31 October 2006
The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) will soon announce a
comprehensive media advocacy campaign as part of its Literacy and Numeracy
Strategy, to try and make parents understand and accept that mother-tongue
education is best, but that a second language, mostly English, will be added.
So said Western Cape Education MEC Cameron Dugmore in a reply to a question in
the Western Cape Provincial Legislature today.
The MEC also had to field questions on safety in schools, as well as a
question relating to distance education and the Dennegeur Primary School bus
accident on Kloofnek in 2005.
See full questions and replies below.
Mr S Esau to ask Mr C M Dugmore, Minister of Education:
What are the achievements to date of the "Each One Teach One" campaign?
Answer:
Honourable Members will know that the challenges we face in seeking to
transform education, range from the basics, such as providing enough
classrooms, to the complex task of ensuring that our learners achieve the
outcomes required by the national Curriculum Statement.
Possibly the most complex and difficult task we face as we seek to provide
quality education for all, is to increase the levels of literacy and numeracy,
especially in our poorest schools.
We have to start at the beginning with reading, writing and calculating in
the Foundation and Intermediate Phases, from grades R to 6. That is why we have
made Literacy and Numeracy our number one priority.
In my Budget Speech in May this year, I have announced a Literacy and
Numeracy Plan and also introduced some members of Team Education, to give
impetus to our strategy. The mantra, on which this strategy is based, is "Each
one teach one: together building a learning home for all!"
Given the poor literacy and numeracy results in schools populated by
children of illiterate parents, one of the key strands of our Literacy and
Numeracy Strategy, is advocacy for community and family literacy.
Whilst the classroom itself remains the key because of the skills of the
teacher and the resources of the school, I believe a campaign that goes far
beyond the classroom walls and which gathers momentum in families, communities
and workplaces, is necessary.
During the Community Schools Initiative focus week the department encouraged
schools to take on issues of adult illiteracy and there were some literacy
expansion benefits. Clearly these initiatives will need to be researched and
their impact measured.
To this end, some of the achievements of our campaign during the Community
Schools Initiative week (from 14 to 18 August), included:
* a three-day newspaper study programme at a Tafelsig school
* the "Reading Mommies" project at Blue Mountain, EA Janari, Nerina, Mimosa and
Boundary Primary Schools
* learners of Seaview Primary visited old age homes and private homes to read
to their elders
* in the streets around Wespoort Primary School learners dropped off flyers to
promote the importance of reading
* Adult Basic Education Training (ABET) teams (eg Metropole East) campaigned to
canvass and enrol new learners for basic literacy classes
* Sedgefield Primary School had a focus on illiteracy.
A delegation that visited Cuba earlier this year has started a number of
small-scale local initiatives such as:
* a project via a neighbouring school for an "Each One Teach One" programme
towards making people literate driven by an Early Childhood Development (ECD)
specialist
* an "Each One Teach Ten" project in Villiersdorp, where local matriculants
have been given a Unit Standard 1 training course and have just started
teaching classes (ABET Centre Manager)
* work (one on one) via UNISA students in Worcester. (ABET Centre Manager
* local radio slots 30 minutes a day four days a week linked with three houses
in three streets around each ABET Centre in the Southern Cape Karoo (ABET
advisor).
The department will also soon announce a comprehensive media advocacy
campaign, as part of our Literacy and Numeracy Strategy. The biggest challenges
are for us to make parents understand and accept the concept that mother-tongue
education is best, but that a second language, mostly English, will be
added.
I am keen for the rallying call of "Each One Teach One" to be taken up in
the media, in the homes and in the streets of our province. This is not a call
for a once-off campaign, but should be part of life from the cradle to the
grave.
Mr GCR Haskin to ask Mr C M Dugmore, Minister of Education:
1.(a) How many Western Cape schools have random searching programmes for
drugs, alcohol, weapons, etc in place, (b) how many of these schools are
considered to be high risk in terms of violence occurring or drugs and/or
alcohol being found in the schools and on the school premises and (c) what
assistance relating to the searching programmes of such schools is being
provided to the schools by the Western Cape Education Department?
2. Whether any benefits or success has been reported by these schools in
terms of arrests, confiscations, decreased prevalence in terms of violence,
etc; if so, what are the relevant details?
3. Whether the WCED is encouraging all schools to embark on and sustain such
programmes; if so, what are the relevant details?
Answer:
The Minister of Education
1. (a) No recent surveys have been done regarding random seizures and
searchers for illegal substances and weapons at schools.
(b) No recent surveys have been done pertaining to violence occurring or
drugs and or alcohol being found in the schools and on the school premises.
(c) All WCED institutions or schools were provided with Procedural Manuals
in which procedures for managing safety and security is clearly stipulated. In
accordance with the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977, the Drugs and Drug
Trafficking Act 140 of 1992, the Firearms Control Act of 2000 and the South
African Schools Act 84 of 1996: Regulations for Safety Measures at public
Schools, Paragraph 4 (3), the manual states that if there is any reasonable
suspicion that illegal drugs or a dangerous object may be present on the school
premises or person, schools are required to, inform the Safe Schools
co-ordinator in the Education Management and Development Centres (EMDC) and the
Safe Schools Call Centre.
Request a police officer to do the search. In the absence of a police
officer, the principal or delegated educator may conduct a search. The
principal (who is lawfully in charge of a school) upon reasonable suspicion
(with sufficient information), can conduct a search of any learner in
possession of illegal drugs and dangerous objects. During a search, human
dignity shall be observed and persons of their own gender shall search learners
in private. Body cavity searches and strip-searches may not be carried out on
learners.
2. In accordance with the searches and seizures procedure outlined above,
some schools have reported confiscations of weapons from learners thus
contributing to the prevention of further criminal acts being carried out with
these weapons.
3. Schools are encouraged by Safe Schools to follow procedures by referring
them to and providing them with the necessary procedural information:
In accordance with the following Acts of general application, the Criminal
Procedure Act 51 of 1977, the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act 140 of 1992 and
the Firearms Control Act of 2000, a police official may, without a warrant,
search any school premise or persons on the school premises if he or she has
reasonable suspicion that illegal drugs or a dangerous object may be present on
the school premises or person. In accordance with the South African Schools Act
84 of 1996: Regulations for Safety Measures at Public Schools, Paragraph 4 (3),
a police official or, in his absence, the principal or delegate may, without
warrant.
(a) search any public school premises if he or she has a reasonable
suspicion that a dangerous object or illegal drugs may be present in the public
school premises in contravention of the regulations;
(b) search any person present on the public school premises; and
(c) seize any dangerous object or illegal drugs present on public school
premises or on the person in contravention of these regulations.
Searches and seizures should be included in the school's Code of Conduct and
Safety Plan. School Governing Bodies and Safety Committees should be informed.
Official letters should be sent to parents to inform them about the procedures
for searches and seizures.
Mr S Esau to ask Mr CM Dugmore, Minister of Education:
In the light of the fact that distance education has received a huge blow
because of the massive dropout rate, the chronic extensive courses and the high
number of students who have to repeat their courses at UNISA and Technikon SA,
what does Western Cape Education Department intend doing when distance
education or e-education is being considered as an alternative, particularly in
rural areas?
Answer:
The Minister Education
Further Education and Training Colleges which does not primarily operate at
a higher education level such as Universities and Technikons, are very cautious
in the implementation of e-learning strategies.
Our approach, which is based on leading international experiences, is one of
a blended learning approach. This means that e-learning is only used as a
supplementary approach in a variety of modes of learning options. In FET
Colleges therefore, learners who apply e-learning as a component mode of
learning, also benefit from a cocktail of conventional modes of learning. Very
few FET College students have opted to follow distance education options, and
very little e-learning as been employed in this context to date.
Mr G C R Haskin to ask Mr C M Dugmore, Minister of Education:
1.What were or are the conditions attached to the donation of R500 000 by
the then mayor Ms Mfeketo pursuant to the Dennegeur Primary School bus accident
on Kloofnek in 2005?
2. Whether there are any reasons, apart from the existence of these
conditions, why the whole amount of R500 000 has not been paid out; if so, what
are the relevant details?
3. (a) When was the R400 000 returned by the Western Cape Education
Department and (b) who administers the "special account" in which the R400 000
is being kept.
4. What is the process being followed and are the relevant timelines with
regard to attending to the needs of the victims of this bus accident as it
relates to the release and expenditure of this donation?
Answer:
The Minister of Education
1. At the time of the disaster, the then-mayor announced the City of Cape
Town would avail R500 000 for trauma counselling and reconstructive surgery
needs of those affected by the accident
2. The expenses related to trauma counselling and reconstructive surgery
needs were serviced as received from the service providers involved. In the
immediate aftermath of the accident (August/September 2005), parents indicated
that there would be expenses for reconstructive surgery. By June 2006, no bills
for reconstructive surgery were received, while a small number of parents and
learners were still receiving counselling. Trauma counselling expenditure until
now amounted to R27 350.00. R72 650.00 was retained to ensure the ongoing
counselling needs could be serviced.
3. (a) The R400 000 .00 was returned to the City of Cape Town via an EFT
payment on 8 August 2006.
(b) Our understanding is the money is "housed" in the Mayoral Disaster Fund and
administered in accordance with the Cityâs self-defined processes for this
fund.
4. Our understanding from our meeting with the Mayor and the Director of
Finance of the city is that the parents requiring assistance must approach the
City directly with the necessary motivation. The city indicated that they would
continue to service bills related to the disaster subject to approaches from
the parties affected. No cut-off date exists at present. These approaches were
to be directed to the Cityâs Mayoral Disaster Fund. The MEC of Education would
further facilitate the establishment of protocols with the Mayorâs office to
ensure parents clearly knew how to access these funds.
Enquiries:
Gert Witbooi
Tel: (021) 467 2523
Fax: (021) 425 5689
Cell: 082 550 3938
E-mail: gwitbooi@pgwc.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Education, Western Cape Provincial Government
31 October 2006
