Programme Director Mosibudi Makhubela Sasol Inzalo Chairman
Sasol Inzalo Foundation Dr Yvonne Muthien
Imperial and Ukhamba Community Development Trust Mr Sean Fenn
Sci-bono Discovery Centre CEO Mr David Kramer
John Orr Technical High School Principal Mr Johan Venter
Business partners and representatives
Representatives from Technical High Schools in Gauteng
Members of the media
Ladies and gentlemen.
Today is an exciting day for our learners, our private sector partners and Gauteng's economy. The programme we are launching today will ensure more young people leave school with the knowledge, skills and values they need to find a place in an institution of higher learning or find decent work. For our province’s ever growing smart economy, it will also ensure a steady supply of appropriately skilled employees.
Ladies and gentlemen, when presenting the State of the Province Address on 25 February this year, our Premier Mrs Nomvula Mokonyane said, and I quote, "Youth unemployment remains one of our most critical and urgent challenges. One of the ways we are addressing this is through effective skills development coupled with workplace experience."
If we are to make a meaningful impact on skills creation, we need to increase the number of technically trained learners that are ready to make a contribution to the economic growth of the country.
The Technical High Schools Turnaround Strategy we are launching today will deliver over five and a half thousand matriculants annually with appropriate skills and workplace experience. This strategy will be implemented by the Gauteng Department of Education and a number of private companies in 41 Technical High Schools across the province.
Sir Peter Blake (a painter who is well known for designing the sleeve of a Beatles musical album) said: “New technology is common, new thinking is rare.” For many years we have seen a public perception that views technical and vocational education as somehow less respectable and useful than an academic education.
Through this turnaround strategy we will raise the status of technical education in Gauteng, and attract more high potential, high performing learners into a field that can directly impact on the skills deficit in industry.
The transformation of our attitude to technical education and our decision to invest more in technical high schools is the ‘new thinking’ we need that will boost the economy’s capacity for growth.
The reason we are here today at John Orr Technical High School is that this school is our flagship which will support the turnaround of the other 40 schools. Our intention is that John Orr will be transformed from a conventional technical high school into Gauteng’s leading educational institution that offers state-of-the-art technical education and training, and serves as our model for the upgrading of all 40 technical schools.
The creation of this Centre of Excellence in Maths, Science and Technology (MST) is not something that the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has achieved alone. The GDE’s partnership with Sasol Inzalo Foundation and Imperial and Ukhamba Community Development Trust, as well as the Wits University and the University of Johannesburg has made it possible to transform the John Orr Technical High School to a Centre of Excellence in Maths Science and Technology.
After John Orr was declared a School of Focussed Learning in 2011, we implemented a rigorous selection process to identify high potential learners who had just completed Grade seven in primary schools throughout the province. A total of 160 learners were selected and they became the Grade eight class of 2012, the first class of the new centre.
A second group was selected at the end of 2012. In 2013 we have 142 grade eights and 161 grade nines. These are some of Gauteng’s brightest young minds and we expect to see them achieving at the highest level. We expect the same level of effort and achievement from all our learners, including the 426 learners currently in grades 10 to 12. We have made it clear to all that we expect nothing but the best from them this year.
During the past year, we started to improve the school’s infrastructure as well as the teaching and learning environment.
The key physical upgrades include the following:
- Four laboratories have been overhauled and improved at a cost of R3 million;
- Over R5 million was spent on revamping the mechanical and electrical workshops, including the donation of a new car and 10 engines from Imperial;
- We upgraded all ICT infrastructure and installed a new ICT laboratory at a cost of R2 million;
- All John Orr’s teachers now have a laptop computer to assist them in their teaching.
- We recognise the critical importance of a competent command of English for technical education and training. The newly completed CAMI language labs will greatly enhance learners’ language and communications skills.
- We have improved the school’s library;
- We have established a Support Centre at the school. This centre has full time on-site educational psychologists, psychometrics and social workers who are helping to improve well-being, and discipline among learners.
- A variety of new maths textbooks and resources has been provided to Grade 8 and 9 learners;
- The Imperial Group has upgraded and installed new ICT and training software in 2 classrooms.
In addition to improving the physical environment, the school has instituted a new management system and implemented a rigorous management and support programme for the school management team. A team of experts has begun to support teachers at the school. The link and support from the universities is enhancing the possibility of creating a centre of excellence.
We recognise that change creates the potential for instability and uncertainty in those affected by the process. We are engaging teachers and parents so that we are able to constructively involve all those that want to be part of the process. The school has a dedicated and hard-working Representative Council for Learners (RCL) that is making a major contribution to the transformation.
All 41 schools involved in the turnaround strategy will benefit from the following:
- They will be declared schools for focused learning and will actively recruit learners who perform well in maths, science and technology from surrounding primary schools.
- We will actively work to dispel negative perceptions about technical high schools and remodel technical education as a first choice of our best learners and their parents.
- We will improve career awareness through greater cooperation and contact between technical schools and industry.
Secondly, we will improve physical facilities and resources for technical education. In order to enhance learner performance, it is important that the resources and facilities provided in the technical specialist rooms are modern and relevant to enable learners to acquire skills in line with industry’s needs. We have started with the refurbishment and upgrading of workshops in technical schools. To date, 83 workshops in 23 of the schools have been refurbished at a cost of R22 million. An amount of R14 million has been budgeted in this financial year to continue this process.
Schools received tools and equipment for electrical, civil, and mechanical technology. A further supply of tools and equipment for civil, mechanical and electrical technology is currently being delivered to 41 schools. By June 2013, 41 schools will receive at least two metal turning lathes and one milling machine. The plans over the next three years include resourcing schools with specialised tools and equipment.
More equipment will be supplied during the course of this year. We have also provided funds to 23 of the schools in the turnaround plan for the repair and maintenance of existing equipment.
Thirdly, we will improve the teaching and management capacity in technical high schools. Managing a technical high school requires leadership and management competencies that will enable school principals to interact with a range of stakeholders. We are therefore developing a special programme to train principals of technical schools. We are also planning a training programme for heads of department and teachers of technical schools in workshop management.
Strengthening teacher competence and ability in technical education is very important. We are conducting a training programme for teachers in skills and content in the four technology subjects to support curriculum delivery. We have started discussion with the deans’ forum of higher education institutions to plan and implement a re-skilling of teachers to become specialist technical teachers.
Technical high schools will be monitored and supported by technical subject advisors using a mentoring and coaching approach. An amount of R400 000 has been budgeted in this financial year to achieve this.
Finally and perhaps most importantly is to develop constructive partnerships with industry and to engage industry directly to support technical schools. The whole point of technical education is to develop learners that are ready for the work environment. Industry engagement and involvement is therefore crucial.
We are securing industry partners to support curriculum delivery through the provision of resources. We are beginning to establish skills training centres at schools in, for example, motor mechanics, electrical work, civil and computer aided designs. Specialist technicians from industry are mentoring and supporting teachers and they also inform our teacher development programme.
Industry is also assisting with securing workplace experience for learners in the turnaround schools during schools holidays. We are formalising these partnerships with Memoranda of Understanding. In total, our current partnerships with the private sector are estimated to be worth in excess of R25 million plus commitments over the next two years of over R30 million.
By way of conclusion I would like to thank the Sasol Inzalo Foundation as well as Imperial and Ukhamba Community Development Trust for the wonderful work you are doing here at John Orr. As you know this dream has been many months in the making and it is indeed a special moment now that we are actually launching this programme.
My thanks also go to the many, many companies that are partnering with us in the other 41 schools, many of whom are here with us today. I hope through this you will be inspired to continue our partnership for many years to come.
Special acknowledgement must be given to the University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Johannesburg for your support and guidance to the department as well as to our educators.
Allow me to also thank the principal, teachers, parents and learners who have agreed to become our partners in a social experiment that we are convinced will benefit your school and generations of learners to come.
Thank you.
For more information contact:
Charles Phahlane
Tel: 011 355 1530
Cell: 071 860 4496
