Legislature
20 June 2006
Of the slightly more then 1 000 educators who left the profession last year,
more then half cited personal reasons, retirement, ill-health and better
opportunities in the private sector.
This was one of several questions answered by Western Cape Education MEC
Cameron Dugmore, during a lengthy spell yesterday in the Western Cape
Provincial Legislature.
Some of the other questions related to school safety and steps the
department is taking in combating the scourge of violence, crime and vandalism
on Cape Flats schools.
See full details below
*Mr MJR de Villiers to ask Mr CM Dugmore, Minister of Education:
(1) How many teachers in the Western Cape left the teaching profession in
the 2005/2006 financial year;
(2) whether any procedures or methods are in place to conduct an evaluation
of the exodus of teachers and the reasons therefore; if not, why not; if so,
what are the relevant details; and
(3) whether any information is available in respect of the number of
teachers making a living outside the teaching profession; if not, (a) why not
and (b) what plans are being made to have this information updated; if so, what
is the relevant information?
Answer:
The Minister of Education
(1) 1 172
(2) Yes. Reasons for leaving the WCED'S employ:
Personal: 204
Private sector: 197
Relocation: 10
Studies: 15
Overseas: 22
Private school: 3
Travelling: 2
Financial: 2
University post: 7
Politics: 4
Coaching: 1
Own business: 6
Marriage: 9
Health: 28
Family: 116
Governing body: 16
Immigrations: 18
Dismissals: 38
Transfers/Other departments: 17
Missionary work: 6
Retirements (age): 136
Retirement due to ill-health: 195
Early retirements: 70
Deaths: 50
(3) (a) No.
(b) Statistics on educators who left the employ of the WCED and who are
making a living outside the teaching profession are not available. The
recruitment of teachers for the teaching profession will have to be attempted
at national and provincial level in order to convince qualified people to
return to the teaching profession.
4. Mr GCR Haskin to ask Mr CM Dugmore, Minister of Education:
Whether any steps are being taken by the Western Cape Education Department
to address the ongoing vandalism, burglaries, theft and destruction of property
that the Heideveld Primary School is experiencing at the hands of vandals,
drug-users and thieves, especially over weekends; if not, why not; if so, what
are the relevant details?
Answer:
The Minister of Education
4. The WCED Division Safe Schools approaches safety by means of a
three-prong strategy, consisting of the following types of programmes designed
to create safe and effective learning and teaching environment
Environmental programmes where we make use of target-hardening strategies to
reinforce the physical structure of the school, by means of security fencing,
mesh and razor wire, as well as alarms linked to an armed response service.
Developmental programmes which are put in place to support, modify or
influence parent, educator and learner behaviour at school. Programmes include
conflict management, trauma counselling, peer mediation, human rights
education, and diversity management. In addition, sport and cultural
activities, as well as entrepreneurial training are conducted. The school also
forms part of the School Cluster, which would then embark on developmental
activities as part of a geographical grouping of schools. Here schools share
expertise and best practices as well.
Systems programmes that incorporate a holistic approach to changing how the
whole school operates. These programmes include organisational development,
leadership and management, community relations and effective governance. They
include developing a relevant curriculum and identifying and assisting learners
at risk. Partnerships and networking play an important role and involve
partnering with other government departments, as well as Non-Government
Organisations (NGOs), Community Based Organisations (CBOs) and Faith-Based
Organisations (FBOs). Heideveld Primary School has been identified as one of
the 50 New Schools in the Western Cape Province. The school will receive major
infrastructural support as part of the 50 New Schools.
Schools in the Western Cape are obliged to report all incidents of crime,
violence and safety related issues to the Safe Schools Call Centre. Schools
have toll-free access to the Safe Schools Call Centre (toll-free no. 0800 45 46
47), where they may report incidents of crime and violence, including burglary
and vandalism, theft and substance abuse.
Schools who report incidents receive the following support: the Safe Schools
coordinator will assess the gaps in the infrastructure and would be supported
to better protect and secure the school premises.
11. Mr S Esau to ask Mr CM Dugmore, Minister of Education:
(a) How many public schools were employing (I) private security, (ii)
Bambanani volunteers, (iii) community security volunteers, (iv) South African
Police Services(SAPS) security or (v) security referred to in a combination of
subparagraphs (I) to (iv) above as at the latest specified date for which
information is available and (b) what are the related costs in each case?
Answer:
The Minister of Education
11.(a) Private security guards are paid for by the School Governing Body. We
do not have statistics on the number of private security, SAPS and community
security at present. We have identified 400 schools for the Bambanani project.
Due to budgetary constraints, one hundred (100) schools will each get 5
Bambanani volunteers, one of which must be appointed by the School Governing
Body (SGB). These 100 schools are all located within the Metropole.
(b) The budget for the Bambanani project is R500,000.00
Enquiries
Gert Witbooi
Cell: 082 550 3938
E-mail: gwitbooi@pgwc.gov.za.
Issued by: Department of Education, Western Cape Provincial Government
20 June 2006
