The Council of Education Ministers met on Thursday, 22 March 2012 to discuss several strategic priorities of the education sector. Council agreed as follows:
Human Resources
That provincial heads of department conduct an audit of learner and teacher numbers and finalise teacher profiles for Department of Basic Education (DBE) to be able to efficiently utilise teachers in the system.
Improving teachers' subject knowledge
Council agreed that all teachers in the Curriculum and Asseeement Policy Statement (CAPS) implementing grades receive CAPS orientation, Digital Versatile Discs (DVD) and other support material, that ICTs be utilised maximally, and that subject committees be established to share good practices.
Teacher accountability and class attendance
Council agreed that there is an urgent need to scrutinise how human resource management is conducted in provincial education departments. This will bring about increased accountability among principals and schools, to ensure that curriculum is sufficiently covered to enhance and improve quality education.
Council agreed to clean up the PERSAL system to confirm who the department employs, where they are located and what subjects they offer to ensure correct utilisation with correct record keeping.
Council also confirmed its support of increased teacher accountability through teacher attendance, learner attendance, and class period control registers, coupled with constant monitoring in order to support schools in the utilisation of these accountability instruments.
Council also noted:
Integrated School Health Programme
Council noted the integrated school health programme, whose main objective is health screening. The programme will be multi-departmental rolled out in all schools to eradicate key health barriers to learning. The progressive implementation of the programme will be done in collaboration with the Department of Health, Social Development and National Treasury.
Enquiries:
Hope Mokgatlhe (Ministerial Spokesperson)
Cell: 071 680 6849
