Question no: 1220
Mr J Schmidt (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) Whether she will consider revising or changing the current Morkel model used to determine the number of educators allocated per school; if not, why not; if so, (a) how will it be revised and (b) when will a revised model be in place;
(2) whether she will consider giving relief to principals and School Management Team
(SMT) members so that they will have free periods to allow them to complete the increasing amount of administrative work expected of them; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
(1) The current post distribution model, that the member refers to as the "Morkel model", is merely a tool to distribute posts to schools, given an available budget. The available budget is appropriated via the Provincial Legislature.
Yes, I am in the process of considering an alternative model,
(a) which will distribute posts according to actual class size per grade per subject; the size of the school; curriculum requirements with regard to learner contact time per week, per phase per subject; language needs per grade; ensure that each phase has a post irrespective of the number of learners and lastly that schools serving the poorest learners are allocated proportionally more posts.
(b) Currently the model is being piloted to determine its impact on the current system as well as its financial implications. The Council of Education Ministers (CEM), will in their meeting of 1 and 2 October 2009 consider a report on the testing of the model and consider recommendations on the outcomes made to it by the Heads of Education Committee (HEDCOM).
(2) The draft revised model will provide for the Principal of a school to be relieved from teaching, however the option to teach or not will be left to the individual Principal concerned. As for the remaining members of management, they will still be required to teach the required number of hours. If the post allocation to a school is managed correctly on the timetable of a school, then sufficient time could be made available for administrative duties.
Issued by: Department of Basic Education
11 September 2009
Source: Department of Basic Education (http://www.education.gov.za)
