Madam Premier
Members of the Provincial Executive Council
Members of the Provincial Legislature
Heads of Department
Other distinguished guests
Our prize winners
Ladies and gentlemen
Good morning!
It is indeed a great pleasure and an honour for me to stand up in front of you, to present to you our second Grade 12 results under the New Curriculum Statement (NCS) at the start of the second decade of the 21st Century. It is also even more significant that this occasion takes place ahead of probably the most scintillating year for our sports loving country, when all the eyes of the world prepare to witness the first soccer World Cup to be staged on the African continent.
It is thus incumbent on us to ensure that in making this important announcement for the class of 2009, at the same time we recognise that with such an iconic and august occasion as our backdrop, we provide a definitive framework that complements the groundwork that has been laid over the past few years aimed at reversing some of the weaknesses that have marked the first fifteen years of our system since 1994.
It is true that for the most part, the emphasis of the Department over the past few years has been to address operational and infrastructural backlogs that have tended to overshadow our core mandate and functions. The new administration under President Zuma has been more forthright in inculcating a ‘back to basics’ agenda, that essentially engenders us to revisit all the best practices that worked well for our fore-bears but had increasingly been sidelined in our rush to transform the education system from the much maligned and hated Bantu Education.
This is best exemplified by the Quality Teaching and Learning Campaign (QTLC) launched in October 2008. Essentially, this campaign seeks to compel and commit all individuals and organisations to assume responsibility for improving the quality of education. Its fundamental leit motif posits that the achievement of quality education for all depends on the actions of the departmental officials, schools principals, teachers, learners, parents and community members. Each one of these is called upon to make a commitment to a ‘Code for Quality Education’, which describes the responsibilities and commitment required of them.
At the macro level, the Department is also hard-pressed to map out an even more erudite and responsive Learner Attainment Improvement Strategy (LAIS) that builds on all lessons learnt over the past two years during the formative phase of this increasingly significant intervention. It is in its decentralised district driven format that the department hopes to build on, so that the different strands and roles defined for district officials and managers are indeed allowed to play out in their operational theatres.
The last Council of Education Ministers held on 11 December 2009 further agreed that all provincial functions and activities in 2010 not related to the core business of teaching and learning be curtailed. The savings obtained out of that exercise would be targeted on providing additional resources for district offices and the provision of learning and teaching support materials to schools.
Critically though, we are all in agreement in the department that for LAIS to be particularly effective, its programmes must kick-off as soon as schooling resumes so that we implement timeously the Programme of Action (PoA) that was developed in the preparatory LAIS Summit convened towards the end of last year. That Summit sought to bring together stakeholders in order to reflect on the best workable strategies to implement at the beginning of this year to ensure that we produce credible improvements to the education system as we consciously focus our attention to supporting districts and schools from the beginning of the year. Briefly, the PoA will focus on the following key pillars:
* Strengthening management and governance in schools: there is recognition that there is a direct relationship between effective leadership and governance and excellent academic performance by learners. The onus is thus for us to upscale these critical qualities and innate traits in our leadership corps in schools;
* Professional development and support to teachers: this will be done through the improvement of their capacity in the teaching of the current curriculum regime, especially for critical learning areas like mathematics and science etc.;
* Optimal utilisation of available resources: this will result in the reallocation/reprioritisation of resources with emphasis on the key areas requiring attention;
* Integrated human resource development strategy: the key focus here will be on the supply of highly competent teachers with adequate motivation and positive influence.
The most important element for this PoA that can no longer be neglected is accountability that will be gauged through credible instruments of monitoring and evaluation of performance across the whole system.
This is where the role of Head Office should be focused: the development, monitoring and evaluation of policies and performance. A proper alignment of systems management should enable all the components of the department to be focused on their particular area of competence, a situation that would increasingly fine tune specialisation and best practice.
It is heartening that we can at least reflect on several positive developments in the Department that seem to suggest that the tide is gradually turning, and that we are finally grappling with these requisite areas that will enable us to realise the above scenario:
Stabilisation of the schooling system
It is an undisputable fact that in the past our province was marred by perennial instability emanating from several interrelated aspects that tended to polarise debates about realities of underperformance and ongoing challenges:
* Stakeholder relations: one of our most critical achievements in recent times has been the significant improvements in the department’s relations with some of its most critical stakeholders; the resuscitation of the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) and the subsequent milestones achieved in resolving and approaching impasses and difference of opinion has certainly raised the quality of debates and inputs;
* Filling of Vacancies: the above reality has resulted in far reaching agreements that now finally means that the department is in a position to deal decisively with the issue of human resourcing at schools. This has resulted in us being in a position to formally agree and pronounce on the post declaration for the 2010 academic year. In effect this will result in the number of funded educator posts in the province increasing from 65 313 to 69 390. This step is also being complemented by other agreements reached last year that resulted in the conversion of all temporal educators to a permanent status. This process has brought stability and joy for 5 719 educators and will finalised by the 31 January 2010. The Department’s Human Resource section will also undertake a comprehensive audit of vacancies in the schools during the first ten days of this academic year, which will then form the basis of an aggressive programme of filling of vacancies through quarterly bulletins.
* Organisational Review: the department is in the final stages of a complex and arduous task of realignment through the organisational review process. The fundamental rationale for this has been to ensure that the available human resources are properly positioned to respond to all the transformative vagaries that we have been examining above. We are working towards a more delivery oriented, decentralised structure that emphasises the centrality of the district offices.
At another strategic extra curricular level, we continue to be awed and inspired by schools from the most rural hinterland of our vast province, who defy the odds through their commitment and zeal, that results in them going further than is expected of them. In this regard we can mention Hombe Junior Secondary School from Lusikisiki: this school achieved the rare distinction of capturing top honours for two consecutive years, 2008 and 2009, in their category during national schools choir eisteddfod. On both these occasions their choir-mistress was Ms Zanele January. Ms Dimakatso Ntlele’s Zuney Farm School also placed first in the same event, thereby inaugurating the newly founded ‘Farm Schools Category’.
The most heart-warming achievement though in the performing arts must be Neliswa Chitha’s meteoric rise as a recording artist with a DVD shoot to boot. This learner from Masiphathisane Public School in Port Elizabeth was the surprise winner during Coca Cola’s talent search competition, and her prizes catapulted her into the national musical stage where she now shares the stage with established artists in the South African scene.
In the same vein, we continue to produce giants on the schools debating stage and speech contests that enjoy national prominence. For years these learners bring home top honours in recognition of their debating prowess, as was the case last year during the United Nations competition held in Cape Town. In fact, one Eastern Cape learner from Merrifield High School in East London District has won a place among 12 national learners in the United Nations speech contest, that have been chosen to represent South Africa in New York this year.
To these schools and similar giant killers on the national stage I say: You make us proud. You are the torch-bearers and exemplars of what all our schools need to do as part of our over-arching agenda of restoring our province to the erstwhile reverence we used to enjoy on both the national and continental stage, that saw us produce some of the best known and most gifted sons and daughters of our country.
Analysis of results
In 2009, there were 70 622 candidates who enrolled for the National Senior Certificate exams but 68 129 wrote. The analysis of the results for 2009 is as follows:
Subject performance
In the high enrollment examinable subjects, the province produced improved performances in home languages, for example, IsiXhosa fielded 56 089 candidates and had a 100% pass rate, English had 7 484 candidates with a 98.9% pass and Afrikaans had 4 652 with a 99.3% pass rate. However, we continue to be challenged by English First Additional Language where the pass rate dropped by 2.2%. Compared to the 2008 pass percentage of 91.4%, the 2009 results dropped to 89.2 % and this is a serious issue as English is the medium of instruction in the majority of schools.
History proved to be one of the most improved subjects as the 8 622 candidates pass percentage was 68.3%, which is an improvement of 12.2%. Disappointingly, Geography dropped from 74% in 2008 to 68.5 % in 2009. In the commercial field, Accounting once again improved by 2.7% and the 20 461 candidates produced a 59.1% pass rate. However, Business Studies and Economics, which also field a high number of candidates, faltered with declines of 2.3% and 1.5% respectively.
In the field of Mathematics, despite concerns expressed by sectors of the public, the performance has been consistent with 2008. Mathematics results improved by 0.1% and the pass percentage was 37.5%, whilst Maths Literacy recorded a 71.3% pass which is a decline of 0.4%. The Mathematics Paper 3 involved only 707 candidates but moved up to 51.9%, an improvement of 17.9%. Overall, provincial performance in Mathematics and Maths Literacy can be significantly improved.
There are however, serious issues concerning the sciences. Our killer subject for 2009 was certainly Physical Science, where 30 121 wrote and obtained a reduced passed pass rate of 28.6%, which is a major drop of 14.8% compared to 2008. Life Sciences also declined by 2.6% and the pass rate here stands at 58.7%. However, it is pleasing that Agricultural Sciences improved by 4.8% and produced a 51.8% pass rate, although this still requires much attention given the rural context of our province.
It is therefore clear that these statistics shall inform the Matric Intervention Programme which is part of the overall LAIS Strategy for the province. For 2010, I would like to see subject improvement plans for each subject in every school in the province and these must be compiled and operationalised by 30 January 2010.
Cluster performance
The performance across the three Clusters for 2009 was as follows:
Cluster A
Pass rate 2008: 41%
Pass rate 2009: 45.5%
Cluster B
Pass rate 2008: 44.6%
Pass rate 2009: 45.6%
Cluster C
Pass rate 2008: 60.2%
Pass rate 2009: 58.9%
Compliments to Cluster A for assisting the province and improving by 4.5% and to a lesser extent Cluster B improved by 1.1%. Although Cluster C is the best performing cluster, the drop of 1.3% is disappointing.
District performance
The best performing district in the province for 2009 is Cradock, where 873 candidates obtained a pass rate of 68%. This is a welcome improvement of 5% by the district and congratulations to all stakeholders in Cradock on their achievement.
The most improved district in the province for 2009 is Ngcobo, with a massive 16.2% increase. The pass rate for 2009 was 49.2% compared to 33.1% in 2008.
Districts that declined significantly were Grahamstown by 9.4% and Mt Fletcher by 8.0%.
The lowest district pass rate was recorded by Qumbu at 35.5%, which was also a 2.4% decline from 2008.
Overall provincial performance
Our performance may be viewed both quantitatively and qualitatively. In 2008 the Eastern Cape province produced a pass rate of 50.6% for the 60 297 who wrote the first National Senior Certificate Examination based on the National Curriculum Statement. In 2009, an increased number of 68 129 candidates wrote and the province obtained a pass rate of 51.0%, which is 0.4% improvement. While this increase may appear minor, it should be noted that 7 832 more candidates wrote in 2009. Moreover, it is relevant that our performance be viewed in a national context. Our understanding is that of the nine provinces in the country, the results of seven declined, while only two showed some improvement, the Eastern Cape being one of the two. More importantly, for us this is a definite sign of some stability and I can now state with a high degree of confidence that the Eastern Cape has now turned the corner. We look forward optimistically to 2010 as we have a targeted master plan and a directed LAIS programme of action that has already been launched at this occasion.
In addition to this quantitative improvement, there has also been a qualitative output. The number of candidates qualifying for admission to a Bachelor degree increased from 8 662 to 9 492, for diploma courses from 11 166 to 13 883 and for higher certificate from 10 648 to 11 240 in 2009. Hopefully, this will add to the developing skills base of our province.
Looking ahead to 2010
At the outset, I think it is imperative that I state unequivocally and forthrightly that I am not going to tolerate any more acts of dereliction of duty, perpetual underperformance or callous disregard of basic terms of employment by anyone in the employ of the department of education. I fully expect that the performance management regime of the department will enable everyone in a supervisory capacity to exercise all due process including constant appraisal, monitoring and evaluation of performance. No excuses will be tolerated for management lapses and failure to exercise oversight.
As the department, we have set out a clear master plan (its part of your packs) that charts a concise way forward for us in response to our results. The most important elements of the plan are:
* Commencement of academic activities: we expect all the schools in the province to finalise their plans on 11 January 2010 including time-tabling, lesson planning and assessment planning for the year. Teaching should commence in earnest on 13 January 2010.
* Fortnightly Syllabus Coverage Reports: Principals of schools will be expected to submit progress reports to the Circuit Manager every fortnight indicating the extent to which they have complied with lesson plans and pace setters.
* Quarterly Analysis of Results and Performance Festivals: The monthly and quarterly tests will be analysed in the fashion of the end of the year results and remedial and accountability measures will apply in consequence of school performances. Competitive performance festivals will be arranged whereby principals, subject advisors and circuit managers will showcase their achievements and milestones of the quarter. The Grades that will be targeted for intensified teaching will be Grade 9 to 12 and this programme will commence on 1 February 2010. Apart from afternoon and Saturday classes, there will be Autumn schools since there will be no winter schools this year due to the 2010 tournament.
* Promotion of mother-tongue bilingual education: This will be done in order to improve deeper understanding of concepts amongst learners. Educators will undergo training in this regard within the first six months of the year.
Issued by: Department of Education, Eastern Cape Provincial Government
7 January 2010
Source: Department of Education, Eastern Cape Provincial Government (http://www.ecdoe.gov.za/index.asp)
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