education recovery plan
18 July 2007
The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) is now fully geared to ensure
that learners use all available time in the months to come, to try and catch up
as much as possible and to prepare for the end of year and matric
examinations.
This morning, 18 July, I and senior officials of WCED met with
representatives of teacher unions to discuss the recovery plan.
I am very pleased with the positive spirit within which the meeting was
conducted and the commitment shown by the teacher unions.
A task team under the leadership of the WCED's Chief Director for Education
Planning, Dr Sigamoney Naiker, has been established and includes
representatives from the unions. It will be broaden to include governing bodies
and learner representatives.
The task team will look into finalising logistical arrangements and issues
of finance. Extra tuition time for specific schools will start from the end of
this month, 30 July. The clear focus is on all schools that were closed during
the industrial action and those where learners were most affected.
The recovery plan is not a recovery of salary for the no work, no-pay rule,
but works on the assumption that the payment does not include all teachers and
all schools.
Schools have just resumed for the third and crucial term and have gotten off
to a good start this week, with good attendance by teachers and learners. The
WCED's recovery plan was unveiled during the course of the public service
strike and includes the following:
Measures to complete mid-year examinations by 8 August 2007; winter schools,
spring schools and extra classes; distributing materials and information via
electronic and print media; provision of extra learning support materials.
The plan made an excellent start during the July holiday with matric winter
schools in six of seven districts. The WCED's recovery pan is now entering its
second phase and will focus on all grades. The task team will draft detailed
plans.
For enquiries contact:
Gert Witbooi
Cell: 082 550 3938
E-mail: gwitbooi@pgwc.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Education, Western Cape Provincial Government
18 July 2007
