launch of the Central Education Management Information System
22 March 2006
Programme Director
SG Mr Ron Swartz, and other senior officials, colleagues, friends and partners
in education
Thank you for joining us this morning. This is a special occasion for all of
us, as we celebrate yet another milestone for education in the Western
Cape.
We are living in exciting times, as far as education is concerned. We are
currently introducing a whole raft of initiatives to ensure quality education
for all, on both the provincial and national levels. We are now moving rapidly
from dreaming to planning and implementation.
Recent examples include:
* Expanding the number of Dinaledi schools in the province, which focus on
maths and science, from 10 to 50
* Launching 28 focus schools, that will specialise in Arts and Culture;
Business, Commerce and Management; and Technology and Engineering
* We are on the verge of launching a massive Literacy and Numeracy campaign for
the province
* We started introducing the new national curriculum for Further Education and
Training (FET) in schools this year
* We are recapitalising our Further Education and Training (FET) colleges, to
produce learners with special skills and knowledge we need to grow and share
the Cape.
Today we celebrate another key milestone in the development of our education
system the Learner Tracking System. You may remember that we announced this
project in August last year.
Our first step was to design the instruments we needed for building this
system, followed by a major census of every learner and teacher in the
province. This has been a massive undertaking.
We have now completed this process and we start using the Learner Tracking
System on 1 April this year. This is no April Fools joke. The system is now in
place. Peter Present, the Western Cape Education Departmentâs (WCED) Director
of Research, will look at some of the detail of what this project has involved
to date in a moment.
I would like to look at the big picture, to show you where this project fits
into our thinking.
State of the Nation Address
Our President provided a clear indication of where we are going in his State
of the Nation Address in February. He said that the country was entering an Age
of Hope as we discover our identity as a winning nation.
He announced the government's Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for
South Africa (AsgiSA). The initiative has two key components, namely, a
R370-billion drive to invest in public infrastructure and a concerted effort to
acquire the skills the economy needs.
These two elements will drive the government's efforts to achieve an average
growth rate of 5% between 2004 and 2014, hopefully, to halve unemployment in
the country.
In the short-term, AsgiSA will address skills development by encouraging
large corporations such as Transnet and Eskom, to take on large-scale training
of artisans needed most to build the country's infrastructure.
In the longer term, the national and provincial departments of education
will expand FET colleges and do everything possible to improve learner
performance in literacy and numeracy in schools.
All of this work will have to be data-driven to ensure meaningful results.
The Learner Tracking System will play a key role in providing this data in the
Western Cape.
State of the Province Address
The Premier of the Western Cape, Ebrahim Rasool, referred to the President's
theme of an Age of Hope, when he delivered his State of the Province Address,
also in February.
The Premier said that the Western Cape stood on the threshold of prosperity.
He quoted statistics, which indicate that the Western Cape has every reason to
be hopeful.
For example, the provincial economy has grown by 5.3% for the second
consecutive year, fuelled by strong sectoral growth. The buoyant local economy
attracted direct foreign investment of R1.4-billion in 2005.
While we have every reason to be hopeful, the Premier also reminded us that
we cannot be complacent. He said the provincial government is painfully aware
that 26.3% of our citizens are unemployed. Most are youth, which points to the
massive skills challenge we face.
He said our prosperity would only be sustainable if we grow and share the
Cape. For this reason, the province is fully committed to the Accelerated
Shared Growth Initiative.
The provincial government plans to intervene to accelerate growth rate of
the Western Cape by 6% by 2010. The Premier announced an eight-point growth
battle plan to achieve this objective. Key elements of this plan include a
Micro-Economic Development Strategy, known as MEDS, and growing the skills base
of the province.
IKapa Elihlumayo
By now, you should be familiar with the province's iKapa Elihlumayo strategy
to grow and share the Cape, and to achieve the province's vision of a Home for
All. The provincial government launched the strategy in 2003 to ensure social
and economic development.
The goals of iKapa Elihlumayo are to reduce unemployment, poverty and income
inequality by stimulating economic growth and participation in the
province.
The strategy has ensured greater provincial spending on skills development
and investment in large infrastructure projects to attract private investment
and to stimulate the economy.
The province is balancing this long-term strategy by increasing support for
the poor through the payment of grants and improved delivery of social
services.
Ikapa Elihlumayo has eight lead strategies, namely, to develop human
capital, social capital, micro-economic development, strategic infrastructure,
communication, financial governance and greater interdepartmental
coordination.
Human Capital Development Strategy
The provincial government has appointed the WCED as the lead department
responsible for human capital development. This is a cornerstone of iKapa
Elihlumayo and will guide education planning in the Western Cape for many years
to come.
Interest in human and social capital development is not confined to South
Africa. Governments around the world have taken a special interest in the
importance of human and social capital for social and economic development.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisationâs
(UNESCO) Institute for Statistics, for example, took up this theme in a report
entitled: "Financing education - investments and returns - analysis of the
world education indicators: 2002 edition".
The report stated that: "There is now robust evidence that human capital is
a key determinant of economic growth and emerging evidence indicates that it is
also associated with a wide range of non-economic benefits, such as better
health and well-being.
"Investment in human capital, and by implication in education, has thus
moved to centre stage in strategies to promote economic prosperity, fuller
employment and social cohesion.
"As a result, education is increasingly considered an investment in the
collective future of societies and nations, rather than simply in the future
success of individuals."
The WCED believes that building human and social capital cannot be left to
chance. Government must intervene directly to ensure human and social
development, especially in our poorest communities.
About 50% of learners who enter Grade 1 do not complete Grade 12, primarily
black learners from poor communities. Only 23.4% of the population has matric,
while only 11.2% has a tertiary qualification.
The HCDS includes strategies for systemic change, as well as strategies for
each education phase. The strategy is committed to transforming education, by
ensuring access, redress and equity, and to ensuring quality education for
all.
Our various interventions are designed to meet the objectives of the Human
Capital Development Strategy (HCDS). This includes the learner tracking system,
which will provide the in-depth data we need to ensure fine-grained responses
to the immense challenges we are facing. We have to know exactly who we are
serving to provide the most effective service possible.
Learner Tracking System
Essentially, the Learner Tracking System provides a single database of all
learners in the Western Cape, from Grades 1 to 12. This will provide a powerful
education management tool for both schools and the administration.
The main advantages for the department include the following:
* Accurate learner numbers
* Management and administration of learners (transfers, dropouts and
promotions) * Profile of learners leaving system prior to Grade 12
* Monitoring inter-provincial movement of learners
* Tracking the movement/progression of learners over time
* Management information of educators
* Efficient allocation of resources to schools.
Advantages for schools include the following:
* Schools will not have to complete the time-consuming Snap and Annual surveys
each year
* Schools will be able to capture Information on new learners and staff members
immediately during the registration process
* Schools will be able to allocate resources on real, current needs and not
historic needs
* Schools will be able to upload data they need for new administration systems
directly from the central database.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I would like to make a number of points about the
significance of this project.
1. Firstly, this is a major achievement. We have reached a key milestone in
this project. It was hard work and there were many challenges overcome in the
process. We celebrate our success and thank the schools, stakeholders and
service providers who took part.
2. Secondly, the project is already delivering results. This project will
benefit the WCED, schools and ultimately to the learners because it will give
decision makers access to better management information, which will allow for
better decisions, "smarter" allocation of funds, and more efficient and
effective management of education in the Western Cape.
3. Thirdly, the WCED has shown leadership in this project. This is the first
project of its kind in the country. We will willingly share the lessons we
learn with our colleagues in other provinces.
4. Fourthly, we are using our installed technology optimally. It is
important to note that the investment the WCED made in technological
infrastructure has formed the backbone of the success and efficiency of this
project. This project re-emphasises the value of technological infrastructure
to the better management of the schools in the Western Cape.
5. Fifthly, we have forged new partnerships with our schools and our service
providers to complete this project. This project would never have been possible
without the schools' commitment and we would like to honour and recognise
schools in the Western Cape who were outstanding contributors to the success of
the project. We also acknowledge all the hard work of our service providers and
our Research Directorate in driving this project.
6. And lastly, this project will play a central role in building human
capital in this province. We have moved from counting heads to counting
people.
Building human capital is not about reducing people to economic units.
Instead, it recognises the intrinsic importance of every single person in our
system.
Our mission is to ensure that all of our learners realise their full
potential and acquire the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes they need to
contribute meaningfully to social and economic development.
The Learner Tracking System is specifically designed to acknowledge the
importance of every single learner in our system, and to enable us to provide
every single learner with the best possible education.
By building people, we build the future. We thank everyone involved in this
project to date for all your hard work, and wish you all the very best as you
take this project forward.
Thank you.
For enquiries contact: Gert Witbooi
Cell: 082 550 3938
E-mail: gwitbooi@pgwc.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Education, Western Cape Provincial Government
22 March 2006
