Gauteng Education MEC Ms Barbara Creecy today launched a programme to improve the quality of lessons to grade 8 and 9 learners through satellite broadcasts. The service will broadcast directly to priority high schools during lesson time so that teachers can integrate the broadcasts into their teaching time. Broadcasts are automatically recorded for revision or afternoon lessons.
The broadcasts have been piloted in 15 schools from February and will now be rolled out to 385 schools that are part of the Senior Secondary School Improvement Programme during the course of the year.
"We are acutely aware of the fact that Gauteng’s education system has the task of producing graduates who are able to become the next generation of skilled workers, engineers, and managers the advanced industrial economy of our province requires if it is to continue to grow," said MEC Creecy.
"This means rapidly improving the quality of maths and science teaching available to learners in our most disadvantaged schools. Around the world, schooling systems are using technology to assist in dealing with educational inequalities. We see this as an exciting innovation that brings Gauteng in line with this international trend," MEC Creecy said.
The programme is an extension of the Secondary School Improvement Programme (SSIP) that has seen the matric pass rate increase by 12% in the last four years to 83.9%. The immediate target of the satellite broadcast is to rapidly improve learner performance in maths and science in grades 8 and 9. Turning around learner performance in these gateway learning subjects is central to encouraging more learners to choose these subjects for matric in Grade 10.
The system does not only provide for one way communications. Learners and teachers use landline and mobile phones and social media platforms such as Facebook, Mxit and Twitter to communicate back to the central broadcast studio to ask questions or make comments.
The programme will roll out over the next few years, starting with the installation of equipment in all 385 priority high schools by the end of 2013. The first test broadcasts that started in February beamed daily Grade 8 and 9 maths lessons into classrooms in a first group of schools.
All participating schools have standard lesson plans and pace-setters which enables the department to know where the lessons are. The lessons are broadcast from a central location to participating schools and the teacher focuses on the more difficult concepts.
The satellite platform also provides on-the-job training for class teachers who also attend further lessons in the afternoons. Teachers in the schools involved so far have been enthusiastic in their response to the programme as have district officials who are overseeing its implementation.
Expected Budget focus 2013/14
MEC Creecy is expected to announce a budget of R29.2 billion for the 2013/14 financial year. This budget would be a remarkable 649% increase over 18 years, and an increase of 7.8%, or R2.1-billion, over last year’s R27.1 billion. This budget enables the department to bring together two key elements as we reform and rebuild education in Gauteng:
- The first is our determination to create an education system based on equal opportunity that benefits, first and foremost, pupils from poor backgrounds
- The second is our principle that we will always be intensely practical as we work to improve education.
Grade R
Gauteng’s education system also has the task of producing graduates who are able to become the next generation of skilled workers, engineers, and managers of the advanced industrial economy of our province requires if it is to continue to grow. We start right at the beginning, with Grade R. We are allocating R 391-million to the expansion of Grade R and the training of Grade R practitioners.
Gauteng Primary Language and Mathematics Strategy (GPLMS)
Gauteng, can only hope to continue to compete internationally if we continuously improve our maths, science, reading, and language teaching and results. This is the 3rd year of Gauteng Primary Language and Mathematics Strategy (GPLMS). We are also adding an additional 150 schools to the GPLMS programme meaning that 990 primary schools are benefitting from the programme at a cost of R362.8 million.
Secondary School Improvement Programme
The 2012 results show a number of positive achievements: The achievement gap between SSIP schools and non-SSIP schools is closing. There is an increase in the overall pass rate in SSIP schools and in the number of distinctions achieved by learners in those schools resulting in the overall increase of 12.1% in the matric results to 83.9% since 2009.
SSIP will receive an allocation of R164 million including a teacher component to ensure all educators, are suitably geared to deliver quality education in the classroom, and R185 million has been allocated to the Maths, Science and Technology Strategy that forms a subcomponent of the SSIP strategy.
While SSIP has been massively successful, it can only get better with the help of technology. The GDE will expand SSIP to support teaching and learning in Grades 8 and 9 in 385 priority public schools by delivering quality maths lessons via satellite broadcast into classrooms.
School Nutrition
We have ensured that all learners in no-fee schools receive a daily meal through the National School Nutrition Program. This year we are spending just over R585 million on providing 1.1 million learners with a nutritional meal each and every school day.
Scholar Transport
Learners in rural areas and informal settlements also have access to scholar transport. This year we are spending R273 million to take over 65 000 learners to school every day.
School Safety
Making our schools safer places for learners means this year we are expected to spend R115 million on school safety which includes a programme to recruit a further 491 school-based patrollers as well as combat alcohol, drug, and substance abuse.
Bridging the gap between school and world of work
To address the lack of guidance directed at young people, the Gauteng City Region Academy in partnership with the SETAs namely Energy Seta, MerSeta, TETA and ETDP Seta, facilitate the rollout of the Career Development Tool Kit Training to 900 Career Development Practitioners in the month of June 2013.
For more information:
Charles Phahlane, Head of Communication on
Cell: 071 860 4496
Tel: 011 355 1530
