Eastern Cape Province Education 2014/15 budget and policy speech, vote 6 by Honourable Mandla Makupula, MPL and MEC for Education

Honourable Speaker
Honourable Premier
Colleagues in the Executive Council
Members of the Provincial Legislature
Organs of Civil Society and our Social Partners present in this House
Leaders of various Religious Organisations and Churches
Accounting Officer and Staff
Leaders of Chapter nine and ten institutions
Youth, Women, Business and Community leaders in our midst
Representatives of the media
Friends
Comrades,

Introduction

Honourable Speaker, on the eve of Madiba’s birthday, I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity to table the 2014/15 Policy and Budget Speech of the Eastern Cape Department of Education this afternoon. Today is an important date in the calendar of the department, a day to give an honest assessment of the Departmental performance in 2013/14, as well as outline key strategic priorities of the department in 2014/15.

The political context: ANC and popular mandate

This day comes just:

• Fifty six days after the national General Elections that were held on 7 May 2014.
• Fifteen days after the State of the Nation Address by the State President.
• Five days after the State of the Province Address by our Premier.

I salute the millions of peace loving South Africans who ensured a free and fair general elections in our country. Indeed our democracy is maturing and stabilising. The greatest asset and defence of our country is her people.

I also take off my hat to millions of our people for their unwavering support and commitment to this glorious movement, the African National Congress. The ANC has always been and remains the most reliable servant of our people. The ANC has always pledged to serve the people forever. As ANC deployees, we are also committing to work with our people to address their aspirations, concerns and needs.

The people have spoken!! Ours is to serve

In his political overview of the African National Congress (ANC) NEC Lekgotla in June 2014, the President of the ANC reminded us that “the Mangaung Conference in 2012, enjoined the ANC to boldly enter a second phase of the transition from apartheid colonialism to a national democratic society. We have thus entered that phase in which we must implement radical socio-economic transformation to meaningfully address poverty, unemployment and inequality.”

He further emphasised that “the new Growth Path, Industrial Policy Action Plan and Infrastructure Development Plan are key instruments within the NDP that we are going to use to effect radical economic transformation. Economic transformation in various forms will take centre stage during this phase and many programs will be implemented in this regard.”

On education and training he enjoins us to “implement our undertaking to improve and expand education by making Grade R compulsory, eradicate adult literacy and further improve basic education up to senior grade levels, expand FET Colleges and pay attention to the needs of students. Already we are to build 12 new FET Colleges and refurbish two, which means we are poised to achieve our goals in this area. We have to expand our Childhood development services and ensure that all private facilities meet the regulated standards of operation.”

More importantly, he enjoins us to “improve the quality of teaching generally in our schools, expand school and college infrastructure, and repair and maintain schools and colleges” (p.2-4, ANC NEC Lekgotla Bulletin, June 2014)

Honourable Speaker, given the clarity of this mandate, I am standing here to provide leadership on what is to be done in the 2014/15 financial year.

We are turning the corner

Honourable Speaker, our view in the department is that education in the Eastern Cape is saddled with many challenges, but it is equally important to emphasise that the department is irrevocably turning the corner. I am happy to announce that the department was ushered into 2014 with a good portfolio of quality achievements, and some are worth sharing with this House.

Matric results

The grade 12 Class of 2013 increased the matric results to 67% in 2013, our highest overall pass rate from a low base of 48,5% in 1994, and 50,6% of 2008. Of the 23 Districts that presented in 2013, 16 performed above 60%, with no District performing below 50%. Performance by Quintiles 1 to 3 also improved by an average of 4% from 55% in 2012 to 60% in 2013. The percentage of Bachelor passes, which represents learners eligible for university entry, increased from 15% in 2011 to 19% in 2013.

In fact, Honourable Speaker, these results were qualitatively better than the previous years, e.g.

• Bachelor pass rate numbers increased from 10 291 in 2011 to 13 686 in 2013.
• Diploma pass rate numbers also increased from 15 530 in 2011 to 19 179 in 2013.
• Distinctions made a dramatic rise from only 7 398 in 2008 to 11 038 in 2013.

Honourable Speaker, these improvements include a Grade 12 pass rate of 83,9% at our Special Schools, with a Bachelors pass rate of 18% and worth my special recognition is a category of seven grade 12 learners with special educational needs who are presently studying at various tertiary institutions in the province, and they are:

• Ncebakazi Siziba and Yanelisa Gininda studying Social Work at the NMMU;
• Lubabalo Sapepa and Thabang Sefoloko studying Bachelor of Administration at the NMMU
• Avukile Jeke doing BA Law at WSU;
• Thulani Nodwele and Boniswa Ngilana studying for a Diploma in Administration also at WSU

International and national honours

Honourable Speaker and members, our 2013 achievements have extended beyond our national borders and our learners did us proud in the international arena. Two Grade 12 learners from our own Maluti District, Glen Makhobaand Peter Theronwon the 2013 National Science Fair Competition, and their winning project was based on a scientific concept of “Generating electricity from the atmosphere”.

They subsequently represented South Africa in the International Science Fair held in Beijing, China in March 2014 where they obtained a Bronze Medal for this project. They each received among others, a R68 000 per annum University bursary to cover for their four years of junior degree, R85 000 per annum for 2 years for the Master’s degree level, and R100 000 per annum for a 2 year PhD studies. We wish them well in their future endeavours.

These achievements were further crowned by two remarkable learners from the Province, Sandra Erasmus from Grens High School, in East London who came second in the World Moot Court Programme held in The Hague, Netherlands, and Prince Nwadeyi from Queens College who pocketed a first prize of R65 000 worth of bursary in the national Young Communicator Ambassadors competition. They are now pursuing their studies in the various institutions of higher learning and the department wishes them good luck.

Our learners equally excelled in sports, with two Eastern Cape boys, Sibabalwe Mwezeni, from Cambridge High School in the under 13 Hockey, and Lucia Mjekula from Kasa JSS in Eliottdale for under 13Table Tennis, each received R100 000 worth of bursary from the Minister of Sport for performance in the Top Schools Festival that was held in December 2013.

Section 100 (I)(b)

As you may recall Members of the House, the department is emerging from provisions of Section 100 (1)(b), and I am happy to announce that significant progress was made to address areas of work identified in terms of the intervention. As we speak, Honourable Speaker, the department is awaiting a formal decision from the Minister of Basic Education on the status of the intervention as the Minister has already made presentations to the NCOP Select Committee on Education in August 2013 on progress made thus far. However, I will refer to progress made in these areas as we go along.

Data Integrity

In our efforts to improve planning and programming in the department, we agreed on improving the quality of our data, which has been the Achilles Heel of the system for quite some time. Unattended, poor data integrity has a potential of derailing service delivery in the most strategic areas like Post Provisioning, Nutrition, Scholar Transport, and school books. In 2013, the department acquired the services of the national department, Statistics SA to verify our school data across the public schooling system. Stats SA has presented the first draft, and the department has requested them to close the gaps that were identified in the report and independently verify our 2014 data and put in place mechanisms for regularly verification thereof. I have instructed the department to finalise this before the end of the year.

Improved audit outcomes and systems improvement

The department’s audit outcomes improved from a chronic disclaimer audit outcome to a first ever recorded Qualified Audit outcome for the 2012/13 financial year. To put this into perspective, the department has never before achieved anything but a Disclaimer or Adverse Opinion since 1994.

Honourable Speaker, I will not have done justice to this house if I do not account for our efforts at systems improvement related to improving the audit outcome, that we are undertaking since the 2013/14 financial year, and I am happy to report that our systems improvement efforts are also starting to paying off well.

A word of gratitude goes to unwavering support I got from my colleagues in the Executive Council.

To sustain this positive audit developments, the department has adopted a turnaround plan to manage a basket of objectives that include:

• Organisational stability and sustainable improvements
• Clean, effective and efficient administration
• Improved Audit Reports
• Efficient service delivery model for Education
• Improvement in Learner Performance

We are now busy putting in place requisite institutional mechanisms to deliver on the turnaround plan. Worth mentioning are efforts aimed at strengthened document management, improved financial management capabilities, as well as general system improvement through an Internal Control Unit.

Honourable Speaker and honourable members, the department also registered a myriad of other significant achievements across a number of key components that were prioritised in my last policy and budget speech, and these include:

• Improved expenditure that recorded a 94% expenditure for Infrastructure and a total departmental budget expenditure of 99,7% for the last financial year
• 100% delivery of LTSM before the start of the 2014 academic year
• Improved access to public education, with 1,730 870 learners that have gained access to public education,
• 1,562 129 of our children are now benefiting from No Fee school policy,
• 55 537 learners are now accessing the scholar transport services,
• 1, 646 142 learners are now receiving a nutritious meal on every schooling day
• 27 514 learners are now able to access special and specialised education services through both special and public ordinary schools,
• Through the national School Nutrition Programme, the Department was able to engage 11 491 local women that were contracted as Volunteer Food Handlers earning a stipend of R840 per month each, 378 SMMEs and more than 70 Cooperatives contracted by schools to feed learners, and skills transferred to learners in 2 398 schools with productive food gardens. The total cost to the Department was R100 million
• The incremental accessing of a Grade R class by young children has further improved and 4 477 schools have now a Grade R Class attached, and this has improved ECD coverage to 98% in the Eastern Cape.
• The implementation of the Care and Support for Teaching and Learning (CSTL) framework in 1001 schools was able to assist approximately 80,276 Orphan and Vulnerable Children (OVC) who were assisted in terms of referral to SASSA, Home Affairs, and Social Development through the CSTL programme.
• Learners at 1500 schools were screened through Integrated School Health Programme (ISHP) in our schools and plans are at an advanced stage to strengthen this Integrated School Health Program
• The Peer Education Programme was implemented in 1000 schools in the province through the employment of 273 Peer Group Trainers dealing in particular with learner pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse, and safe circumcision in our schools.
• In 2011, there were 282 disciplinary backlog cases, and 18 of these were SMS members. Currently, there are only 54 outstanding disciplinary cases, which highlights significant improvement over the 2010/11 baseline.
• In 2011, there were 207 appeal backlog cases and currently there are less than 24 outstanding appeals. Of those finalised by the MEC, just under 30 of which have resulted in confirmation of their dismissals due to fraud and corruption, gross negligence of duty, gross absenteeism, sexual contact with learners and alcohol abuse. The rest resulted in either confirmation of their demotions, final written warnings, counselling, and monetary fines varying between R3 000 – R27 000 and/or at least one month’s salary. Only one case was overturned by the MEC, which related to evidence not being sufficient to warrant disciplinary action.
• In 2011, there were 29 precautionary suspensions of which 7 were SMS members, and currently only 6 employees are on precautionary suspension.
  So far through the implementation of Collective Agreement 1 of 2013, as signed with the educator unions, we have permanentised all 1 164 qualifying temporary educators, 5 824 additional educators have been identified and profiled, 3 319 substantive vacancies were identified and profiled, and 1 907 additional educators have been placed. The implementation of the management plan will continue until end July 2014.

Challenges

Honourable Speaker, whilst these achievements have been registered and are increasingly becoming well known, what is of concern to all, are the number of challenges that must still be resolved by the department, and they include:

• Small and unviable schools that are not aligned to the rest of the schooling system in the country.
•  Dealing with poor ANA results in the senior phases of the GET Band, where the achievement seems to have remained at low levels.
• The establishment of a fully functional Mathematics, Science and Technology Academy has not yet been fully operationalised. However, there are critical programmes like learner incubation, teacher development and science exhibition programmes that are already taking in the premises of the academy.
• Capacity challenges facing SGBs, including the low levels of literacy of parents resulting in poor participation and engagement, the limitation of financial resources to fund activities of SGBs and the absence of effective organs of mass participation in communities to influence societal participation in schooling.
• A high but steadily decreasing level, of outstanding accruals and departmental debt to service providers for services rendered in prior financial years.
• Slow filling of substantive vacant posts and movement of additional educators.
• Slow rate of dealing with pressure points like school furniture and infrastructure backlogs.
• Slow levels of turning around HR and the SCM units at head office and in the majority of the 23 districts, resulting in the slow and non-finalisation of recruitment, leave management, retirement, as well as cases of Policy on Leave and Ill-Health Retirement (PILIR).
• Under resourced and incapacitated legal services of the Department that impact on our capacity to respond to litigation and comply with legislation and court orders.

Honourable Speaker, these are receiving attention in the Department through current turnaround plans, and I will update the House as we progress on their implementation.

2014/15 programme priorities

Honourable Speaker and the House at large, going forward I am tabling a Departmental Budget of R27,538 billion for 2014/15, and this represents an increase of 1,5% compared to the 2013/14 budget. This percentage increase is less than the inflation rate.

However, the department agreed on expenditure framework that prioritises the following strategic thrusts:

• Curriculum Management and Delivery,
• Resourcing Schooling
• Teacher Demand, Supply and Utilisation
• Infrastructure Delivery
• Leadership, Management and Administration
• Financing Education.

These strategic priorities are informed by the agreed policy imperatives articulated in the NDP, the Provincial Medium Term Strategic Framework and the recent Cabinet Lekgotla Resolutions on Education. For purposes of time and practicality, I will not talk to detail but focus on key strategic areas within the agreed framework of First 100 Days, the Annual and the Medium Term Strategic priorities. Members are free to get details in our 2014/15 Annual Performance and Operational Plans.

Priorities of the first 100 days

Matric Count Down

Honourable Speaker, in taking forward the NDP and Schooling 2030 Vision, we are targeting improved quality of learning outcomes in the Grade 12 Class of 2014 as a significant priority, and it has become a priority in my First 100 Days Framework agreement of the Cabinet Lekgotla.

I am happy to announce that the department has already launched a Matric Count Down Support Program on 12 June 2014 at Thubalethu High, in Fort Beaufort. The Matric Count Down support program is a teaching and learning campaign that is aimed at supporting the Grade 12 class of 2014, focussing on all schools that obtained 60% and below. An amount of R120 million has been earmarked to support this program.

The aim is to impact on, and improve the provincial pass rate to 70% and above in 2014, with specific targets to:

• Increase the number of Bachelor passes from 19% to 25%.
• Increase the number of Grade 12 learners who pass Mathematics from 43% to 45%.
• Increase the number of Grade 12 learners who pass physical science from 55% to 58%.

The department is doing this by providing a basket of support programs across the Province, focusing on the learner enrichment, teacher competency development and support to schools. Support programs are a mixture of contact and multimedia approaches, and they include:

• 46 Telematics Centres attached to schools that will be beam live Math and Language lessons from the University of Stellenbosch. The lessons includes Grades 10 and 11 classes for sustainability. Each of the 46 Telematics Centres will host a minimum of 5 other High Schools to benefit directly from these live transmissions.
• A mentoring and coaching program that is currently being rolled out in all three clusters of the Province to support school principals in the underperforming schools.
• More than 80 000 subject study guides and study tips material have been distributed to all schools with a Grade 12 class.
• Saturday contact classes that are hosted by all 411 schools that obtained 60% and below pass mark in the 2013 academic year.
• Winter and Spring schools in all 23 Districts to support revision and preparations for the final examinations.

To also address the urgent need to ensure teaching and learning takes place at our schools, the department is presently filling a minimum of 502 critical skill educator substantive vacancies at various schools across the province with grade 12 classes.

The eight districts that performed between 50% and 60%, in the 2013 Final Grade 12 Exams will receive special attention, and these are: Grahamstown, Fort Beaufort, Sterkspruit, Qumbu, Mt Frere, Butterworth, Idutywa, Mbizana, Libode, and Lusikisiki. The department has given the project a high priority status, with a project manager to support implementation, monitoring and evaluation. We call for support from all our communities to ensure that this programme is a resounding success.

Equally important, Honourable Speaker is our preparation for the Annual National Assessments administered in Grade 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9. The biggest challenge is poor learner performance in the Grade 9 mathematics, and this is receiving attention in our GET turnaround plan. We therefore have a concrete and realistic plan for the Annual National Assessments.

Expanded Public Works Program

Honourable Speaker, on 20 June 2014, I launched the education leg of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) in Uitenhage. This is a Government-wide national initiated programme aimed at creating 6 million work opportunities by 2019. The Programme is implemented by all spheres of government, across four (4) defined sectors, namely the Infrastructure, Social, Non-State and Environment and Culture sectors. In the department, the program is in the process of being institutionalised through a partnership arrangement with the Department of Public Works.

The initial alignment exercise has yielded a grand cumulative total of 19 913 job opportunities so far since 2010/11 that was created across the education system, and it has a further targeted total of 4 700 job opportunities for 2014/15, of which already 397 job opportunities have been created in the first quarter of 2014/15 (of which it includes 100 admin clerks at prioritised high schools, 124 food servers and cleaners at prioritised hostels and 67 support staff at prioritised special schools, etc.).

From 2015 going forward, the program will be expanding its scope beyond standard programs of school nutrition, to areas of ICT, Science Laboratories management, and the Schools Choral Eisteford. We have agreed on a mixture of delivery frameworks, including direct contracting and recruitment, incubator programme for small renovation works, fencing and maintenance in schools, as well as programs alignment with Cooperatives, Small and Medium Enterprises. Community based approaches will be explored to engender a people driven process.

We already have initiated a number of community driven projects like the school maintenance and beautification, provision of clerical staff in schools, as well as cleaners and maintenance personnel in our offices.

The launch of ICT strategy in education

Honourable Speaker, in partnership with key players in the ICT industry, the department will be launching its Provincial ICT Strategy this July, and it will be in the form of a Provincial Summit. Our conceptual frame of the project took advice from the UNESCO assertion that, in order to make successful use of ICT in enhancing the reach and quality of teaching and learning, policy makers need to be aware of how ICT can be of best value in their education system, and need to develop a supportive policy environment and framework for the integration of ICT into their education systems.

That is why we are calling for participation by all relevant stakeholders including partnerships with the national Department of Basic Education (DBE) and strategic players in the industry. Key deliverables of the Summit will include the formal launch of the 503 ICT laboratories obligated through ICASA mandatories in the ICT industry.

The launch and subsequent connectivity projects will form part of my first 100 days in office.

The launch of care and support for teaching and learning

Before the end of September 2014, I will be launching the integrated Care and Support for Teaching and Learning (CSTL) program. CSTL is not a new ‘policy’ or ‘programme’ in itself, and it is not intended to replace the numerous initiatives that already exist to support vulnerable learners. Rather, it provides the overarching framework that has to date been lacking for the initiation and expansion of care and support activities in and through schools.

The purpose is to promote the mainstreaming of care and support into policies, structures, processes and programmes within education. Through CSTL, schools provide care and support for effective teaching and learning by working to strengthen the protective factors that promote the well-being of children and reducing the risk factors that make children vulnerable. I have chosen the Northern Areas of Nelson Mandela Metro as our launch site to support government wide efforts aimed at mitigating the impact of social challenges in the northern areas.

Settling Municipal Debt

As part of our plan to settle school’s debt with municipalities, we have already completely settled the municipal debt of R2,4 million of Buffalo City Metro and R9 million of Nelson Mandela Bay Metro at the end of June 2014, with further interventions and payments to all other municipalities scheduled for July 2014.

Other priorities for the year.

Rationalisation and alignment of inefficient schools

Honourable Speaker, the Eastern Cape education is stifled by inefficient and ineffective small schools that fail to deliver on the desired learning outcomes and performance targets of the province. In 2013, I embarked on a pilot of realigning 191 schools in 12 Districts to test a model for the province. The rationale lies in the fact that a large number of schools in the Eastern Cape are small and unviable for effective schooling, and this often results in difficulty to resource these schools, whether human, financial, material or physical.

Secondly, the structure of schooling in the Eastern Cape is out of alignment with schools in some parts of the province and with the rest of the country. The pilot included the rationalisation of unworkable schools, and alignment of Grades 8 and 9 to relevant schooling bands in the 191 schools. The outcome of the process has produced a mixture of results, and consequently, I decided to go for the consolidation of the current pilot cohort of 191 schools, instead a new intake in 2015. Key lessons and learning’s from the pilot are that the department needs to plan more accurately around deployment of resources like additional classrooms, furniture, scholar transport, teacher movement, as well as social facilitation with labour organisations. However, we are on course Honourable Speaker.

The place of indigenous languages in education

Members of the House, the introduction of indigenous languages in the public schooling system is not only an education priority, but a significant political imperative. Twenty (20) years into democracy, indigenous languages still do not enjoy the status accorded to them by the Constitution in our schools. The number of learners choosing to learn or use these languages as a medium for learning is dwindling and reasons for this are many and several.

Some School Governing Bodies blatantly and initially refused to offer these languages in schools. To seek strategies to promote the use of indigenous languages in our schools, the department has embarked on two significant interventions, the Mother Tongue Based Bilingual Education (MTBBE) in 72 schools in Cofimvaba, and the Incremental Introduction of Indigenous Languages(IIAL) in 94 public schools.

The Incremental Introduction of African Languages (IIAL) in schools entails:

• Introduction of a third language in all schools at Home Language or First Additional Language level incrementally from Grade 1 in 2015.
• Introduction of African Languages in schools that do not offer African languages either as Home or First Additional Language.
• Upgrading from Second Additional to First Additional of African Languages in schools that do offer African Languages at Second Additional Language to upgrade to a 2nd First Additional Language.
• Schools that do offer African Languages at Home Language, to add a 3rd language outside their language group. (According to the draft policy, schools can choose two Home Languages and 1 First Additional Language if the SGB chooses so).

The department has committed to taking practical steps to develop and promote the learning and use of indigenous languages in our schools. This is not only for identity and social cohesion purposes, but to improve the quality of education. Over the 2014/15 MTEF the department has started mobilising resources, both human and fiscal, to support the system.

Curriculum Diversification

Honourable Speaker, we are equally concerned with curriculum streams that lack value in the market place, as a result the Department has taken up a number of projects on curriculum diversification. We are currently establishing and resourcing 8 Agriculture schools in Maluti, Lusikisiki, Lady Frere, Cofimvaba, Alice and Fort Beaufort.

Capitalising the vocational and technical education

Capitalisation of technical and vocational education is already underway in partnership with the national Department of Basic Education through the Conditional Grant mechanism. The purpose of this program is to turn around vocational and technical education using the grant as a leverage tool.

The packages include:

• Revamping and provisioning of workshops and classrooms.
• Deployment of teaching resources and workshop tools.
• Training and development of teachers.
• ICT enhanced teaching and learning.
• Institutional capacity support and development.

A total of 40 public schools in the Province will be targeted over the 2014/15 MTEF period, and the department has allocated an amount of R32,805 million for this purpose.

Promoting reading in public schools

The revamp of reading and literacy in primary schools will receive a special attention this year. A Provincial Reading Strategy is already in place. The purpose is to improve the levels of reading and literacy across the public primary schooling phase, therefore laying the foundation for the subsequent higher grades of the secondary schooling phase. The department believes that the quality improvement in learner attainment will only be possible if the foundation is solid. The department has allocated an amount of R28 million.

Professional development of teachers

Honourable Speaker, teacher development is a priority in Medium Term Strategic Framework of this government. The framework enjoins the department to create a dedicated, responsive and productive public service through intervention focusing on capacity development; organisational support; governance and institutional development; and support to economic growth and development initiatives.

I have noted the Top Down teacher development models of the department, and they do not seem to be yielding the desired learning outcomes. We have agreed on research and evidence based approaches that build the voice of the teacher into training and development design, programming and delivery. It is an approach directed by constant awareness of equal reciprocal responsibility to demonstrate some new increment in performance for every investment made in one’s skill and knowledge, once capacity expectations are met.

Since teacher education is a crucial key/driver for the desired educational outcomes, there is an urgent need to review and revamp delivery models to talk to context and complexities of development needs. We are currently working a single, coherent, organization-wide system and approach that integrates ICT and e-Learning, hedging against knowledge explosion and increasing technological advancement.

We have equally expanded our delivery mechanisms and infrastructure to use of Resource Centres and Teacher Development Institutes. In partnership with Vodacom, we are rolling out ICT infrastructure in all of the refurbished Teacher Centres, and Vodacom has committed to resourcing additional four teacher centres. In partnership with DBE, the Department is busy with the installation of relevant educational content in these centres.

Early Childhood Development (ECD)

Early Childhood Development (ECD) sector is poised for a renewed focus. It has been emphasised in the NDP and PMTSF as the bedrock and building block of growth and development. The incremental accessing of a Grade R class by young children has improved in the last three years. 4 477 schools have now a Grade R Class attached, and this has improved ECD coverage to 98% in the Eastern Cape. Only 28 schools that must still attach a Grade R class in 2014.

Norms and Standards for Funding Grade R is in its fourth year of implementation as a result per learner funding has in the EC has improved from 34% cost of a Grade 1 learner in 2012/13 financial year to 60% in 2014/15. This is however low compared to 70% advocated by the Norms and Standards.

In addressing universal access to Grade R, the department makes provision for a monthly stipend towards remuneration of Grade R practitioners. Currently, 5 378 practitioners receive a monthly stipend of R5 300 towards managing the Grade R class in 4 477 schools. The department is targeting to create 178 Grade R posts that will be available in January 2015. The department intends to professionalise Grade R practitioners and therefore 1 150 Grade R practitioners have been enrolled for ECD NQF Level 6 qualifications (1050 in Grade R Teaching Diploma and 100 on B.Ed. Foundation Phase).

Organs of popular participation

Honourable Speaker, in our endeavours to pursue our programme of Quality Learning and Teaching, we are going to enhance popular participation by organs of civil society, especially parents in our schools. We are going to continue to make communities take over the responsibility of education of their children. We want to ensure that in our pursuit to ensuring that schools are centres of community life, communities appreciate and protect their schools as their assets and heritage.

School Governing Bodies will be continuously capacited so that they are competent enough to govern their respective schools in terms of South African Schools Act (1998). The existing provincial structures via Eastern Cape Education Advisory Council, provincial Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign Steering Committee and District Education Forums are very key in our education system and we will continue to work closely with them because they have structures on the ground. We will ensure that these structures are integrated for proper coordination purposes and maximum impact. We will review the district education forum guideline document and define clear roles of all role players. This would help to enhance the role of organs of popular participation. We will continue with consultative engagements of various stakeholders periodically for updates and feedback. We appeal to members and communities to adopt schools.

Building a sound administration

Honourable Speaker and Members, in taking forward our efforts to improve the general administration of the department resulting in an improved Audit Outcomes, we will be further strengthening our strategy and plans to ensure that:

• Policies, systems and procedures are improved.
• Improve the efficiency, economy and effectiveness of all our systems.
• The leadership and management of various key components such as Human Resources, Supply Chain Management and Infrastructure are strengthened to better deal with service delivery challenges and historical audit issues.
• Deal with the vacuum in our senior and middle management levels.
• Supply Chain Management processes are streamlined and improved.
• Human Resource Management processes, particularly PILIR and Leave Gratuity are improved.
• All outstanding capped leave issues are fully resolved.

Service Delivery Model

Last but not least Honourable Speaker, is the redesign of our service delivery model. The department is in a process of consultation on the model, and this will be finalised before the end of this year. I have made an emphasis on areas where it matters most, and that is the strengthening of our circuit offices in the interest of providing support to schools.

Conclusion

In conclusion Honourable Speaker, the department working with its partners, is committed to continue in the next five years playing a critical role in the implementation of a comprehensive human resource development strategy which includes:

• improvement of the general education system;
• intensification of education in mathematics and natural sciences;
• promotion of social science that help build social cohesion;
• expansion the nation`s artisanship base;
• improving throughput and research in the universities; and
• an effective adult basic education programme.

Madam Speaker, it is imperative that civil society and communities be afforded the opportunity to hold the Department and myself accountable and simultaneously maintain social dialogue with our social partners in the Education Sector. We furthermore intend to communicate and meet regularly with all stakeholders in Education in the Province such as School Governing Bodies (SGBs), the SGB Associations, education fora, student organisations and educators formations on matters of mutual interest.

Honourable Members, where the right to education is guaranteed, people’s access to and enjoyment of other rights is enhanced, we cannot fail our people in the province.

 
Honourable Speaker, it is therefore my pleasure to table the department’s budget, Vote 6, for the 2014/15 financial year to the House for consideration.

I thank you! Ndiyabulela!
Ekbedank u! Ke a leboha!