs in certain provinces and districts. She felt that it was
important that the
Portfolio
Committee, after engagements, find mechanisms to put in place in order to give
the necessary support for the DBE and PEDs to craft good working relations in
the delivery of their mandate. After some background and a synopsis of the
reasons, outcomes and expectations, Hon H
Malgas
handed over to the presenters.
5. Summary of presentations
The presentation
process gave provinces an opportunity to report first on their strategic
priorities and progress reports in terms of implementation and challenges.
Provinces visited by the Committee in 2011 and 2012 were given an opportunity
to give progress reports on the findings and recommendations of the Committee.
The DBE gave a report on its influence over provincial education departments in
the delivery of concurrent function of education and its challenges. Finally,
the DBE was given an opportunity to give presentations on specific programmes
and items as highlighted in the programme. It should be noted that the
5.1.
Provincial
Reporting
5.1.1 Presentation by Mpumalanga Provincial Education
Department
(
Mr M
Senzangakhona
)
Mr
Senzangakhonas
presentation responded mainly to the
observations and recommendations made by the Portfolio Committee in its report
for
a)
Filling of vacant posts
The
Committee was informed that the department lifted the moratorium on the filling
of posts for non teaching staff in September
2011
with posts for Subject Advisors in the Mathematics, Science and Technology
field being prioritised. Subject advisors posts in
Bohlabela
district were the first batch of posts advertised in December 2011 and
appointments had been made.
To
minimise
disruptions in schools, the department had
signed contracts of temporary educators to end in December
2011. Schools would re-appoint the educators in January 2012 on a
month-to-month contract, pending the placement of educators in excess and
bursary holders. The department also allowed the movement of educators in
schools to promotional posts that they had been appointed to, in January 2012.
b)
The delivery of LTSM
All
stationery for the 2012 academic year was delivered to schools before schools
closed in 2011. The Grade 10 CAPS textbooks were delivered to schools by
December 2011 and deliveries for Grades 1-3 resource material were finalized in
February 2012. All schools received workbooks 1 and 2 for Grades 1-3 for the
implementation of CAPS. Shortages were experienced, especially in languages,
however, this was later resolved. The department was currently conducting a
survey on all LTSM received by schools from both national and the province.
Requisitions for 2013 stationery had already been captured and orders would be
placed in mid-August 2012 for delivery in October 2012. Schools were currently
filling in requisitions on CAPS textbooks for Grades 4-6 and 11. The plan was
to also have deliveries of textbooks in October.
c)
Admissions of learners
The
policy and practice in the department was for schools to make admissions in
October of each year for the following year. There were challenges with
admissions in towns, where in most cases the number of learners seeking
admission was more than the available space, particularly in English medium
schools. Primarily in such cases, admissions were finally resolved in January.
d)
Scholar transport
Of
the four districts, Gert
Sibande
was the most
sparsely populated. This resulted in learners having to travel long distances
to schools. The bulk of scholar transport was required and provided in Gert
Sibande
, followed by
Nkangala
,
Ehlanzeni
and
Bohlabela
. Most
villages in
Bohlabela
were clustered and learners
lived within 5km of the nearest school.
e)
Infrastructure
The
Committee received a report on the matter of infrastructure for special
schools. A large portion of the infrastructure budget for special schools, in
the current financial year, was taken up by the building of two new special
schools in
Bohlabela
(a school for the deaf and an inclusive
school), to be completed in the 2013/14 financial year. There were three other
special schools, one in Gert
Sibande
and two in
Nkangala
that were receiving additions and upgrading. The
department was finalising the collection of data to implement an Electronic
Facility Management System (EFMS). The EFMS would help in developing an
effective backlog strategy for infrastructure for all schools in the province.
f)
CAPS training
The
training of Grade 10 educators on CAPS over the 2011 July holidays was
disturbed by the disengagement of the South African Democratic Teachers Union
(SADTU) in the province. Further training for Grade 10 was conducted over the
2011 September holidays and
additional
raining for all educators still not trained was finalized in January 2012 by
teacher unions. Grades 1-3 educators were trained in 2011 with little
disturbance. The training of Grades 4-6 and 11 educators on CAPS for
implementation in 2013 was conducted during the 2012 July holidays, also
without disturbance.
g)
Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign
All
districts and circuits had established the Quality Learning and Teaching
Campaign (QLTC) Committees with the provincial department having established
the QLTC Steering Committee in June 2012 to oversee all QLTC activities in the
province. About 97 percent of schools had also established QLTC Committees.
Other than establishing QLTC structures, the campaign is not yet fully
functional and therefore the Provincial QLTC Steering Committee would soon
develop a provincial programme for activities.
h)
Implementation of Inclusive education and state of
special schools
In
a separate presentation, which focused on the implementation of inclusive
education and the state of special schools in the province,
Mr
Senzangakhona
mentioned that t
here were 18 Public Special Schools in the province.
An estimated 140 schools designated as
Full-Service Schools (FSS) still had to be upgraded for accessibility. Among
the 18 Special schools, 14 accommodated learners with disabilities and four were
Child and Youth Care Centres (CYCC) for learners who were in need of care and
support. According to the Childrens Act, Child and Youth Care Centres should
be transferred to the Department of Social Development as of 01 April 2012.
However, due to the
unavailability of
national guidelines for this process, there were numerous delays, and as a
result, the province would effect the transfer on 01 April 2013. Training for
Special schools and Full-Service Schools on Curriculum adaptation and
differentiation was ongoing to allow for the full participation of learners.
The policy on scholar transport had been amended to accommodate learners with
disability. Schools that needed such a service needed to apply through their
districts to the Scholar Transport Manager in the province.
Mr
Senzangakhona
further gave a progress report on the issues
raised by the Portfolio Committee during its 2011 visit to Full Service and
(i)
Filling of vacant non-teaching posts in schools across the province
The
moratorium on the filling of
nonteaching
posts was
lifted in September 2011 for all
schools
though the Specialists posts were not affected by the moratorium (nurses,
therapists, etc). The province was in
the process of filling all posts with the process having
started in December 2011.
(ii)
A
full
time nurse is required and Occupational Therapists and a Social Worker in a
converted post level one educators posts in
The
provincial department had a social support model for post provisioning in
special schools, in order to support learners needing high levels of
support.
The Human resources (HR)
Directorate has been instructed to implement the model. Thus far, 30 posts for
specialists were advertised in 2010 and 23 filled, seven were not filled,
mainly because of the differences in salary scales compared to those of the
Department of Health.
A case in point is
a nurse in Gert
Sibande
appointed in 2010 who had
already taken up a post in the Department of Health. Regardless of the
competition of human resources with the Department of Health, another batch of
advertisements would go out in August and in the interim, the department relied
on the collaboration it had with the Department of Health in order for schools
to access the much needed support.
(iii)
Additions and Renovations to infrastructure
A large portion of the
infrastructure budget for special schools was already committed to the
building of two new schools. The
projects would be completed in the 2013/14 financial years
and a priority list would be drawn up for
additions and renovations from the 2014/15
financial
years.
(iv)
Upgrading
of school vehicles
For eight
special schools that were identified as in need of vehicles, the budget is
available
for the purchase of such
vehicles for these schools. The department was currently following
procurement processes for the purchase of
these vehicles.
(v)
129 learners on the waiting list
The department was
aware of overcrowding in special schools. This was the reason why the
infrastructure budget was committed
to building two new schools this year in order to
address the classroom space issue.
5.1.2
Presentation by Limpopo Provincial Education
Department
(Ms M B
Malele
)
Ms
Malele
, in her opening remarks, sketched the background and
historical analysis of the departments budget, indicating the recurring
over-expenditure over several years. The Compensation of Employees (
CoE
) budget was overspent in all financial years except
2006/7 when additional funding was received. The hike in over-expenditure for
2008/9 was caused by the implementation of Occupation Specific Dispensation
(OSD), which was not fully funded. The knock-on effects were over-expenditure
over the years through to 2011/12 on
CoE
, goods and services
and transfers; unauthorized expenditure; and overdraft. The province was run on
accruals year-in-year out and this had an adverse impact on the LTSM budget and
other important priorities.
Entering into the
2012/13 financial year, the department was still faced with financial
constraints characterized by budget cuts; a shortfall of 38 percent amounting
to R301 million with only 62 per cent budgeted for in terms of the requirements
by the guidelines on the Norms and Standards for funding of schools; and the
non-payment of
tranche
payments to schools. Due to
budget cuts, the most affected programme was the procurement and delivery of
textbooks particularly for grades that were to implement CAPS in the 2012
academic year. The first
tranche
payment had been
effected in May 2012 and the balance would be transferred in two
tranches
(one in the last quarter of the 2012 academic year
and the second in the first quarter of the 2013 academic year). While
acknowledging the budget constraints, she indicated that textbooks for those
grades were eventually procured
and she
gave the Portfolio Committee a complete breakdown of activities and dates of
the many processes leading up to the events that unfolded in the province regarding
the delivery of textbooks. She also gave the Portfolio Committee the status on
the delivery of books to schools as of 18 July 2012. On how the province is
responding to the possible impact of the late delivery of textbooks, Ms
Malele
indicated that a catch up plan had been developed to
cover areas that were not
covered by
the old textbooks. The plan was mainly resource based, supplying supplementary
material to learners and educators for Grade 10.
When responding to
the progress in terms of the observations and recommendations recorded in the
Committee report on the visit to
On scholar
transport, Ms
Malele
informed the Portfolio Committee
that the budget allocation was inadequate, as opposed to the intention of
expanding the programme to benefit deserving learners. The department had
revised the payment rate model with the view to save funds and cover a wider
number of learners.
On the issue of
the shortages of Maths and Science Educators as well as Curriculum Advisors, Ms
Malele
mentioned that there were 330 Maths and 182
Science vacancies. Although the department advertised for Curriculum Advisor
posts in 2010, not all could be filled. The department was able to place 118
graduates in 2011 (also using the
Fundza
Lushaka
bursary holders). It was clear that the supply did
not meet the demand and the department had appointed a further 700 foreign
educators mainly from
With the size of
the
Sekhukhune
District, Ms
Malele
mentioned that the department had
divided
the district into two:
Sekhukhune
and River Cross.
The number of schools in these districts stood at 450 each. The plan was to
divide the district into three but due to financial constraints only two
districts had been established.
5.1.3
Presentation by the Eastern Cape Provincial Education
Department
(Mr I
Mr
·
Principals
-
705
·
Deputy Principals
-
618
·
HODs
- 2 093
·
Post Level 1 (PL 1)
-
4
985
Mr
Mr
In terms of the 1836 January intake, only 337 posts
were not filled, while in terms of the 1985 (Collective Agreement) only 141
were not filled. This meant a total of 478
nett
vacancies
were not filled.
After the filling of the 1,985 substantive
(promotion) posts, there would still be
nett
vacant
substantive posts due to the non-movement of additional educators following the
2012 post declaration. The
filling of these posts would require additional funding, unless filled by
additional educators. SADTU had expressed an intention to declare a dispute due
to the non-implementation of CA 1 of 2012.
T
he Eastern Cape
Education department had developed its Annual Recruitment Plan (ARP) 2012/13
approved by the Office of the Premier. Due to the limitation in funding for
employment, the ARP 2012/13 only provided for a total of 222 critical posts as
follows:
·
SMS: Posts: 6
·
SES: Education Development Officers (
EDOs
): 160
·
DCES: School Subject Advisors: 48
·
CES: Subject
Advisory Services: 7
·
CES: HR Planning: 1
Adverts for the 222 critical posts would be placed by
early August 2012. The post of the Head of Department has been advertised and
the recruitment process was managed by the Office of the Premier. The Chief
Finance Officer post would also be advertised in August 2012.
On the issue of
non-implementation
of rural incentives due to lack of acceptable criteria, Mr Assam indicated that
the matter was discussed at the Provincial Education Labour Relations Council
(PELRC) on 23 July 2012 where it was resolved and referred to a subcommittee to
develop proposals for a way forward.
In respect of
timeous
delivery of Learner Teacher Support Material (LTSM) to schools, Mr
On scholar transport, Mr
The department was intensifying CAPS training with
support from the labour unions at provincial level. CAPS trainings for 2012
were conducted mostly in 2011 with gaps closed in early 2012. In respect of
CAPS trainings for 2013, plans had been developed to start training in the
June/July 2012 holidays but could not fully materialize due to labour
resistance in some districts in June/ July holidays, but there was agreement
that training gaps were to be filled before January 2013.
Mr
Table
1
:
The table mainly recorded progress on the challenges
that were raised by the Port Elizabeth Northern Areas Crisis Committee. The
table shows a litany of interventions, progress and challenges. While the
department has managed to fill substantive posts in the area; pay all
outstanding salaries of teachers with appointment letters; and that all payments
for section 21 schools were made, the province still needs to put in place
improvement plans to deal with teacher human resources challenges. Further the
province will still fail to implement some recommendations made by the
Committee due to financial constraints and those recommendations will be
prioritized for 2013/14
financial years.
5.1.4
Presentation
by KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Education Department
(Dr N S P
Sishi
)
Dr
Sishi
took the Committee through some of the key branches
within the department for ensuring the provision of quality education, details
of which were clearly set out in the departments Programme of Action 2012/13.
These included:
a) Curriculum Management and Delivery
To improve schools functionality and educational
outcomes at all levels. Broaden access to
quality education and resources to improve quality
education. Develop organisational, human resource capacity and
enhance skills.
b)
Institutional Development Support
To ensure good corporate governance, management and efficient
administration. Improve schools functionality and educational outcomes at all
levels. Develop schools into centres of community focus, care and support.
Promote national identity and social cohesion.
c)
Corporate Management
To develop organisational human resource capacity and
enhance skills. Ensure good corporate governance, management and an efficient
administration. Develop schools into centres of community focus, care and
support. Broaden access to education and provide resources.
d)
Finance
To
implement administrative management systems and accounting procedures in order
to ensure maximum support to curriculum delivery.
5.1.5
Presentation
by Northern Cape Provincial Education Department
(Mr T
Pharasi
)
Mr
Pharasi
indicated that most schools in the province were
Section 21 Schools and the department operated a centralised procurement
process in respect of LTSM. All materials were stored and sorted at a main
warehouse from where they were distributed to two distribution stations. All
educators received the necessary CAPS training and there were no problems in
this regard. Although the staff needs had stabilized, the department was in the
process of a review of the current learner versus educator ratio. The province
did not really have any major excess educators challenge. A major problem for
the province was the Quintile status of schools; many felt that the ranking was
erroneous for most schools in the province. There was an urgent need for a
review of the quintile status of schools in the province. Another matter for
concern was the parallel medium of teaching forced on educators due to the
problem of language.
In respect of the
Post Provisioning Norms (PPN), data was received and accessed from the
departmental annual survey. The department released their staff establishment
between
August and September.
Dinaledi Schools
in the province had been fully assessed and it was found that these schools
were not performing as well as expected. QLTC
mobilisation
was unfortunately not happening as expected. ECD coverage and Grade R has
become a priority for the department, and this has seen an increase in the
budget for this area. In respect of mergers of schools, Mr
Pharasi
indicated that the process had started at least three years ago with assessments
and follow-ups. The only problem was how to manage and accommodate the
SGBs
and all posts affected. The department was
unfortunately lagging behind in respect of White Paper 6 of 2001 on Special
Schools. The province was only able to build one school to date.
5.1.6
Presentation
by Western Cape Provincial Education Department
(Ms A
Schlebusch
)
Ms
Schlebusch
mentioned that in respect of textbooks for Grade
4 6 and 11 the department had sent circulars to schools with catalogues
provided. The department also has book displays running until 4 August 2012 for
schools to be able to chose titles and decide on orders. The online ordering
system would be active from 1 to 15
August
2012. The department was also in the process of negotiating with publishers for
the best prices on defined sets of orders. Textbooks would be in schools before
the end of the year. Ms
Schlebusch
also touched on
the quarterly monitoring and support to schools which was going very well. The
Department had 421 excess educators
at the end of the 2011/12 financial year, currently
standing at 365. The issue of scarce skills was under control in
the province, as well as post provisioning. The department was adding extra
capacity at Foundation Phase. In respect of subject choices at schools, support
was offered to ensure that subject offerings were viable and lead to further
study opportunities. She presented a table that summarizes the key trends on
the ECD in the province. The table showed a steady growth in the number of
children enrolled for ECD since 2009.
Table
2
: ECD Key Trends
|
Early Childhood Development- Key trends
|
|||
|
|
2009/10
|
2010/11
|
2011/12
|
|
Enrolment (publicly funded
only)
|
|||
|
Grade R in public schools
|
46 100
|
50 726
|
50 495**
|
|
Grade R in independent sites
|
21 077
|
13 228
|
20 087***
|
|
Pre-Grade R in public schools
|
1 820
|
1 213
|
1 215
|
|
Total
|
68 997
|
65 167
|
71 797
|
The department currently had 74 special schools
accommodating 18 878 learners with special needs which was 586 more learners
than in the previous financial year.
Currently 6 143 learners were enrolled at the 18 schools of skills and
614 learners at skills units at
public
special schools.
With respect to
Dinaledi Schools, the department re-visited the selection based on the Division
of Revenue Act (DORA) stipulations. There was now a set of shadow Dinaledi
schools - bringing the total to 100 that receive additional support and
affirmation.
On the closure and
merger of schools it was indicated that 27 schools in the province had been
notified. The s
chool-based indicators
,
included, but were not limited to:
·
learner enrolment
levels; / learner retention rates; the quality of curriculum provisioning;
·
the extent to
which learners have access to the school; suitability of schooling
infrastructure; whether sufficient support has been provided to the school by
the provincial education department; and
·
Present and
projected human settlement patterns; present and planned local municipality
developments; the availability of transport, school nutrition, learning and
teaching support materials (including furniture), staffing and human resource
development; language needs of the school community concerned; religious and/or
cultural preferences of the school community concerned; the availability of
alternative school placement options for the learners and educators at the
school; and the financial resources available to meet the schooling needs of
the province.
The department was
managing staffing challenges as well as possible by giving preference to
permanent staff and the placement of excess etc. The department submitted five
vacancy lists per annum with a swift turnaround in respect of appointments
especially in the case of principals. The department was heavily dependent on
good enrolment data.
School sport in
the province was managed by the Department of Culture and Sport. The
province had
Mass participation, access to
5.1.7
Presentation
by North West Provincial Education Department
(Dr I
Malale
)
Dr
Malale
responded to issues raised by the Portfolio
Committee during the visit to the
Province
in 2011. The issues raised concerned the following:
a)
At
this school, there was good progress reported. Both boys and girls hostels were
fitted with heaters; geysers; and electrical wiring was refurbished by the
department of public works; kitchen utensils were procured (an urn, four large
pots of 260 liters, and breakfast plates) and the swimming pool repaired to a
functional state. For safety and security in the school, C
CTV cameras were
installed at strategic points on the premises particularly at the main gate,
garage and hostels. The municipality has intensified its refuse collection
commitment by collecting refuse every Tuesday.
In order to address the school
management crisis, the principal was transferred to the school of his choice.
The
provision of LTSM was prioritized. Braille books were purchased for all
subjects. To further ensure quality teaching and learning, computers with
printers were purchased; Jaws version 13 for Blind Learners acquired
;
Large keyboards were adapted, data projector and
projector screen were procured; a basic introduction to Braille was made
; a
workshop on Braille training for educators was
conducted in September 2011 and training for Contraction Advance Level was
conducted in July 2012; Screening and Testing of Learners was conducted in
October 2011 and February 2012; and funds were procured earlier to allow for
procurement processes to unfold and the school received its allocation in time
for Quarters 2-4.
b
)
At
·
Training
programmes for the staff - Teaching methodology, Autism disorder and Down
syndrome. These programmes were conducted to support learners.
·
Advocacy meeting
with staff and subject specialists about the role of the Subject Specialist in
rendering support to Special Schools for the Intellectually Disabled.
·
GET curriculum
Coordinator and the mentor of the Professional Specialist Support: School for
curriculum implementation and visit monthly;
·
A budget of
R6000.00 was allocated for screening and identification by a private
practitioner; and
·
Therapists
(Occupational, Speech) positions were advertised in 2011 though no applicants
applied, 64 posts will be advertised again shortly for the entire Province.
c)
The
school needed support on infrastructure and to address the quality of teaching
and learning. Extra classes and a computer room were built, while the shortage
of classrooms and quintile ranking was reported to the District Management. It
was recommended to the school management and the SGB to install security alarm
from its Section 21 allocation. To improve the quality of teaching and
learning, an inclusive education team and Learners Support Specialist held an
induction programme with the entire teaching staff on the importance and use of
assistive devices; the Learner Support Specialist monitored the school on a
monthly basis; and the school is using a community classroom for the other
Grade 3 class.
d)
Mfihlakalo
and
At
Mfihlakalo
,
the
construction of a new school was underway and the school is part of every special
school that receives an allocation for running costs which increases by 10%
annually.
To improve the quality of teaching and
learning,
more Class Assistants will be appointed once the new school is completed
with more classrooms; posts for therapists were advertised in the midst of the
challenge of employing qualified candidates to fill those posts; educators were
trained in CAPS and the
adaption
of the curriculum;
and the Principal
has been appointed at
Temogo
Special School.
e)
To improve the quality of
teaching and learning, teachers were trained on Screening Identification
Assessment and Support (SIAS) and curriculum adaptation and that an additional
post for the SIAS unit had been provided.
6. Presentations by the Department of Basic Education
6.1.
Department of Basic Educations Influence over
Provincial Education Departments (Implementation of the Basic Education
Strategic Priorities) (Mr B Soobrayan)
Mr Soobrayan gave
the Portfolio Committee some context to the oversight of institutions in the
education sector as follows:
·
The Presidency at
national level and the Premiers Offices at provincial level provided the
political impetus for oversight across
G
overnment
,
further ensured that all institutions gathered the information required to
enable the effectiveness of government policies, and provided information in
support of this to monitor and evaluate.
·
The National
Treasury and Provincial Treasuries developed formats and standards for
accountability reporting, including performance information, strategic plans,
annual performance plans, budgets, etc. They further monitor, evaluate and
report on the economy, efficiency, effectiveness and equity in the use of
resources to deliver services.
·
The Department of
Public Service and Administration (DPSA) encourages linked performance
information management to broader systemic and structural solutions to
management challenges, particularly the individual performance management
system and institutes and evaluates reforms through initiatives such as Batho
Pele.
·
The Department of
Performance Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME)
provides support to
Government monitoring and evaluation systems, processes and interventions to
inform service delivery improvement. It enables alignment between Five Year
Strategic Plans, Annual,
Quarterly
and champions
(Delivery) Outcomes reporting.
·
The
Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) (Chapter 9) is the Supreme Audit
Institution (SAI) of
While the above
Departments have the oversight responsibility over the DBE, the DBE should, in
terms of statutes, play an oversight and monitoring role to the provinces in
the scope of education provision, monitoring and evaluation, and
accountability.
In order to comply
with the accountability and reporting provisions, the Provincial Education
Departments (PEDs) produced reports. They were summarized in the following
table:
Table
3
: Accountability and reporting of Provincial
Education Departments
|
Institution
|
Accountability Documents
|
Frequency
|
|
1. Provincial Treasury
|
-
Budget
reports
|
Monthly
|
|
-
Performance
reports against the APP
|
Quarterly
|
|
|
-
Annual
Performance Plans and
Annual
reports
|
Annually
|
|
|
2. Office of the Premier
|
-
Progress
reports
|
Quarterly
|
|
3. Provincial Executive Committee
|
-
Progress reports
|
Quarterly
|
|
4. Legislature
|
-
Performance
reports
|
Quarterly
|
|
-
Annual
reports
|
Annually
|
The major
challenges and obstacles in reporting between the DBE and provincial
departments could be summarised as follows:
·
Persistent
inequalities in different provinces.
·
Assumptions of
concurrent functions - implementation capacity varied.
·
Provinces differed in the degree to which they had
adopted and followed through
with
national programmes and sectoral priorities, including inclusive education.
·
Policy compliance challenges
o
Planning, implementation and capacity concerns
o
Sufficient maturity of systems, controls and risk
management
in
delivery and provisioning
It was clear that components of the system in
districts and schools were not homogenous. This needed the DBE to put in place
strategies that would respond to the challenges and make the system work.
One-size-fits-all strategies were unlikely to work. Factors that militated
against good performance were very specific and had to be mitigated through
specific and direct interventions. Therefore improvement strategies had to be
evidence-based driven by credible monitoring. Based on evidence on conditions,
there was a need to define the specific conditions at each district and
underperforming school that was militating against good performance.
Implementation of intervention strategies that directly addressed any
unfavourable conditions was needed. The challenges were clearly articulated
with clearly defined initiatives. Existing mechanisms included:
·
Statutory financial reporting and reporting on
progress with
APPs
, Strategic plans in terms of
resources allocated;
·
Quarterly Ministerial meetings with Districts;
·
NEEDU
quarterly
reports to the Minister independently; and
·
Planning and Delivery Oversight Unit reports.
Other mechanisms
included:
o
Provincial and other reports on progress with a
Literacy and Numeracy strategy (active interventions to promote reading), a
Maths, Science and Technology (MST) Strategy, Integrated ECD and multi-grade
interventions as well as on poverty mitigation, ISHP,
ASIDI, among
other programmatic interventions; and
o
Provincial visits as part of programmatic activities:
-
Including
Budget monitoring and support visits at least three times in a
financial year including
officials from
Education Human Resource
Planning,
Provisioning and Monitoring, Support, Strategic Planning,
Asset Management.
To make the strategies effective, the DBE created
integrated monitoring tools that assisted in coordinating the entire reporting
and accountability system. Coordinated integrated reporting tools also
included:
·
Provincial, district and school level monitoring and
utility;
·
Drawing from existing information (and information
sources) with diagnosis for decision support, including financials;
·
Reduce the burden for information sharing (existing
information sources);
·
Utility in decision making school, district,
provincial reporting and added value information; and
·
Accommodates verification but enabled diagnosis to
enable remediation.
There was also a focus on CAPS, Workbooks, Assessment
(ANA, NSC) outcomes, Infrastructure and equipment, Teacher development and
accountability, LTSM quality, costs, curriculum coverage interventions and
learner performance improvement especially in multigrade and difficult
contexts. IQMS was separated but integrated in the monitoring process.
There was an
overview of the PEDs with a focus on institutional performance and
accountability - including innovations per priority and programme area:
·
A report on
financial expenditure patterns, Supply Chain Management (SCM) efficiency e.g.
personnel, capital,
non personnel non
capex
;
·
Employment,
vacancies, and other changes for
HODs
, Deputy
Principals, Principals, District managers
per school per district;
·
ISHP, nutrition
participation and elaboration;
·
Teacher training,
planning, allocation, management and development;
·
Availability and
use of
LTSMs
and Textbooks on the National Catalogue.
DBE also has the
tools to monitor curriculum coverage which includes integrated Literacy and
Numeracy, MST and ECD Strategy. Further, it has tools to oversee the
preparations, implementation of, and achievements in ANA and NSC in order to
assist in resource allocation, including HR, no-fee, funding norms and staff
utilisation, vacancy and management patterns. What is critical is to establish
good partnerships in the process so that interventions are supported and are
responsive by type and area of intervention, particularly in response to the
Action Plan to 2014 provincial indicators.
The DG indicated that it is high time that school and
District based modules with a focus on value-added information was required to
adequately manage and support schools in a sustained way. In closure, the DG
highlighted that it was important that the Portfolio Committee noted the work
done by the DBE on the following:
·
IQMS and school monitoring;
·
Institutionalised and integrated Monitoring
and Evaluation in support of Action Plan 2014 support and application;
·
Assessment of planning capacity;
·
Assessment and investigations into elements of public
expenditure to assess areas of pressure on the budget and make recommendations
on performance improvements;
·
HR and other management, utilisation, development and
deployment processes at district and provincial level.
It was important that the Portfolio Committee
considered engagements with clusters of provinces on:
·
Quarterly reports based on oversight concerns of the
Portfolio Committee by PEDs;
·
Oversight engagements with HOD of PEDs responsible;
·
Role of the NCOP clarified and strengthened in respect
of reporting processes;
·
Existing DBE capacity in intergovernmental liaison
engaged to support this process in terms of the value chain.
6.2.
The
Extent of the National Department Influence over Provincial Education
Department Budget Votes and Challenges (Ms
Molalekwa
)
Ms
Molalekoa
in her presentation on PEDs budget monitoring
mechanisms mentioned that in respect of monthly monitoring, the
Provincial
Education Departments (PEDs) submitted
the
In Year Monitoring (IYM) reports to the National Department. The report was the
same as the one submitted to Treasury on the 15th of every month. It reflected
the budget, actual expenditure and projections for the remaining period. The
National Department
consolidated,
analysed and compiled monthly reports to the Director- General, Deputy Minister
and the Minister. The report was also discussed at the HEDCOM and CEM. The
monthly report that included the Director Generals, Deputy Minister and
Ministers comments was sent to the
CFOs
of the PEDs.
The Department conducted monitoring exercises to the
PEDs at least three times in a financial year. The Department of Basic
Education team was strengthened by officials from various branches in the
National Treasury Department.
The first monitoring exercise was conducted in
July/August each year with the following topics being discussed with the PEDs:
·
The evaluation of the spending performance as of March
including conditional grants and funding for personnel expenditure;
·
The MTEF budget allocation including
education priorities;
·
The evaluation of the spending performance as of June
(
first quarter);
·
Challenges relating to the utilisation of the
allocated
budget; and
·
Progress on the implementation of the audit outcome
action plan.
The second monitoring exercise was conducted in
October/November and covered the
following
aspects:
·
The evaluation of the spending performance as of
September
( second quarter);
·
Audit outcome, Auditor Generals Sector report and
action plan to correct issues raised by the Auditor General; and
·
Challenges relating to the utilisation funds of the
allocated budget
The third monitoring exercise was conducted in
January/February and covered the following aspects:
·
Evaluation of the spending performance including
conditional grants as of 31 December (
third
quarter
);
·
Progress on the Audit outcome action plan; and
·
The budget allocation and distribution of funds for
the following MTEF period.
Ms
Molalekoa
indicated that the challenges were that
according to
Chapter 5 (section 36) of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), the Head of
the Department in the province was the accounting officer. Therefore the
National Department could only provide advice and support if required by the
Provincial Education Department. In respect of compensation to employees, the
sector was having problems with the compensation of employees expenditure. The
PEDs shift funds from goods and services and capital payments to fully fund the
compensation of employees. Filling of vacant posts were also suspended and the
Department would always lack human capacity to perform their tasks.
The Committee
received a details breakdown of the PEDs 2012 MTEF and spending performance as
of 30 June 2012 for all nine provinces (including conditional grants). Some
comments on the MTEF 2012 were as follows:
·
There was a
positive increase across all the provinces, even though it was not sufficient
to fund compensation of employees shortfalls on ICS and inflation rate as
provided by Treasury guidelines in the outer years.
·
The highest
budget in 2012/13 was realised on transfers and subsidies to correct the
2011/12 budget shortfall of independent schools in
·
Budgets on goods
and services had been reduced by R1, 042 billion (7.0 percent), compromising
service delivery to fund the compensation of employees. PEDs reduced the budget
on goods and services in the
·
Machinery and
equipment was also reduced.
·
The Early
Childhood Development (ECD) budget showed an increase in the outer years with
the aim of meeting the
universalisation
target of
Grade R in Public Schools by 2014. However, the low spending rate on ECD in
2011/12 was still a concern.
6.3. Dinaledi Schools (Mr M
Mweli
)
Mr
Mweli
sketched some background to the grant. In 2001 government
launched the National Mathematics, Science and Technology Education (NMSTE)
Strategy to address and improve the performance in Mathematics and Science
outputs. The Strategy was focused on improving the quality of teaching and
learning in Mathematics and Science, and increasing the number and quality of
learner passes in Maths and Science at Grade 12 level. In 2005, government
re-affirmed its commitment to the NMSTE strategy and set the system a target of
doubling learner performance in HG Mathematics and Science to 50 000 by 2008.
The Dinaledi School Project was also established to give targeted support to
raising the participation and performance especially of black learners and girl
learners in these subjects in selected schools. Table 4 below shows the number
of
e
following was a breakdown of the Dinaledi School Project in all provinces:
Table
4
:
The objectives of
the Dinaledi School Project were to raise the participation and performance by
historically disadvantaged learners in SC mathematics and physical science. The
project was designed to provide a cost-effective way of channeling scarce
resources in the context of competing priorities. The project was a short term
approach to providing adequate learning and teaching facilities to selected
schools with the potential to address the objectives of the MST Strategy.
The Dinaledi Schools Project had been granted
R70 million in 2011/12, and R99 million in 2012/13 to improve the
participation and performance of learners in Mathematics and Physical Science
in line with the National Strategy for Mathematics, Science and Technology
Education (NSMSTE). The Grant was intended for the following:
·
Address textbook
shortages by ensuring that each learner in Grades 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 had seven
textbooks.
·
Provide mobile
Science laboratories to 300 Dinaledi Schools that did not have access to
laboratories.
·
Provide Mathematics
kits for 500 Dinaledi Schools.
·
Provide 300 ICT
laboratories in Dinaledi Schools.
·
Install televisions
to receive educational TV Broadcasts and solutions to 500 Dinaledi Schools.
·
Provide 50
computers in each of the 500 Dinaledi Schools.
·
Provide
Mathematics, Physical Science and English First Additional Language (FAL)
teaching and learning software to 500 Dinaledi Schools.
·
Train 2 000
teachers on content knowledge in mathematics, physical science and English
First Additional Language.
·
Distribute a
diagnostic tool to assess measure and address learning and teaching
deficiencies in mathematics, physical science and English First Additional
Language in 500 Dinaledi Schools.
·
Develop capacity of
principals in 90 Dinaledi schools that achieved below 60% pass rate in the 2010
National Senior Certificate examinations.
·
Train and support
Grades 8, 9 and 10 learners in 500 Dinaledi schools to participate in
Mathematics and Science Olympiads
Mr
Mweli
gave the Portfolio Committee a breakdown of the
provincial reports in respect of Dinaledi Schools as follows:
Northern
Cape
: In the province, 73 teachers of Grades 10 12 Mathematics and
Physical
Science were
trained from the 26 to 28 of May 2011
while 51 Mathematics Kits were
procured
for 17 Dinaledi schools (three kits per school). Further, 51 teacher work
stations
and 100 learner work stations were
procured for 17 Dinaledi Schools.
The various
assessments conducted in the system had revealed that learner enrolment in
Mathematics and Physical Science had not increased substantially over the
years. This reality, presumably, was directly linked to low performance in
these gateway subjects.
Furthermore, over
the past number of years, the analysis had observed a trend in the decline in
learners moving away from Mathematics to Mathematical Literacy and Physical
Science.
Statistics from the National
Senior Certificate results over the last four years clearly supported the
observation of this trend. The assumption was linked to both participation and
performance attainment in each of the subjects.
One of the
criteria for a school to qualify as Dinaledi was that the school had to meet
the set learner enrolment ratio in Mathematics compared to Mathematics Literacy
which was 60 percent and 40 percent respectively. The decision was made at one
of the CEM meetings in 2010 - therefore as a measure to remedy the situation
meant the constant (bi-annually) monitoring had to be conducted at all Dinaledi
schools. Furthermore, as part of target settings for Dinaledi Schools the
Department of Basic Education also gave a directive that there had to be a five
percent increase rate annually of learner enrolment and performance in
Mathematics and Science. Provinces should be encouraged to run advocacy
programmes to schools including Dinaledi, on Mathematics and Science related
career fields.
In conclusion, Mr
Mweli
indicated that the Dinaledi schools conditional grant
had to assist feeder schools so as to increase the supply of learners taking
Mathematics in the system. The project was further intended to expand to
secondary schools in proximity of the identified Dinaledi schools by making use
of their resources. Provinces had to ensure that the criteria for Dinaledi
schools was maintained at all times, such as all Dinaledi schools having to
ensure that 60 percent of learners were taking Mathematics as a subject and 40
percent were taking Mathematical Literacy.
6.4.
Education
Infrastructure Grant (EIG) (Mr
Mafoko
)
The total
infrastructure budget according to the Infrastructure Report Manual (IRM) was R
9, 192, 682 billion, which included the EIG.
The total infrastructure
spending for the 2011/12 financial year was
R
8, 701, 992 billion or 95 percent of the adjusted budget
.
The sector had under- spent by 5 percent or R 490, 690
million on its total infrastructure budget. This was a 15 percent improvement
on the spending of 80 percent reported for the 2010/11 financial year. The
The total infrastructure budget, which included the
Education Infrastructure Grant, was R 8, 538, 142 billion. The budget had
declined by 3 percent from the 2011/12 allocated budget
this could be linked to the decrease
in the contribution the PEDs made towards the
infrastructure
budget. On average, the PEDs were only contributing 24 percent towards the
infrastructure budget - a total of
32 percent.
The Division of Revenue Act (DORA) 2012 required that
the Department gazette Prioritised Project Lists for the 2012 MTEF, 28 days
after the Act had been passed by Parliament. This was in order to improve
transparency and consistency in the delivery of school infrastructure. The
project lists had been submitted to the DBE by the PEDs and had been gazetted
in compliance with the Act and was uploaded on the DBE website.
The HR strategy developed through a partnership
between IDIP and DBE in order to deal with capacity constraints in the delivery
of infrastructure was currently being implemented. The strategy was to be
funded through the R10 million made available through the EIG. The use of the R
10 million was regulated through Section 13 of DORA 2012. All PEDs were
expected to have implemented the means to build capacity in line with the IDMS
and DORA 2012 requirements by September 2012. The following is the progress on
the implementation of
the strategy per
province:
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
In respect of
Disaster Management Funding, the sector
was allocated funds to
address schools that were affected by disasters in the 2010/11 financial year.
Due to the magnitude of the assessed damages in 2010/11, a decision was made by
National Treasury to allocate the funds required to repair the facilities over
a number of years. A further decision was
taken
to allocate these funds through the EIG. The first allocation was made in
2011/12 to the following PEDs:-
·
·
·
·
·
·
The allocations for 2011/12 were transferred to PED in
January 2012 - except for the
·
·
·
·
·
·
Infrastructure
budgets had grown significantly since the late 1990s and provinces had made
significant progress in reducing infrastructure backlogs.
Cabinet approved
that
R2.7 billion
be added
over the 2008 MTEF to the
Infrastructure Grant to Provinces
to address school
infrastructure needs, including the replacing of unsafe and inappropriate
school structures.
R26, 9 billion was allocated for the 2011/12 MTEF
period and a further amount
of
R8.2b had been allocated for the Accelerated School Infrastructure Delivery
Initiative (ASIDI), through the Schools Infrastructure Backlogs Grant.
Since 2000 the
following has
been provided:
·
1,206 schools had been built
·
38,664 additional classrooms had been built
·
5,214 schools were provided with water infrastructure
·
10,621 sanitation projects were completed
·
28,805 toilet seats were installed
·
2,847 schools were provided with electrical
infrastructure
·
2,655 schools were provided with security fencing
The following were actions
taken by the DBE to assist PEDs in addressing planning and
capacity challenges:
·
The DBE had developed an Action Plan to address
identified gaps in the planning process of PEDs. This plan identified actions
that needed to be taken by the PEDs and the DBE to address the planning
challenges. A planning and design manual had been developed and all
infrastructure personnel would receive training based on the manual.
·
A Short Term Technical Assistant Team had been
appointed to look at the User Asset Management Plans of the PEDs to assist them
to develop comprehensive plans and project lists. The team would also be
responsible for developing tools to assist the PEDs improve infrastructure
planning.
·
The DBE had established a Programme Support Unit (PSU)
within the DBE to
monitor the implementation of infrastructure and services provision by
the various Professional Service Providers (
PSPs
)
and Implementing Agents (
IAs
) that the Department of
Basic Education and provinces were utilising for the implementation of the
infrastructure programme
.
Further interventions to improve spending in the 2011/12 financial year
included:
·
The PSU would also be responsible to continuously
track progress on projects; inspect work in progress and in completed projects
to evaluate the quality of work as well as monitoring expenditure per project
on a monthly basis
·
IDP Technical Assistants had been deployed in the DBE
and in all nine provinces to provide strategic advice and capacitate personnel
in infrastructure units
·
The DBE had also increased its monitoring capacity and
monitoring visits were conducted twice annually where planning, budgeting ,
expenditure, monitoring, project management and procurement issues were
interrogated and a sample of projects were visited. Based on the findings from
these visits, remedial actions were devised with the province and monitored by
the DBE.
·
The DBE had worked with IDIP to develop an HR strategy
to address capacity constraint with regards to infrastructure in the PEDs. R10
million had been allocated per province in the 2012/13 financial year for this
programme.
In
respect of interventions to improve planning and implementation, the following
occurred:
·
Concluded guidelines for infrastructure planning had
been released and were posted on the website and were implemented by provinces;
·
NEIMS database had been upgraded and updated to ensure
accurate data for planning;
·
The infrastructure planning and prioritization model
had been finalised;
·
Standardised school designs had been finalised; and
·
A school
infrastructure costing model had been developed to assist with preliminary
costing for projects.
Regarding school furniture the
Department (
DBE) had initiated a process to develop guidelines and specifications
for school furniture. This would cover the types of furniture and specification
per learning spaces as indicated in the Guidelines relating to planning for
public school infrastructure. It would further include the specifications in
terms of size and ergonomics, quality, relevant health and safety legislation,
aesthetics, safety, and fitness for
purpose
(including durability, strength and stability). The Department had also signed
a Memorandum of Agreement with the Department of Labour for the manufacture and
delivery of school furniture.
6.5.
Accelerated
Schools Infrastructure Delivery Initiative (ASIDI) (Ms
Diale
)
The purpose of the Accelerated School Infrastructure
Delivery Initiative (ASIDI) grant was
for
the eradication of entire inappropriate structures and the provision of basic
levels of water, sanitation and electricity to schools.
The Committee
received a breakdown of the ASIDI targets as follows:
Table
5
:
|
Infrastructure Category
|
Baseline
|
2011/2012
|
2012/2013
|
2013/2014
|
|
Inappropriate Structures
|
496
|
50
|
100
|
346
|
|
Water
|
1257
|
188
|
1069
|
|
|
Electrification
|
878
|
164
|
714
|
|
|
Sanitation
|
868
|
354
|
514
|
|
|
Specialist Classrooms
|
|
|
50
|
|
The budget allocation for the ASIDI programme over the
MTEF period was R8.2 billion and allocated as indicated in the table
below:
Table
6
: The ASIDI budget allocation
|
MTEF ALLOCATIONS
|
|
|
2011/12
|
R
700
|
|
2012/13
|
R2 315
|
|
2013/14
|
R5 189
|
|
TOTAL
|
R8 204
|
In the 2011/12 financial year the budget split was
R420 million allocated towards the
eradication of 50 entire mud schools and R280 million allocated towards the
provision of water, sanitation and electricity to schools.
The
DBSA was appointed as the
Implementing Agent for the 50 inappropriate schools in the
The Committee received a
detailed breakdown of the progress on the overall contractors progress as at 9
July 2012 for inappropriate schools, water and sanitation and electrification.
Factors that had an
influence on the slow progress in respect of completion of projects
included:
·
The difficulty in obtaining material supply - Suppliers were not in a
position to meet the demand placed by the ASIDI contractors
·
Adverse weather conditions (Inclement weather )
·
Difficult terrain requiring unusual earth works and poor access to
schools, particularly those in remote areas in the
·
The redesign of site drawings due to unforeseen physical features on
site, such as graves
·
Non performance by contractors: Under estimated the resources required
on an accelerated programme
·
Competition with other business sectors on the transportation of bulk
material
From the close monitoring and analysis conducted, it was evident that
not all schools would be completed by the end of August 2012. Construction work
at all schools would be
completed on or
before November 2012. The Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) continues to
engage the contractors with a practical approach to expedite the work, to
ensure that more schools are completed by the end of August 2012. Contractors
who had shown poor performance had been issued notices of defaults and in one
case a contract had been terminated. Termination would
be the last resort as it had the potential of serious costs
overruns.
In the Eastern Cape
51 of the 58 sanitation
projects had achieved practical completion while all 84 schools hade been
provided with Rain Water Harvesting tanks and related infrastructure.
Thirty-one (31) of the 32 projects had been connected to municipal bulk supply
but none on the 49 projects identified for borehole connections were completed.
In
In the
In
In the
In the
ASIDI 2012/13 plans in respect of procurement were as follows:
·
Advertisements were sent
out in the Tender Bulletin (04th May) for
IAs
,
BEPs
and Contractors for the implementation of the ASIDI
programme in the 2012/13 to 2013/14 financial years.
·
Briefing sessions were held
from the 21 May 2012 to 23 May 2012
·
The RFP closed on the 08,
12 and 15 June 2012.
·
Evaluations of the RFPs
are in progress.
·
Submissions were made to
request different departments to avail technical people to sit on the
BECs
.
·
COEGA, Independent Development
Trust (IDT) and Department of Public Works Eastern Cape (DPWEC) had been
appointed for the implementation of the 50 schools in the
·
An appointment letter had
been issued to IDT Free State for the implementation of 10 schools in
·
An appointment letter had
been issued to Western Cape Education Department (WCED) for the implementation
of 14 schools in the
·
Mvula
Trusts appointment included the implementation of Water and
Sanitation in Limpopo and
·
An addendum to include
·
ESKOM was appointed for the
duration of ASIDI for Electrification, an addendum to include 2012/13 list of
schools was to be submitted for the
DGs
approval.
·
An addendum to extend the
implementation of Water, Sanitation and Electrification by the
·
A submission had been made
for the
DGs
approval of the appointment of North
West PED as the implementing agent of the water and sanitation projects
6.6.
The three key
pillars of NSNP
were school feeding, nutrition education and sustainable food production. In
respect of the feeding requirements the beneficiaries were learners in Q1 3
primary & secondary schools and special schools. Meals needed to be
provided on all schools days with cooked meals (protein, starch, fruits and
vegetables). The DORA requirements further stipulated the costs per meal at R
2.56 (primary) and R 3.46 (secondary), and would comply with food specifications
and an approved menu. Volunteer food handlers received R720.00 stipend per month.
The Department received quarterly reports from the PEDs for accountability
purposes.
The NSNP had fed
around 8.8 million learners in Q1-3 primary and secondary schools and special
schools. These were quality nutritious meals with a variety on all school days.
The Programme had expanded to Q1 3 secondary schools since 2009. An equipment
and utensils budget had been allocated to quintiles 1-3 secondary schools and
will be progressively provided to primary schools to address backlogs. 50 679
volunteer food handlers engaged to prepare meals, receive R720 stipend per
month. In four provinces were funds were transferred directly to schools (the
Eastern Cape, Free State, Northern Cape and North West) with greater benefits
for learners, work opportunities and local economic development. Provinces had
held 46 capacity building workshops in 31 districts. It was
important to strengthen partnerships with the
business sector in support of NSNP.
Some of the challenges being faced in
respect of NSNP included:
·
Lack of
preparation, storage and eating facilities in schools (a historic problem)
·
Backlog in
equipment and utensils especially in primary schools
·
Insufficient
district capacity (poor support and monitoring)
·
Monies for
conditional funds were diverted to meet provincial needs
e.g
·
Non-compliance by
some service providers on standards
To mitigate the above challenges the
following interventions were required:
·
Strengthen partnerships with the business sector to
support schools
·
Set aside an allocation from Conditional Grant (CG)
progressively for primary schools
·
Internships, training workshops to district officials and
interdepartmental collaboration (EPWP)
·
Meetings with
CFOs
(Monitoring Budget Exercise) to ensure CG funds are used for intended purpose
·
Non-payment as per service level agreement (
In respect of
Section 100 (1) (b) in the
The Department
deployed a support team to the
·
meetings were held with three district clusters and
inter-departmental officials to discuss procurement model/guidelines
·
project (implementation) plans were developed with
timelines and responsibilities
·
the transfer of funds to schools was facilitated, with
templates for accountability and compliance
·
joint monitoring (DBE & PED) of schools observed
stability and progress
·
accruals were verified for authenticity
·
inter
- directorate
cooperation was strengthened for an improved system.
·
An audit of equipment will be conducted (August 2012)
to ensure schools have equipment and utensils
In
respect of Section 100 (1) (b) in the
§
to ensure service providers claims are legitimate for
payment,
§
approximately 7 070 claims had been paid since May
2012, improving expenditure from 72 percent to 93 percent (end of March 12)
Challenges identified included
the lack of supporting documents for claims, service providers claiming more
than the allocated meal cost and varying documentation for claims by districts.
The Department
would deploy a team in the province as claims from districts were submitted.
The team had m
et with senior management to address NSNP implementation
and an action plan was developed to
strengthen districts. Apart from the monitoring of districts and schools, the
team also facilitated inter-district meetings for NSNP requirements.
Further plans for
Section 100 (1) (b) in 2012 included:
·
conducting training workshops on financial management
for schools and district officials;
·
strengthening intra-departmental cooperation and
financial controls and accountability (standard operating procedures);
·
prioritising procurement of goods and services
e.g
utensils to address under expenditure
·
auditing and procuring new cooking and eating
utensils;
·
ensuring the payment of accruals with provincial
allocated budget
·
strengthening monitoring capacity in the
6.7
Technical
Secondary Schools (Mr M
Mweli
)
In his
introduction Mr
Mweli
touched on the background
history of the introduction of the Technical Secondary Schools
Recapitalisation
Grant. In
May 2008
, the Department submitted a bid to National Treasury to
request funding
to
improve
the conditions of
technical schools
. The improvements
would
enhance
the
delivery of the curriculum
and assist
in
re-positioning
technical high
schools in the landscape of the education system. Provincial Departments of
Education submitted the
names
and
number
of technical schools
to be
considered
for
recapitalization. The Department
appointed
a
service provider
(KPMG) to
conduct
an
audit
in
September 2009
.The
purpose
of the
audit
was to
assess
the
conditions
of
identified schools
and the
results
of the
audit
had informed the
basis
of the
allocation
of
funds for the recapitalization processes.
The purpose of the Grant was
t
o
recapitalise
up to
200
technical schools
to
improve
the
capacity
to
contribute
to
skills development and training
in
the country by:
·
building
workshops at
technical schools to support the technical subject offerings
·
refurbishing or re-designing
workshops
in technical schools to comply with safety laws and regulations and to meet
minimum industry standards
·
buying and installing
new machinery and
equipment consistent with technical subjects that are offered in technical
schools
·
training and up-
skilling
teachers at technical schools to acquire new trends,
practical skills, and developments in their technical subjects
The Grant
supported the delivery of the Curriculum focusing on Civil Technology,
Electrical Technology, Mechanical Technology and Engineering Graphics and
Design. These were intended to offer
learners
elementary
engineering
and
technological skills
, which
were
suitable
for
the world of work
,
higher and/or further education
and
self
employment
.
According to the
Education Management Information System (EMIS) database, there were
960
public secondary schools
offering
one
or
more technology
subjects
. The grant had identified
200 of the 960
schools for
recapitalisation
during the period 2010/11 - 2014/15. The Department was initially allocated R80
million (2010/11), R200 million (2011/12), R210 million (2012/13 to
implement
the
grant
through
provinces
respectively. During the
budget review
period
of 2011/12 the financial allocations were
revised
as follows: R210 million: 2011/12 (approval of a roll-over
of R10
,5
million for the
The Conditional
Grant aimed to contribute to the achievement of the following goals and
outputs of the Departments Action Plan
2014:
·
Improve the professionalism, teaching skills, subject
knowledge and computer literacy of teachers throughout their entire careers.
·
Increase access amongst learners to a wide range of
media, including computers, which enrich their education.
·
Ensure that the physical infrastructure and
environment of every school inspires learners to want to come to school and
learn, and teachers to teach
An analysis of the
non-financial performance for 2010/11 2011/12 showed the following:
·
The
·
The
·
·
Limpopo and
·
Thirty schools in eight provinces were visited by the project manager
as part of the monitoring and support process during the period under review
(KZN was not visited during the period 2011/12).
·
The following
provinces recorded over-expenditure (
·
Financial
commitments for incomplete projects or unpaid invoices (accruals) amounted to
R42 million.
·
The most complete
output was teacher training (94 percent), followed by the supply of equipment
(81 percent); followed by refurbishment of workshops (80 percent) and the least
complete being the building of new workshops (55 percent).
·
In financial
terms, the performance had declined by 3 percent compared to the previous
period (2010/11) at 72 percent expenditure, however, in non-financial terms,
the output performance had significantly improved from 71 percent to 87 percent
achievement of targets.
Mr
Mweli
touched on some of the interventions to improve
learner participation and success for technology subjects.
The NCS curriculum
had
combined
18 subjects
into
four subjects
taking away the
specialization
component; As a result
most learners cannot
cope
with
the demand of the subjects. The lack of
specialisation
did not offer
learners
sufficient
skills
for
employment.
S
ome
learners
might have
otherwise gone to the
FET college
sector.
There was a n
egative perception
around
attending
vocational school.
Most
technology teachers were
leaving
the
schooling system
because
they had
only specialised
in one
or two subjects
and
could not cope
with the
demand of the subjects
. The
design
of the
subjects
in the
GET Phase
did
not prepare learners
for t
echnology subjects
in
FET. The current review of CAPS to introduce
specialisation in the technical/technology subjects would have a positive
effect on the content and delivery of the three subjects. The proposal to
introduce technical
mathematics
and technical science would attract more learners into the technical stream
while bringing direct relevance between the content of Mathematics and Physical
Science and the technology subjects. The impact of the ongoing recapitalisation
process would provide resources and facilities - and assist teachers in the
practical teaching methodologies of the subjects. The development of a clear
articulation model/policy between technical
schools
and FET colleges would assist in retaining the learners within the system.
Challenges being faced with the grant included:
·
Delays in the development
and approval of tender specifications for building and refurbishment of
workshops resulted in the annual targets not being met
·
Irregular monitoring, collection
of data and reporting resulted in the absence of information to detect early
warning signals for underperformance.
·
The late development of
provincial and schools business plans delayed the implementation of the grant
·
Unrealistic projections in
the business plans and the lack of skills to coordinate the project resulted in
the province not meeting its performance targets
·
The failure to consult other
departments and directorates such as Public Works and infrastructure continue
to delay the implementation of the building of workshops by the other
Departments
To mitigate these challenges
the implementation of the following strategies are being prioritised:
·
Standard templates for
procurement and uniform architectural plans for buildings have been developed
·
Monthly visits were being
undertaken
·
Implementing agencies (e.g.
COEGA for the
·
Schools also report on a
monthly basis to the project manager where necessary
·
Business planning processes
should be improved to be completed earlier than previous periods (January cut
off date)
·
Business plans reviewed in
partnership with provincial departments such as Treasury and Public Works and
other implementing agents.
·
Business plans should be
developed and reviewed in consultation with provincial departments such public
works and infrastructure directorates.
·
The allocation of adequate
time and resources for monitoring at provincial level;
·
The National office to
conduct regular site visits and schools to have dual reporting of progress
(province and national); and
·
The establishment of a
dedicated unit within the DBE to support the implementing agencies should be
fast tracked.
In conclusion, Mr
Mweli
mentioned that the gradual increase in funding
between the previous periods had a positive effect on the increase of the
projected outputs. It was acknowledged that the overall expenditure in 2011/12
had declined by 3 percent compared to the previous period, but the increase in
the outputs achieved the previous year was a sign that operational systems at
provincial and school level were maturing and significant improvements in
coordination could be identified.
Despite the limited human and financial
resources, the grant continued to make an impact in the delivery of the
curriculum and in supporting quality learning and teaching within the affected
200 technical schools.
6.8.
Planning
and Delivery Oversight Unit (PDOU) (Ms P
Tyobeka
)
In sketching the
background to the roles of the Planning and Delivery Oversight Unit (PDOU), Ms
Tyobeka
reminded Members of the
presentations made to the
Portfolio Committee on the strategic roles of the PDOU and National Education
Evaluation and Development Unit (NEEDU). The Planning and Delivery Oversight
Unit continued to operate primarily as a DBE internal mechanism to strengthen
national
oversight and
support/intervention
in the delivery of education. The unit was guided
in its work by priority policies and programmes of the sector and had focused
primarily on their effective implementation.
Districts and their
interface with schools was the primary point of entry for the Planning and
Delivery Oversight Unit, working with and through provinces. Overarching areas
of focus included:
·
Effective and timely
planning through (District Improvement Plans (
DIPs
)
and School Improvement Plans (
SIPs
)
·
CAWI: Readiness to
implement CAPS; Annual Assessments and their utilisation; the availability and
utilisation of workbooks and availability of basic infrastructure for effective
learning.
·
The mobilisation of
stakeholder participation in the education system through the QLTC.
Ms
Tyobeka
mentioned that many of the generic challenges across the system included the
lack of effective and timely planning at both district and school level. Labour
issues were allowed to fester and often compromised the delivery of education
in province, district and
schools.
Often delays in the transfer of school funding allocations to schools
effectively limited potential school activities. There was a lack of systematic
support to schools by district officials.
In dealing with some of the
challenges mentioned, Ms
Tyobeka
indicated that
meetings with district management, provincial senior managers, the Minister and
DBE Senior Management had been institutionalised (quarterly). These working meetings
focused on monitoring what
the Minister
considers vital signs for effective districts. These meetings were used to
identify best practices in the
various provinces but also highlighted areas for development or support. The
Department had developed templates/guidelines to help strengthen district
processes:
·
Strengthening the
monitoring of curriculum implementation;
·
Utilising mentors in
support of struggling districts and schools;
·
Vital signs for an
effective district/school (being finalised)
The QLTC as well as the
Provincial Coordination teams had been sent to deal with labour issues that
resulted from micro-political issues at school or community level or at the
provincial level. The Ministers workshop in September would focus on the
finalisation of
DIPs
based
on key indicators that the system has prioritised.
Ms
Tyobeka
mentioned that the
PDOUs
work on the ground was
intended to assist both the Department and provinces.
The primary strength of the Delivery Unit was
that it worked in direct support of schools and districts, and tried to provide
immediate relief to identified problems identified. However, effective
enforcement and ensuring consequences for failure to comply remained a
challenge and the PDOU would hopefully assist with ensuring that existing
accountability measures were implemented.
6.9.
Inclusive
Education (Dr
Simelane
)
Dr
Simelane
mentioned that the expectation on the part of the Department was the provision
of policy and strategic direction in the implementation of Inclusive Education
and its monitoring and support. The following table indicates training in
respect of Screening, Identification, Assessment and Support (SIAS):
Table
7
:
|
Province
|
Officials Trained
|
Full Service Schools that
Participated
|
Special Schools that
Participated
|
|
EC
|
170
|
30
|
43
|
|
FS
|
1 259
|
32
|
51
|
|
GT
|
40
|
4
|
25
|
|
KN
|
270
|
75
|
71
|
|
LP
|
142
|
14
|
34
|
|
MP
|
58
|
202
|
14
|
|
NC
|
540
|
19
|
10
|
|
NW
|
387
|
112
|
139
|
|
WC
|
1 069
|
129
|
45
|
|
Total
|
3 935
|
617
|
432
|
The physical upgrading of full service schools were as follows:
Table
8
:
|
Province
|
Physically Upgraded Full
Service Schools
|
|
EC
|
2
|
|
FS
|
2
|
|
GT
|
3
|
|
KN
|
75
|
|
LP
|
2
|
|
MP
|
1
|
|
NC
|
0
|
|
NW
|
70
|
|
WC
|
2
|
|
Total
|
157
|
In respect of further developments, Dr
Simelane
mentioned that the Department had developed an Inclusive Education Strategy as
well as guidelines for responding to learner diversity to support CAPS
implementation. Further, the Department ensured the adaptation of workbooks for
Brailing (Grades 1-6) and the adaptation of workbooks for Grades 7-9 was in progress.
The adaptation of workbooks for Deaf learners and for learners with language
and communication problems had been initiated. An Inclusive Education Human
Resource Development Strategy had been developed and was being implemented. The
Department was d
eveloping
the South African Sign Language curriculum as a subject for Grades
R-12. Braille-ready workbooks had been submitted to Braille Printing Houses for
printing and distribution. An order had been submitted for Brailing and
distribution of set works for Grades 10-12. Special schools lead teachers (5
per province), provincial and district officials including subject advisors
(968 Intermediate Phase and 3 035 grade 11 in 2012) had been orientated on
Curriculum Differentiation as part of the CAPS rollout.
Some of the challenges and
risks faced included:
·
Incoherent understanding of the Inclusive Education policy and its
vision
·
Lack of human resource capacity to implement the policy at all levels
of the system
·
A shortage of specialist professionals such as psychologists,
therapists, professional nurses, etc
·
Disparities as well as the lack of funding for Inclusive Education (IE)
across provinces
·
Uncoordinated access to specialist services including assistive devices
and technology
·
The lack of capacity in
·
The redeployment of teachers that affects IE trained teachers
The Department was planning
to t
rain
district officials on guidelines for full service schools and special schools.
Teachers would receive training in specialised areas of visual and hearing
impairment through to 2014 as well as on Curriculum Differentiation across the
system. The Department would complete the South African Sign Language
curriculum development for grades R-12 and prepare the system for implementation.
The development of the NQF level 1 qualification for intellectually disabled
learners was in the process of being finalised. A curriculum for moderately and
severely intellectually disabled learners was also being developed.
6.10.
Teacher
Supply and Demand (Ms
Munday
)
Ms
Munday
, in her
introduction, mentioned that t
he budget for compensation of employees accounted for
80 percent and more for the total budget in the PEDs. Given the financial
pressures on the compensation budgets, it had
become necessary to look closer into how human resource planning and management
was conducted in the PEDs.
There were basic practices that needed to be applied
and managed with regard to human resources in order
to ensure efficient, effective and economic practices in
the education sector.
In order to determine what the demand for teachers
was, it was necessary to understand the following:
·
The profile of the existing
teachers;
·
The profile of the teaching posts; and
·
whether teachers were being utilised correctly
This required reliable data which was a challenge -
the systems in place were compromised by the lack of information and/or
inaccurate information being placed in the system.
Through interaction with the
PEDs it had become apparent that the basic practices in HRM were not part of
the PEDs corporate governance.
An audit of the
organisational structures and the monitoring of the payroll of one month in all
nine PEDs would be conducted. A clean organisational structure would not only
help to identify why there was pressure on the compensation budgets, but would
also inform the formulation of an effective plan to solve these problems. The
payroll process in the
PEDs would be
audited and the information on PERSAL would be corrected and updated.
The demand for teachers in the system came as a result
of both the growth in enrolment and the need to replace teachers who were lost
from the system for various reasons. The lowering of learners-to-educator
ratios would result in the increase in teacher demand. Replacement demand
resulting from gross attrition remained the key driver of teacher demand.
Teacher education
graduates and unemployed teachers remained two of the most important sources
that needed to be managed. While some information existed on teachers in
training and potential graduates, more work needed to be done to improve the
accuracy and
reliability of that
information. The use of teachers employed in a temporary capacity was a
particularly important factor in the management of supply or utilisation
practices. The use of temporary teachers reflected on aspects such as the rate
at which posts were permanently filled and the effectiveness of redeploying
teachers held additional to their staff establishments. Under normal
circumstances, the rate of temporary appointments had to be approximately equal
to the attrition rate.
An HR Plan provided a short to long term direction
with regard to the demand and supply of human resources in the sector. The PEDs
had HR Plans that had been formulated purely to comply with requirements from
the DPSA. The current plans did not address the specific issues with regard to
demand and supply. There was a need for officials to be dedicated to HR
Planning in the PEDs. The common and repetitive challenges with respect to
human resource management functions in the PEDs needed to be managed with set
processes and systems in place. This required assigning more resources and time
to these challenges. District and provincial offices were not well or
sufficiently equipped to manage the workload and the common, repetitive
challenges.
There were policies, guidelines and Collective
Agreements empowering the PEDs to perform their HR functions. What was
important was how they were utilised. It was vital that the PEDs understood when
it was necessary to consult and when to negotiate on HR matters with
stakeholders. The PEDs had support from the DBE on all matters related to the
implementation of policies, guidelines and Collective Agreements through
constant interaction.
6.11.
Current
International Agreements (Ms V Carelse)
Ms Carelse
mentioned that the Department had pending agreements and Memoranda of
Understanding with
Current agreements
and Memoranda of Understanding were as follows:
(i)
Primary Education Policy Support Programme
This was signed on 6 November 2009 in
Status: The t
otal cost of the programme was estimated at EURO 122
680 000 (R1
256 611 808
exchange rate as at 24/07/2012) towards budget support. The first
tranche
of funding was received in November 2010 and
amounted to R315 688 800.
Payment
requests for the second
tranche
was finalised in May
2011 and approved
by
(ii)
Agreement with the
Status: In force
(iii)
Agreement with the
Status: Not yet implemented. An
agreement had been reached with service
providers.
A broad Management briefing was scheduled for August 2012.
(iv)
Agreement with
Status:
Valid
An agreement was reached
with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
for the provision of specialists in
Mathematics to support DBEs processes of
curriculum
development for Foundation and Intermediate phases. Specialists
assumed duty on 23
March 2012 and would serve for a period of two years.
Discussions were underway to extend
technical support to all provinces.
The
following agreements and Memorandum of Understanding were in progress:
(i)
Status: To be signed in August 2012
(ii)
United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
: A Draft Memorandum of
Understanding between the Government
of the Republic of South Africa and the
Government
of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on
Cooperation in the field of the English
Language. This involves the identification of
priority
areas to explore in the field of the English Language and identifying new
areas for joint activities.
Status:
Not yet signed (currently with
doj&cd
- checking for compliance with domestic
law)
(iii)
Serbia
: A
Draft Agreement between the Government of the Republic of South Africa and the
Government of the Republic of Serbia on Cooperation in the field of Basic
Education. This involves the exchange of education delegations, educational
information, academics, experts, students and publications. It further involves
the establishment of a
Status: Under discussion
(iv)
Namibia
: A
Draft Agreement between the Ministry of Basic Education of the Republic
of South Africa through UMALUSI, and the Republic of Namibia through the
Ministry of Education concerning the transfer of Examination Information. This
involved the systematic transfer of examination information from UMALUSI to the
Namibian Department of Education.
Status: It was c
urrently with the Department of
Justice and Constitutional
Development
(
DoJ
&CD) - checking for compliance with domestic
law
7
Summary and Conclusion
The three day workshop with the DBE
and the provincial heads was a milestone and a success.
Firstly, progress reports presented
by
Secondly, the presentations given
responded to the objectives of the workshop. Detailed information from the
presentations provided the nature, scope and extent of the influence the DBE
has over the provinces in the implementation of programmes, policies, pieces of
legislations, and norms and standards.
Further, the workshop was appraised on the monitoring mechanisms that
are in place as enforced by the DBE over provincial departments of education.
What came out clearly were the statutory roles that the DBE and the provincial
educations had to consider and abide by in the delivery of education in the two
spheres of government. What featured prominently was that the DBE and the
provincial education departments have clearly defined roles and accountability
in terms of operations and delivery of education; where the DBE cannot randomly
encroach on the scope of operations of the provincial accounting officers.
Therefore, it was made clear that in terms of statutory requirements the
provincial education provision is mandated to take place through the HOD and
MEC who are accountable to the Premier. Therefore the context of oversight and
influence which the DBE should have over provinces should be viewed with the
understanding that provinces have their accountability structures and reporting
channels and therefore the DBE can interact within the scope of monitoring and
evaluation.
The deliberations in the workshop
revealed that challenges and obstacles do exist in the provision of education
as concurrent functions. The degree of challenges varied. While some provinces
are lacking in terms of compliance with systems control; risk management and performance
reporting, others experience challenges in aligning and following through with
national programmes and sectoral priorities. Some of the challenges noted by
the Committee were:
·
The lack of accuracy, reliability
and credibility of data from provinces to DBE;
·
The effectiveness of CAPS trainings
to teachers;
·
Challenges of accruals in some
provinces and the impact of OSD to the provincial budgets;
·
The issue of inequality that persist
in the system in different forms in different provinces;
·
The challenge around the mechanism
to retrieve textbooks;
·
The district capacity and the
effectiveness of the support by the subject advisors;
·
Pre and post challenges regarding
the merger and closure of schools and the mitigation of such challenges;
·
The general coordination and
reporting challenges between the DBE and the provinces.
While these challenges do exist
across provinces in terms of reporting and implementation of sectoral
priorities, the DBE had to respect the prescriptions of the statutes in order
to work with the provinces in the form of assisting, monitoring, evaluation and
making the system work. The question was what could be done in order to move
forward and make the situation work under circumstances in order to eventually
foster better reporting, monitoring and good working relations?
The above issues gave the sector a
picture of what is happening in the education system. The Committee recognized
that under such circumstances, the stakeholders performing concurrent functions
should work together towards finding better ways and solutions to address the
issues identified during the deliberations in the workshop. The problem was
that some of those challenges had the potential to create paralysis in the
provision of basic education and to hamper the smooth running of the system.
8.
Recommendations
The following recommendations should
be considered by the Department of Basic Education and Provincial Education
Departments as follows:
·
To
put policies and reporting mechanisms in place and implement them;
·
To
enforce compliance to the systems that are in place;
·
To
put proper mechanisms between the national department and provinces to ensure
compliance to policies;
·
To
put effective and common instruments for the better assessment of the sector in
order to monitor compliance to the programmes implementation and general issues
in the system;
·
To
put a clear and simple checklist that is diagnostic in nature to identify and
note early warning signs in the system;
·
To
strengthen the system for its common benefit in intensifying the level of
concurrence;
·
To
further institutionalize monitoring and evaluation systems and put clear
indicators that will assist to quickly ascertain how the system is running in
finance, governance, etc in order to draw red flags and act in good time;
·
To
find ways to address the accruals and financial challenges faced by the Limpopo
and
Report to be considered.
Documents
No related documents