Honourable Speaker
Honourable Deputy Speaker
Honourable Premier
Members of the Executive Council and colleagues
Members of the Provincial Legislature
Members of the Traditional House
Honourable Mayors and Councillors
Leaders of all Political formations
Veterans of our glorious movement
Leaders and Members of SGBs
Representatives from organized Labour and business
Representatives of Student Formations
Representatives from organised Local government
Comrades and friends,
Ladies and gentlemen:
Honourable Speaker, we deliver this Vote 4 Budget and Policy Speech exactly five days after celebration of the 50th anniversary of Africa Day and African Unity.
The Africa Continent and the African Diaspora joined hands in celebrating the rich diversity and achievements of Africa on the 25th May 2013. Africa continues to introspect and develop programs to the enormous challenges still facing her, even during this celebratory mood.
This individual and collective reflection must necessarily culminate in the consolidation and development of programmes to improve the lives of her peoples, especially the young generation.
The theme for the 2013 Africa Day is aptly captured as “Pan Africanism and the African Renaissance.”
In her commemorative address at the Millennium Hall in Addis Ababa, Dr.Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission appropriately reflects on challenges facing Africa as being:
‘’.....to educate our populace, and ensure healthy bodies and minds; to modernize and expand Africa’s infrastructure and connect our peoples and countries; to grow our agriculture and agro-businesses so that we can feed ourselves and the world; to use our natural resources to industrialise and grow our shared prosperity; to invest in science, technology, research and innovation as enablers of rapid progress.....”
This year also marks the 100th Anniversary of the Women’s March to protest against the pass law in the Orange Free State. This march was specifically organised by urban women who lived in and around Waaihoek (the birth place of the African National Congress).
These women burned their passes and some tore them up as a sign of protest to the restriction of movement they brought about.
In addition, the 1913 Land Act, paved the way for the promulgation of the Bantu Education Act of 1953, which turns 60 years old; this is the legacy which are grappling to undo; and we will require the support and assistance of the architects and supporters of this evil system in eradicating the deep-rooted legacy it left behind, instead of the unwarranted criticism that is often levelled at our well meaning and altruistic efforts.
The enterprise we have been entrusted with is the noble task to lay the formidable base upon which the current and future generations will positively contribute to the realisation of “Pan Africanism and the African Renaissance.”
National Development Plan
The endorsement of the National Development Plan (NDP) by the ruling party and therefore government, enjoins us to refocus our efforts on the realisation of Vision 2030.
Education remains, unsurprisingly, the foundation upon which all the other objectives of the NDP will be realised.
In the main, the basic education sector blueprint, Action Plan 2014: Towards the Realisation of Schooling 2025 already captures what the NDP calls upon. What is needed now is a more sustainable focus on monitoring delivery of quality public education.
Honourable Speaker, the Ministry and the Northern Cape Department of Education (NCDoE) are acutely aware of the enormous task facing us in building the solid foundation for ‘development of knowledge, skills and innovation’ required to work towards the realisation of Vision 2030, as correctly articulated by the NDP when it says ....
‘The education system will play a greater role in building an inclusive society, providing equal opportunities and helping all South Africans to realise their full potential, in particular those previously disadvantaged by apartheid policies, namely black people, women and people with disabilities’.
The National Development Plan 2030 identifies priorities in the basic education sector as enhancement of (1) human capacity; (2) school management; (3) districtsupport; (4) infrastructure and (5) results-oriented mutual accountability between schools andcommunities.
The basic education sector blueprint, Action Plan 2014: Towards the Realisation of Schooling 2025 also identifies four priority output goals, namely (1) Improving the Quality of Teaching and Learning,(2) Undertaking Regular Assessment to Track Progress,(3) Improving Early Childhood Developmentand (4) Ensuring a Credible Outcome-Focused Planning and Accountability System.
As indicated above, generally the synergy between the NDP and Action Plan 2014 very is clear.
Provincial Learner Attainment Strategy
The Provincial Learner Attainment Strategy remains the strategic vehicle through which we will endeavour to realise the output priorities as articulated in both the Schooling 2014: Towards the Realisation of Schooling 2025; and the NDP: Vision 2030.
Accordingly, we remain committed to the four strategic thrust areas of our Provincial Learner Attainment Strategy, namely (1) Time on task; (2) Curriculum coverage; (3) School Based Assessment and (4) Parental Involvement.
We are of firm conviction that sustained focus on these four thrust areas will enable us to improve teaching and learning in all our schools, in line with objectives of Schooling 2014: Towards the Realisation of Schooling 2025, and the NDP.
The overall budget appropriated for Vote 4 in the 2013/14 is R4 448 073 000 (four billion four hundred and fourty eight million and seventy three thousands).
This has increased from the R4 289 242 000 (four billion two hundred and eighty nine million and two hundred and fourty two thousand) adjusted appropriation in the 2012/13 financial year.
This allocation, Honourable Speaker, like all others under my leadership, will be spend in the overall improvement of the quality of education in the province.
The NCDoE has managed in the past three years to replace the disclaimer audit outcomes with qualified audit opinions. For the 2011/12 audit outcomes, this department was ten days within reach of an unqualified audit outcome. It was so because we have systematically been working on our audit improvement plan and overall financial management programmes that supports the quest towards attainment of a clean audit.
Honourable Speaker, allow us to now outline some of the key deliverables the 2013/14 Vote Budget and Policy Speech addresses, and will be towards overall improvement of learner performance across the grades.
Early Childhood Development
The National Development Plan (NDP) puts emphasis on the significance of investing in early childhood development, especially in Pre Grade 1, calling for the country to make 2 years of quality preschool enrolment for 4 and 5 year olds compulsory before Grade 1.
We are encouraged that whilst national government works on making this a reality in the medium to long term periods, our province continues to make significant strides in expanding access to Grade R in public ordinary schools.
To this end, access to Grade R in public ordinary schools has been expanded from 11 406 (2009) to 16 557 in 2013. The highest enrolment in Grade R is in Frances Baard District with 98% of its primary ordinary schools offering Grade R, whilst the John Taologaetsewe district has the lowest, currently standing at a not-too-bad 76% coverage. A total of 88% of our primary ordinary schools presently offer Grade R.
We still have schools with 5 to 6 Grade 1 classes with only 1-2 Grade R classes. This is clearly untenable. Provincially, we still have 51 primary schools that do not offer Grade R.
Indeed, the majority of our schools are eager to increase their Grade R classes, but the major challenge remains a shortage of infrastructure, illustrating the extent of work still required in expanding access, and more importantly, improving the quality of learning and teaching in Grade R in both Public Ordinary Schools and Community Based Centres.
Honourable Speaker, I can confidently attest that we are building the foundation of education through the expansion of Grade R. Enormous strides have already been made but more needs to be done, especially in regard to ensuring that the Grade R practitioners have the minimum teaching requirements.
To this end a total of 162 and 222 ECD practitioners have attained their NQF Level 4 and 5 respectively over the past two years (2011-2012); Twenty four (24) and seventy-two (72) practitioners are currently studying a one year course towards their ECD NQF Level 4 and 5 certificates.
Furthermore, through partnership with the FET College (Upington Campus), a total of 100 and 400 practitioners are presently studying towards their ECD NQF Level 4 and 5 correspondingly, and are expected to finish their studies in September 2013.
We are happy to announce that we have increased the wage-subsidy paid to Grade R practitioners from R3500 to R5000 with effect from 1 April 2012.
Traditionally, the department allocated the funds to the School Governing Bodies (SGBs) which then paid the Grade Practitioners. Unfortunately, some SGBs have not always been honouring this arrangement, often paying the practitioners less than what they were entitled to.
Accordingly, as of April 2013, all salaries are paid through the persal system. This ensures that Grade R practitioners receive what is due to them on time, and in the process, restoring their dignity as professionals.
For the 2013/14 financial year, we are investing a total of R86, 064m collectively for Grade R in Public School and in Community Based Centres, which is an increase of 37% from the 2009/10 financial year. Investment in Grade R will increase to an estimated R115m over the 2013/4 MTEF period.
Annual National Assessment
The Annual National Assessment (ANA) is one of Government’s major interventions to strengthen learner achievement through sustained focus on literacy and numeracy as basis for quality education. Last year (2012) was the second year in which ANA was administered to learners in Grades 1 – 6 with grade 9 learners writing for the first time. A total of 22 259 learners wrote the 2012 ANA.
There was an improvement of 21% in Languages Grade 3 (from 28% (2011) to 49% in 2012 and in Mathematics the results improved by 17% i.e. 21% (2011) to 38% in 2012.
The Grade 6 Home Language improved by 12% (from 27% in 2011 to 38%) in 2012; Grade 6 Mathematics declined by 4%, that is, from 28% to 24%.The average pass percentage in Grade 9 Mathematics is 13. 2%, whilst the Home language is 44, 3% and First Additional Language is 37, 9%.
The Council of Education Ministers in 2013 endorsed the criteria for underperforming primary schools which stipulates that primary schools that have more than 50% of learners performing at level 3 and below in ANA in Grades 3 and 6 in literacy are deemed as underperforming;thus using this criterion, it means that 314 of 422 primary schools that participated in ANA underperformed, translating into 74.4% of primary schools underperforming; which is alarmingly high.
It was for this reason that two years ago, as a department, we identified ECD Grade R and the Foundation Phase, as a priority for the current and next MTEF period.
Honourable Speaker, both the 2011 and 2012 ANA results indicate the enormity of the challenge we are facing in improving the overall quality of public education in the province. This challenge we accept and are working tirelessly to ensure systemic improvements which we will be able to achieve with the support of all of us in what we have already said: ‘education is a societal issue,’ and therefore, no child will be able to read if there is no semblance of reading at home; and no child will be able to speak if there is no semblance of speaking in their communities.
In as much as some amongst us would want us to believe otherwise, we are of an unwavering conviction that the path we are on takes us progressively closer to realization of Vision 2030 as espoused by the National Development Plan (NDP). We acknowledge that the path we travel will not always be smooth sailing, (indeed, being a dynamic enterprise, nothing is straightforward in education…) there are bound to be setbacks (and habitual detractors...), but we remain resolute to soldier on for the improvement of the future of our children, in the province and in our country.
In addition to sharing these ANA and final examination results diagnostic reports with classroom based teachers during cluster meetings, we are also explaining the methodology of undertaking these investigative and problem-solvingstudies so as to equip teachers to do their own diagnostic analysis at school level.
Accordingly, teachers cannot continue to teach oblivious of what the ANA and final examination results and diagnostic reports reveal. This should necessarily translate in continuous individual and collective reflection on how to improve teaching practices to enhance overall learner performance, ably supported by subject advisors in addressing identified capacity gaps in subject knowledge.
In the same breath, school principals and heads of departments (HoDs) must use these diagnostic reports to frame their curriculum delivery management for improving overall learner academic performance.
It is only through such deliberate and sustained actions that we will improve overall learner attainment across all grades. The Action Plan 2014: Towards the Realisation of Schooling 2025 (p.39) states that the country needs:
‘A school principal who ensures that teaching in the school takes place as it should, according to the national curriculum, but who also understands his or her role as a leader whose responsibility is to promote harmony, creativity and a sound work ethic within the school community and beyond.’
Teacher development
The NDP argues that in low-performing schools principals very often do not fulfil their roles as leaders of the curriculum.
Good leadership and management enhance collaboration amongst teachers and manifest improved learner performance.
Teachers are a valuable asset and the most expensive resource in the education enterprise and therefore the inefficient management of this resource is a matter of great concern.
Over and above the strengthening the day to day management of teaching and learning in our primary schools, the department will continue to provide more focused ongoing support to teachers and identify critical subject content areas which form the focus of all teachers support.
It is a welcome relief that the department has, after lengthy consultations with the Labour parties, concluded the implementation of the teacher incentive policy. The policy seeks to address the challenges that the department faces in terms of attracting and retaining teachers in rural and farm schools, hard to teach schools and in particular, for scarce skills subjects.
There are currently 246 schools with 1089 teachers benefiting from the scheme with effect from 1 January 2013. The costs for implementing this noble initiative amounts to R20 million for 2013/14 financial year and will incrementally grow in line with the annual salary increases.
National Senior Certificate
Honourable Members, the overall pass rate of the Grade 12 class of 2012 has shown what we are able to achieve when we collectively and unreservedly commit to a common task.
Despite the enormous challenges we encountered during 2012, our National Senior Certificate (Grade 12) results improved from 68.76% in 2011 to 74.63% in 2012 (8 925 wrote & 6 661 passed in 2012), translating into a 5.9% increase compared to the 2011 performance.
You will recall too, that one of our districts i.e. John Taolo Gaetsewe, was amongst the nationally declared 15 under performing districts with an overall attainment of below 60% in the 2011 NSC results.
To the surprise of many, except ourselves, the John Taolo Gaetsewe’s Grade 12 class of 2012 achieved an overall pass rate of 63.47% compared to the 51.12% attained in 2011, which resulted in this district shedding the underperforming label!
The intention is to keep it as performing district up to the level of at least attaining 80% in the next two years.
A closer analysis of the province’s National Senior Certificate (Grade 12) results over a four year period, from 2009 to 2012, indicates that we continue to register successes in both quantity and quality outputs, even though it is not at huge margin; it is an improvement nonetheless!
The total number of Grade 12 learners eligible for Bachelors programme increased from 1 741 in 2009 to 2055 in 2012. The total number of schools with an overall pass rate of below 60% in the National Senior Certificate (NSC) decreased from 56 in 2009 to 22 in 2012.The overall pass rate in Mathematics increased from 43.60% in 2009 to 54.9% in 2012, whilst in Physical Science, we registered an increase from 33.40% (2009) to 60.1% in 2012. It must be mentioned that in Physical Science we registered a significant increase of 14% in one year i.e. between 2011 and 2012 (the highest increase per subject).
In addition to this, there has also been a steady improvement in the overall pass rate of Grade 12 (NSC) over the past four years (2009-2012) across the quintiles. Overall pass rate in quintile 1 Grade 12 results improved from 43,44% (2009) to 65,54% in 2012; quintile 2 Grade 12 improved from 50,21% (2009) to 68,54% in 2012 and quintile 3 Grade 12 improved from 53,34% (2009) to 61,90% in 2012.
Honourable Speaker, we highlight these three quintiles for in the main, these constitute the ex Department of Education and Training (DET) and the House of Representatives (HOR) schools of our sordid past.
The reality is that the incremental improvements in these quintiles are attained without the high parental subsidies prevalent in quintiles 4 and 5 schools. Some amongst us would want to convince us differently but WE KNOW BETTER.
We are encouraged by this steady upward trend and our collective effort is directed at ensuring overall improvement in learner pass rates across the grades.
We do however, acknowledge that the pace could and should be faster and we are working tirelessly towards realization of this.
In as much as we understand the impatience of our people (including ourselves at times ….), we assert that unlike other enterprises, ours is not a mechanical process where instant results are always guaranteed.
The world renowned educationists, A Hargreaves and M Fullan accurately state that ‘…teaching isn’t one-dimensional; It’s a lot less simple than most people think’ (2012).
This however, does not mean that we will be tolerant of those who are not doing that which they are earning a salary for. We are heightening accountability across the system to ensure that the people of the Northern Cape are not failed in this regard.
Changing and improving teaching practice is the core and at the heart of improving learner performance; and therefore overall quality of education. Whilst we understand the political realities that resulted in the ‘privatisation of the classroom’, we hold the view that currently, such context no longer exists and therefore there is no need for continued ‘classroom privatisation’.
This should especially be when such classroom visits are primarily meant to improve teaching practices and therefore overall learner performance and the department will, going forward, be increasing the official visits and presence by subject advisors, at every site of service delivery in our enterprise, classrooms!
Indeed, Honourable Speaker, the National Development Plan asserts that:
‘.... Teachers, both individually and at school level, should be held accountable for learner performance, with due recognition of the learning environment’.
In the same breath we are in full agreement with the National Education Evaluation Delivery Unit (NEEDU) in the assertion that:
“...accountability mechanisms need to be directed with professional insight and knowledge if they are to be useful in managing curriculum delivery”(Report of the National Education Evaluation and Development Unit on the state of schooling in selected schools in the Frances Baard District, Northern Cape Province: February 2011).
Honourable Speaker, as we did last year (2012), our senior management team in the department has just completed district specific engagements with all underperforming high schools in the province during February & March this year (2013). For the first time this year (2013), we also engaged underperforming primary schools during April month.
Our common theme to the school management teams (SMTs) of these schools continues to be the emphasis on improving Time-on Task. To this end our focus remain steadfast on teacher and learner attendance, protecting teaching time, monitoring of curriculum coverage, appropriate time allocation on school timetable teacher workload, time allocation for different subjects and overall teacher accountability.
This had largely been aimed at schools that have over the years assumed the labelling of ‘’underperforming’’ and ‘’dysfunctional’’.
These engagements had taken the form of development and support with an expected outcome of gradual improvement in how schools are managed daily, and move towards improvement over time.
The Provincial Strategy on Learner Attainment (PSLA) with its associated four strategic thrusts areas mentioned above, forms the basis for all these engagements with the underperforming schools, with more emphasis being on ‘time on task’. Accordingly, each of our schools continue to develop their own School Academic Improvement Plan in which they set clear academic performance targets for each grade and subject. An in-depth school specific analysis of Annual National Assessment (ANA), NSC and of overall learner performance across the grades in the final examination results, informs the development of a credible School Academic Improvement Plan.
As acknowledged in both the Action Plan 2014: Towards the Realisation of 2025 and the National Development Plan: Vision 2013, literacy (language) and numeracy (mathematics) form the basis for improving the quality of education. Sustained focus on these lay a formidable basis for continued improvement in overall learner performance in subsequent grades.
Literacy Strategy
Accordingly, to turn around the achievement levels of learners in all grades, we need to improve literacy and numeracy achievement levels as part of a sustained programme of action. The department has completed the review of the 2008 Literacy and Numeracy (LITNUM) Strategy.
The reality is that in the absence of a reading strategy, response to the problem has been and continues to be different, unrelated and unequal, with each district and school tackling the matter in different ways.
The Literacy Strategy brings to an end these sporadic responses and provides clear directives as to what needs to be done to improve the overall learner performance across all grades.
In order to further inform ongoing support to schools, the Northern Cape Department of Education conducted a qualitative item analysis in grade 3 and 6 in 2011 and in grade 1,2,4 and 5 in 2012 (as part of the Annual National Assessment). The results of these analysis and other related national and international studies enrich our Literacy Strategy.
Honourable Speaker, one of the key components of the Literacy Strategy is the appointment of Reading Coaches. For the 2013/14 financial year, we are investing a total of R20m from voted funds to appoint 66 unemployed young people as Reading Coaches at under-performing public schools and 6 at departmental offices to assist in implementing the Literacy Strategy.
Amongst others, the Reading Coaches will: supervise and assist learners with reading tasks, provide guidance in their school work, including some administration work by the teachers.
We shall, over the 2013/14 MTEF period progressively increase the utilisation of the Reading Coaches to realise our Literacy Strategy. It is therefore an honour and privilege to announce that, we will be launching the Literacy Strategy tomorrow (31st May 2013) at the Kevin Nkoane Primary School.
Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign
We call on all our social partners and business, in the spirit of the Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign (QLTC) and the Accord to join hands and support this strategy in full, from the level of the home, up to the school and community libraries.
We shall ensure that teachers improve both the quantity and quality of school based assessment. We also call on parents and guardians to continue enquiring from learners about homework given, and periodically check their children’s workbooks to ascertain if indeed teaching and learning does take place at our schools. Where their observations reveal that there is little work being done at school level, school principals must be immediately engaged to offer explanations.
In keeping with the promotion of the Literacy Strategy, a circular on promotion of mother tongue as Language of Learning and Teaching (LOLT) especially in the Foundation Phase was sent to schools and relevant stakeholders, as reassurance of the department’s resolve to uphold our Constitutional and legislative responsibility towards the promotion of all eleven languages, especially African indigenous languages like IsiXhosa and Setswana.
The centrality of credible school based assessment in improving overall learner performance cannot be overemphasized. A key feature of our School-Based Assessment (SBA) is that it provides for underperforming learners to be given at least one additional opportunity to improve their School-Based Assessment (SBA) scores. This, we introduced in 2012 much to the annoyance of some amongst us here, we must add…
Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement
Honourable Speaker, the implementation of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) is well underway. We started the implementation of CAPS in 2012 with Grade 1-3 and 10. This year (2013) we are implementing CAPS in Grades 4-6 and 11.Ongoing monitoring and support is provided to teachers in these grades to ensure mastery of content and assessment methodologies. During 2013, we shall also train Grades 7-9 and 12 teachers in preparation for introduction of CAPS in 2014.
As is customary, training takes place during school holidays and over weekends to ensure that contact time of learners is safeguarded.
We took a strategic decision in 2010 to centralise the procurement of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) LTSM for schools. This has brought enormous efficiencies in provision of LTSM to schools. In addition to this, we have been able to collaborate with other provinces to use economies of scale in getting better discount for LTSM.
The department will allocate a total of R10m for the training of Grade 7-9 and 12 teachers on CAPS in preparation for implementation next year. A total of R80m is set aside for the procurement of LTSM that will ensure and support the CAPS rollout in 2014.
Honourable Speaker, one of the enormous investments that government is making towards improving overall literacy and numeracy is through provision of high quality workbooks for both learner and teachers, especially in languages and mathematics.
In partnership with the Department of Basic Education (DBE) we continue to provide high quality workbooks to grades 1-9 learners. We call on all school principals and school based heads of departments to monitor the extent of utilisation of workbooks by teachers and learners.
Effective use of workbooks ensures that teachers are able to pace learning, assist in managing teaching time, monitor the tasks that children do, and identify learners’ needs for extra support throughout the year.
In addition, these workbooks compensate for minimal home opportunities offered to children from low socio-economic backgrounds. They also increase learners’ interest and participation in the lessons, thereby improving their reading, writing and calculations skills in the process.
Learning and Teaching Support Material
It is in light of this that the continual use of workbooks by learners can never be overemphasised.
One of the strategic partnerships that we have entered into is with the Post Office South Africa (POSA) in order to expedite delivery of learning and teaching support material (LTSM).
The benefits of this collaboration are enormous; it brings efficiency and effectiveness to the overall administration of LTSM delivery.
In the main, this collaboration brings increased control to LTSM delivery in the province. Not only are we able to expedite delivery but we are also able to track delivery of each book and account for every book delivered to a particular school.
We shall continue to explore measures to strengthen this strategic partnership in the quest to ensure that all schools receive their LTSM long before the start of academic year. This illustrates yet again, one of the innovative means to providing quality education to all learners in the province.
During the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) sitting of ‘Taking Parliament to the People’ held 4-8 November 2012 in PixleyKaSeme District, the President reiterated Inclusive Education as one our provincial government’s priorities over the 2012/13 MTEF period.
We are committed to address the skewed location and resourcing of Special Schools in the province so as to ensure that all learners with barriers to learning access quality education within or closest to their residential districts.
To this effect, we built the very first special school in the John Taolo Gaetsewe district, the Learamele Special School, which was opened in 2010 and accommodated then 67 learners.
The school has since grown to a total learner population of 120; a total of 95 of these learners are accommodated in the school hostel.
This growth in learner number clearly illustrates that there are still some children of school going age who might be having one or other barrier to learning in the district, but still being cared for at home.
We call on parents and guardians of school going aged children with learning barriers to register them at the school so that they are afforded a solid foundation for their future independent lives. These learners are provided with proper learning stimulation and supervision at night and during weekends to ensure that they are meaningfully occupied.
Alpha Primary School in De Aar (PixleyKaSeme District) has been constructed at an estimated budget of R27m. The school accommodates a maximum of 1000 learners in total. The school currently has 836 learners with 23 teachers. Alpha Primary School in De Aar is the first Full Service School in the PixleyKaSeme district.
The Northern Cape Department of Education in partnership with the Maphalane Disabled Children’s Trust will be building two (2) additional classrooms fully equipped with required resources for the 26 learners who have severe barriers to the mainly academic learning field at Retlameleng Special School. This will see the curriculum at this school being extended to include amongst others, woodwork, hairdressing, cane and bead work, knitting and baking.
The estimated cost for this joint investment is estimated at R4.5 m for the 2013/14 financial year.
Negotiations are at an advanced stage to conclude an agreement with De Beers Mine for the transfer of Kleinzee Primary School (Namaqua district) into a public ordinary Full Service School.
As of January 2014, the school will provide three streams, namely multi-grade mainstream, Support Centre and Skills related programs, including needlework, woodwork, I.T. and catering for learners who are mildly intellectually disabled in both the Namaqua and Siyanda districts. Unlike the current practice, these children will not have to travel to Kimberley to access specialised education.
We continue to provide training to teachers on Screening Identification and Support (SIAS) and remedial training on literacy and numeracy. One of the central areas we will be keenly paying attention to is the School Governing Bodies of all Special Schools in the province. This we shall do, to ensure that no SGB preserve these schools for a limited few.
Inclusive Education
Honourable Speaker, these are indeed some of the concrete measures we are pursuing to turn the shape and size of Inclusive Education, especially Full Service and Schools of Skills in the province. We call on business and society at large to partner with us as we bring meaningful learning experiences to our school going age children who are living with barriers to learning.
It is for the above mentioned programmes that for the 2013/14 financial year, we are investing a total of R97.2m in the Public Special School Education.
During our 2012/13 Vote 4 Budget and Policy Speech, we indicated that with our newly approved macro organisation structure, we would be resourcing district offices, in particular, to improve overall functionality in pursuance of improved quality education.
We have filled posts at senior management level from three to eight, covering all areas of district operations.
We have ensured that circuit teams are operational in order to bring about effective and speedy service delivery. More delegated powers are devolved to districts as we progressively implement the aligned macro organisational structure, and build the requisite levels of competency.
As we resource districts with personnel and related competencies and empowerment levels, there will be a heightened expectation on districts to account for their support to schools: the nature of the support, the number of times they have visited each school and what they did during the visits.
As evidenced in both the ANA (2011 &2012) and final examination results across all grades over the years, low levels of literacy and numeracy remains a major challenge. Improving literacy and numeracy levels requires a medium to long term coherent strategy and not a fragmented approach.
To this end, we have partnered with the South African National Tutor Services (SANTS) to implement the Holistic Integrated Programme for school development, specifically in primary schools.
This programme targets district officials, principals, deputy principals, Head of Departments and teachers, with emphasis on literacy (language) and numeracy (mathematics).
The Holistic Integrated Programme addresses a Back-to-Basics approach, which is the most essential area of development required to promote functional curriculum implementation, and stands to benefit 2350 teachers and 59 219 learners in PixleyKaSeme- and the Francis Baard Districts over two years (2013-2014) period.
It adds more impetus to the Literacy Strategy as anchored in our Provincial Strategy for Learner Attainment.
We are investing a total of R16,4 m over a period of two years, 2013- 2014.
Another key deliverable we commit ourselves to over the 2013/14 MTEF period is the establishment of a fully functional Institute for Continuous Professional Teacher Development, as envisaged by the National Plan For Teacher Education and Development.
Through this, we shall consolidate all the various teacher development programs currently underway in the province so that we have a cohesive and comprehensive in service teacher professional development program.
In the medium to long term, a strategic collaboration between the soon to be established university and this Institute will be forged. This will contribute immensely to improving teaching and learning in the province. Effective implementation will reposition us to expedite delivery of improved learner performance across the system.
School Infrastructure
The overall Education Infrastructure Grant budget for the 2013/14 financial year is R316, 934 000. The 2012/13 financial year infrastructure was R307, 609 000. This illustrates an increase of R9, 325 000 which translates to a budget growth of 2.9% overall.
The following are some of the multi term school infrastructure projects delivered and/or in progress during the 2012/13 financial year; the replacing inappropriate structures at Tetlanyo Secondary School is 75% complete as at March 2013;furthermore 21 ablution blocks; 40 fencing projects;38 classrooms; 19 media centres, 12 administration blocks and 40 ECD classrooms and over 300 schools’ electrical connections were upgraded- all during this past financial year.
Opening of new schools
In addition Honourable Speaker, let me take the opportunity to announce that the department will officially open three newly constructed schools in Louisvale, Kakamas and Paballelo (Siyanda District) in September 2013. This will alleviate the pressure that the current schools in this municipality experience as a result of rapid urbanisation.
The 2013/14 school infrastructure budget will be invested in the following, amongst others: 41 classrooms, 5 media centres, 54 ECD classrooms and 11 administration blocks, all to be completed in the current financial year. Sixteen (16) more schools are to be provided with security fences, 4 of these being state of the art fencing for areas where there are challenges with vandalism.
A further 21 schools are to be provided with sanitation and water; and the construction of one new school at a cost of R25m (Sternham Primary) as part of Accelerated School Infrastructure Development Initiative (ASIDI).
In the same way that Sternham Primary was deemed an inappropriate structure, another one in the same category, namely Phillipstown Primary will be replaced at a total cost of R38m over the 2013/14 MTEF period.
The following are multiyear new schools projects for which construction will start during the 2013/14 Financial Year at an estimated cost of R40m each:
- Wrenchville PS
- Emmanuel HS
- Jan Kempsdorp HS
In keeping with Government’s job creation opportunity priority, the department has been allocated R5, 8 million in the 2013/14 Financial Year as part of the Infrastructure EPWP Incentive Grant. The target is to create 109 temporary jobs through 12 infrastructure and 9 environmental projects to be funded from this grant. These will be augmented through other infrastructure projects that will be implemented through labour intensive methods to ensure that the province attains its EPWP job creation targets.
Another initiative employed by government to create work opportunities for out of school youth is the Social EPWP Incentive Grant. The Northern Cape Department of Education receives a total budget of R3.9m through this Grant for the 2013/14 financial year. A total of 129 full time equivalent work opportunities will be created in the 2013/14 financial year.
The beneficiaries are employed as SA-SAMS administration assistants and Grade R practitioners. These youths are exposed to the work environment and amass experience that would stand them in good stead in the future. We shall progressively increase the number of beneficiaries of this EPWP Incentive Grant over the 2013/14 MTEF period.
Learner pregnancy
Honourable Speaker, the alarmingly high levels of learner pregnancy scourge continues to threaten the gains of almost 100% access to education of the girl learner.
Learner pregnancy is one of the socioeconomic scourges that continue to threaten and derail government’s measures to improve life quality of school going aged children in the province. This is especially worrisome given the HIV/Aids endemic in the provinceandcountry.Learner pregnancy is clearly a socioeconomic challenge that requires collaborative effort by all stakeholders.
The Northern Cape Department of Education will strengthen collaboration with Departments Health and Social Development to combat learner pregnancy. Out of this collaboration, a learner pregnancy Colloquium will be held in June 2013 at a venue still to be announced in Joe Morolong Local Municipality.
As one of the outcomes of this Colloquium, viable and alternative programmes must be prioritised to occupy learners after school and weekends. It is for this reason that the department will prioritise as part of the sports, arts and culture programmes that will ensure that all learners, especially the girl child channel their energies that will assist in their overall development (physically and mentally).
This will definitely warrant improved planning between the NCDoE and Department of Sports, Arts and Culture (DSAC).
Learner Transport
The relocation of learner transport to the Department of Transport, Safety and Liaison (DTSL) will always be lauded as a wise decision as per Executive Council’s resolution of 2011 for two reasons, namely (i) to support and give effect to government’s integrated plan for public transportation and (ii) heightened monitoring of vehicles that transport learners from one point to another because of in-house expertise.
The delivery on this programme will continue to be managed by the two departments as per Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The NCDoE will continue to identify the need for transport as and when learner enrolment changes from one school to another; and DTSL will continue to source the vehicles and ensure that they are safe and learners are at school every day.
As we have already indicated, education is a ‘societal issue’, and as a department we want to acknowledge those that have responded to this call and have proven to be reliable partners in the provision of quality public education.
Let me take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank the Independent Development Trust (IDT) for their partnership that has resulted in us building up to 80% of our new schools, ECD classrooms, admin blocks and Science laboratories in the last two years of our three year MOU.
I also want to send a special appreciation to SIOC- CDT; Bhp Billiton, Kumba Iron Ore and Assmang; that continue to fund and support our various programmes that ranges from, Teacher Continued Professional Development and support, Wheelie Wagons (mobile libraries), the Star Schools for supplementary teaching on Saturdays, the annual matric awards and all other programmes intended to improve learner outcomes in our schools. YOUR CONTRIBUTION IS HIGHLY APPRECIATED.
Let me also extend my sincere thanks to the following:
- The Head of Department, Mr Tshepo Pharasi; the Executive and Senior Management of the department, and all the staff members that have since put shoulder to wheel to ensure that the department achieves its set goals since I took over in 2009.
- My colleagues in the Executive for their support in my role as political head of education and my tenure as acting head of government.
- Chairperson and members of the Portfolio Committee on Education for their good advice and support in our quest to turn around the NCDoE.
- All education stakeholders that have since become part of the Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign (QLTC) and Accord, together making sure that education remains a ‘Societal Issue.’
- The African National Congress and Women’s League for their continued trust in me and the corresponding support I enjoyed as a deployee of the Movement
- My family for their support and understanding. The closest people to me that more often than not, I had to postpone arrangements planned together because of my work as Acting Premier, MEC for Education and/or Chairperson of the Women’s League through your understating and most importantly your LOVE, I continued to succeed.
- My other family, the staff of the Ministry, under the leadership and guidance of Ms June Grey, for their commitment, hardwork, and loyalty.
- Lastly, I remain highly indebted to the broader communities of the Northern Cape that have since entrusted their faith in me as a leader both in the ANC and Government.
Honourable Speaker, allow me to dedicate this Budget and Policy Statement to Comrade Hazel Jenkins who has also sharpened her teeth as a leader from this sector education; being a teacher, community leader (SALGA Deputy President), and fully participated in women emancipation programmes.
From 2009 up to the point of your illness you remained steadfast to the importance of your deployment as Premier; you ensured a stable environment with a clear balance between politics and governance. In that way a lot could be achieved as part of service delivery and for that we will also do it for you, Comrade Jenkins.
Honourable Speaker, we present this 2013/14 Vote 4 Budget and Policy Speech with its concrete deliverables to this august House and the people of the Northern Cape Province and Country. We once more assert that we are acutely aware of the enormous task facing us in building the formidable basis for ‘development of knowledge, skills and innovation’ required to work towards the realisation of Vision 2030.
Through this 2013/14 Vote 4 Budget we show that we do have a medium to long term strategy to ensure sustained overall improvement in the quality of public education in the province and we shall continue to lay a formidable basis for realisation of “Pan Africanism and the African Renaissance”.
We take solace in what Marian Wright Edelman says when she asserts that:
‘We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee’.
I thank you all.
