Minister Angie Motshekga: Basic Education Department Adjusted Budget Vote Speech 2021/22

Basic Education Adjusted Budget Vote Speech for the 2021/22 Financial Year, Delivered Virtually by the Honourable Minister of Basic Education, Mrs Angie Motshekga, MP, at the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), Cape Town

08 June 2021

Honourable Chairperson / Deputy Chairperson
Cabinet colleagues and Deputy Ministers present
Honourable Members
MECs for Education present
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

On behalf of the entire Basic Education Sector, we wish to thank the NCOP for inviting us to table our 2021/22 budget at this 2021/22 Debate on Vote 16 – Basic Education.

Chairperson and Honourable Members, as much as the Basic Education Sector, working with its partners, including teacher unions, national governance associations, civic society, as well as the public and private sectors, managed to save the academic year of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on our Sector.  The analysis we have done using PERSAL, shows that in 2020, extending to February 2021, we lost about one thousand, seven hundred (1 678) educators, in addition to the support staff in schools and departments, who succumbed to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Unfortunately Chairperson, the MEC for Education in the Northern Cape, the Superintendent-General of the Eastern Cape Education Department, and the President of NATU, also succumbed to the COVID-19 pandemic.  We continue to say may their souls Rest in Peace.

Chairperson, we also lost lots of teaching and learning time; and as a critical part of that unforeseen “new normal”, were adjustments and reprioritisation of the State’s prioritised programmes and budgets.  Consequently, the DBE and its statutory bodies endured budget cuts, like all other departments and their statutory bodies.

Therefore, the double adjustments that were effected to the 2020 MTEF budget allocations, which changed the baseline allocations for the ensuing MTEF period, had a direct bearing on the 2021/22 budget allocation we are presenting today.  We however, must thank the National Treasury for assisting the Sector to cushion some of its key priority programmes.  Chairperson, when we address this House on the growth or decline in the budget, we do so in terms of the final 2020/21 adjusted baseline allocations.

• Firstly, the overall 2021/22 MTEF budget allocation for the DBE, is twenty-seven billion Rands (R27.0 billion), an increase of 15.5%;
• Secondly, the overall allocation for Condition Grants, is twenty point seven billion (R20.7 billion), an increase of 20.2%;

Chairperson, we wish to acknowledge the allocation of sixteen point two million Rands (R16.2 million) as the General Budget Support for the DBE’s Systematic Improvement of Language and Numeracy in Foundation Phase; as well as the nineteen point nine million Rands (R19.9 million) allocated for Technology for Grade 7-9.  These new allocations will go a long way in ensuring the roll-out of these two strategic programmes;

• Thirdly, the overall allocation for Earmarked Funding at the DBE, is three point seven billion Rands (R3.7 billion), an increase of 5.7%; and
• Fourthly, Transfer Payments at the DBE, are allocated one point six billion Rands (R1.6 billion), an increase of 1.4%;
• Fifthly, during the presentation of the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) in October 2020, the Minister of Finance announced that the Basic Education Sector was allocated seven billion Rands (R7 billion) to implement the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI).  We branded this Initiative as the Basic Education Employment initiative (BEEI).  This special allocation was equitably distributed as follows –
• Tne point two million Rands (R1.2 million was retained by the DBE for project management, support and monitoring oversight;
• just less than seven billion Rands (R6.9988 billion) was disbursed among the Provincial Education Departments for the payment of stipends and UIF; saving SGB-appointed educator posts; saving educator posts in State-funded independent schools; project management at the provincial level; and the training of the youth; and
• Two point four billion Rands (R2.4 billion) of the specific allocation to Provincial Education Departments was earmarked to secure the SGB-appointed educator posts in fee-paying public schools, and educator posts in State-subsidised independent schools.

We are pleased to report that through the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative, we were able to create more than three hundred and twenty thousand (320 315) employment opportunities for South African youth; and secured twenty seven thousand, six hundred and sixty two (27 662) teacher posts.

Chairperson and Honourable members, the provincial 2021/22 MTEF budget allocations are follows –

• the Eastern Cape Department of Education is allocated thirty-five point one billion Rands (R35.1 billion), a reduction of 3.0%;

• the Free State Department of Education is allocated fifteen point five billion Rands (R15.5 billion), a reduction of 0.1%;

• Gauteng Department of Education is allocated fifty-three point five billion Rands (R53.5 billion), an increase of 1.1%;

• KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education is allocated fifty-three point two billion Rands (R53.2 billion), a reduction of 5.3%;

• the Limpopo Department of Education is allocated thirty-two point six billion Rands (R32.6 billion), a reduction of 3.5%;

• Mpumalanga Department of Education is allocated twenty-two point three billion Rands (R22.3 billion), an increase of 0.4%;

• the Northern Cape Department of Education is allocated seven point one billion Rands (R7.1 billion), an increase of 0.6%;

• the North West Department of Education is allocated eighteen billion Rands (R18 billion), an increase of 1.8%; and

• the Western Cape Department of Education is allocated twenty-four point five billion Rands (R24.5 billion), a reduction of 0.4%.

Therefore, the total adjusted budget allocation for the DBE and the nine Provincial Education Departments combined, is just less than two hundred and ninety billion Rands (R288.7 billion), a reduction of 2.4% from last year’s total adjusted allocation.  Specifically, the total provincial 2021/22 budget allocations, were reduced by 8.4%; as five of the Provincial Education Departments saw reductions in their baseline allocations, with the highest reductions seen in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo.

Strategic realignment of the Basic Education Sector priorities for the Sixth Administration

Chairperson and Honourable Members, we must remind the NCOP and the nation at large about the six (6) Basic Education Sector priorities we had committed ourselves to, in order to lay a solid foundation for a quality and efficient education system, as well as to contribute in providing permanent solutions to the architecture of the education and training system of our country.  We therefore, wish to remind this House that our Action Plan to 2024:  Towards the Realisation of Schooling 2030, is giving expression to the Basic Education Sector priorities, which are anchored on –

• the declaration of our Constitution, that basic education is an alienable right for all;
• the directive of the National Development Plan (NDP), Vision 2030, which expects that “by 2030, South Africans should have access to education and training of the highest quality, leading to significantly improved learning outcomes”;
• the need expressed in the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA, 2016-2-25) “to orient Africa’s education and training systems to meet the knowledge, competencies, skills, innovation and creativity required to nurture the African core values, and promote sustainable development at the national, sub-regional, and continental levels”; and
• reflecting the UNESCO Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG4, which calls for “an inclusive, quality and equitable education and lifelong opportunities for all”.

Therefore, the Constitution, the NDP, as well as the continental and international conventions, provide the moral imperative and a mandate to Government, both at the national and provincial levels, to make the social justice principles of access, redress, equity, efficiency, inclusivity and quality educational opportunities, widely available to all citizens.  Our collective role, as the Basic Education executive and administrative authorities, is to ensure that the social justice principles, provide the uniform foundation for our work.

At the outset, we advise the Honourable Members of this House and the public in general, to visit the DBE website, where the details on our priorities and programmes can be found.

The first Sector priority is on the strategic relocation of Early Childhood Development (ECD) from the Department of Social Development (DSD) and the Department of Basic Education.  This includes “strategically ramping up the provision of ECD, particularly the urgent implementation of the two-years of ECD prior to Grade 1; and the provision of quality ECD programmes for 0-4 year-olds”.

Chairperson, we must concede that the complexities of the ECD space, though not overwhelming, needed more time to substantively address.  We had to contend with the legal and policy realities, organisational and structural arrangements, budget and employment imperatives, provisioning and programmatic challenges, among many.  I am happy to report that, as the two Ministries, we have managed to crack the codes on many fronts in the ECD space.  For instance –

• The systematic process for the relocation of ECD from the DSD to the DBE is at an advanced stage.  The Office of the Chief State Law Advisors has certified the Proclamation to regularise the ECD relocation at the national level, which will be signed by His Excellency, President Ramaphosa.  The Office of the Chief State Law Advisors has also certified the Proclamations to regularise the ECD function shift at the provincial level, which will be signed by the nine Honourable Premiers.  It is anticipated the ECD relocation from the DSD to the DBE will be effected from 01 April 2022.

• To cater for the two years of ECD prior to Grade 1, section 3 on compulsory attendance of the South African Schools Act, 1996 (Act No. 84 of 1996) is in the process of being amended through the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill.  After the BELA Bill has been signed into law by the President, attendance at Grade R classes by children who will be turning six (6) years of age, will be compulsory.  Systematically, this will be followed by the introduction of compulsory attendance in Grade RR classes by children who will be turning five (5) years of age.

The second Sector Priority Chairperson and Honourable Members, is that of “the strategic implementation of a curriculum with skills and competencies of a changing world in all public schools” –

• Last year, I reported that we were preparing the Sector for the piloting of the Coding and Robotics Curriculum Grades R-3 and 7.  Today, I wish to report that the draft CAPS documents for Grades R-9 has been submitted to Umalusi for appraisal and quality assurance.  On 19 March 2021, we gazetted the draft Coding and Robotics curriculum for public comments.  In preparation for training of officials, the appointment of service providers by ETDP-SETA has been concluded, and Service Level Agreements have been signed.  We wish to thank the ETDP-SETA for making available seven million Rands (R7 million) for this training; and the support we continue to receive from UNICEF.

We are happy to announce that the Sasol Foundation, funded the orientation of the Coding and Robotics National Training Team (NTT), which was held on 08-19 March 2021.  A state-of-the-art digital platform has been developed for training of teachers.  Orientation materials, lesson plans and coding programmes, have been uploaded onto this digital platform.

• Chairperson, during one of the speeches I made last year, I stressed my Department's commitment to the expansion of the programme to strategically implement a curriculum with skills and competencies for a changing world in all public schools.  In pursuit of this, I am pleased to announce the introduction of a new FET-level subject, Marine Sciences.  This is a very welcome addition to the bouquet of subjects we already offer; and it is particularly relevant to our NDP goals, since the Ocean Economy contributes over six billion US Dollars toward our country's Gross Domestic Product.

We are excited to announce that the 2021 NSC cohort, will include the first cohort of candidates to sit for the NSC exams in Marine Sciences.  Since the 2019 pilot, we are happy to report that the intake in Marine Sciences, has since increased to more than three hundred (300) Grades 10 and 11 learners.  As a high school subject offering, South Africa can be proud that the offering of Marine Sciences is a world first.

• Chairperson, we are collaborating with the Department of Transport (DoT) to finalise the draft Aviation Curriculum to ensure that the draft curriculum is aligned with the CAPS Policy.  The appointment of a service provider to develop Practical Assessment Tasks for this Aviation Curriculum, has been advertised.  We are proud that the country will introduce another uniquely South African subject offering, that includes all the occupational work-areas within the Aviation milieu.

• it is with pleasure to inform this House that Guidelines for the establishment and management of Focus Schools have been produced on time in December 2020, after extensive consultations.  Focus Schools are being established to cater for learners with special talents and aptitudes across a wide range of scholastic endeavours.  These schools will constitute a legislatively distinct category of public schools that offer a specialised curriculum oriented toward eleven (11) learning fields.

• On Occupational Subjects, a total of 103 schools in all nine provinces, have been audited, to pilot the Occupational Subjects.  The CAPS for Grades 8 and 9, has been developed, and submitted to Umalusi for appraisal and quality assurance.  In preparation for the pilot, materials have been developed.

• Chairperson, in 2019, we hosted the Roundtable with the Mobile Network Operators and other Information Communications Technologies (ICTs) players to map a plan for delivering of ICT solutions to special schools.  Since then, we have provided 191 special schools with the ICT devices, assistive technologies, as well as appropriate software for teaching and learning.  Vodacom, MTN, Liquid Telkom, and Cell C have made available varying numbers of devices.  We thank them for their kind contributions.  Furthermore, all special schools have been provided with connectivity.

• Last year, I had reported to this House that the Ministerial Task Team on the Development of History for Grades 4-12 had developed the History content framework for Grades 4-12, including the review of topics including historiography; material culture and archaeology; African history; heritage and local history, including labour history; language, gender and culture history, inland history, and world history.  The Ministerial Task Team is currently engaged in a dedicated writing sessions, to sequence and package the identified content, to ensure alignment in terms of articulation, sequencing, progression, and conceptual development.

• The next area is that of the Incremental Introduction to African Languages (IIAL) strategy, was initiated in 2013 to strengthen the teaching of previously marginalised African languages.  The cohort of learners, who were part of the pilot, is currently in the Intermediate Phase.

Chairperson, we strategically decided to expand the list of South African languages offered as Second Additional Languages in the National Curriculum Statement.  The additional languages are the Kiswahili, Khoi, Nama, San languages, as well as the South African Sign Language (SASL); thus concretising the Constitutional mandate of promoting and creating conditions for the development and the use of all official languages.

The final Sector Priority I wish to reflect on Chairperson and Honourable Members, is that of “Dealing decisively with the quality and efficiency through the implementation of standardised assessments at Grades 3, 6 and 9; and the offering of a General Education Certificate (GEC) before the Grade 12 exit qualification – a pronouncement of the first White Paper on Education and Training (1995), intended to reduce the failure and drop-out rates, and direct learners through different education and training pathways”.

• First to report, is that the policy framework for the introduction of the General Education Certificate (GEC) has been provisionally approved by Umalusi; and processes are underway to gazette, to invite public comments.  A blueprint document on assessment options, linked to career-pathing and future work skills, has been developed.  This blueprint will inform learners, teachers, parents and the system in general about the suitability of learners to undertake an academic, vocational or occupational track in Grades 10-12.  The standardised assessment system will be piloted in 2022; and the first roll-out of the GEC is scheduled for 2023.

• Secondly, the DBE has drafted a National Assessment Framework (NAF), which will serve to coordinate all assessments conducted in the General Education and Training Bands.  A basket of purpose-driven assessments from school entry (Grade R) to Grade 9, has been designed for implementation.

• Thirdly, a significant intervention of the National Assessment Framework, is the roll-out of the Systemic Evaluation initiative, targeted at establishing key learner competencies in Mathematics and Languages at the end of Grades 3, 6 and 9; and establishing the enabling school and system support factors that contribute to the improvement of learning outcomes.  The first cycle of the Systemic Evaluation, is scheduled for October this year, on one hundred and forty-five thousand six hundred (145 600) learners across all nine provinces.

A Call to recommit to building a solid and resilient foundation for a quality and efficient basic education system

Chairperson and Honourable Members, we have repeatedly presented national and international evidence that learning outcomes in our entire basic education system have been on an upward trajectory.  However, we are mindful that the gains we have made, are currently threatened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the gains in learning outcomes we have realised, we are currently faced with mounting evidence from our researchers of significant and continuing learning losses, due to the irregular patterns of attendance by learners at school.  The educational and social impact of this, is significant; and will be felt in years to come.

We had convened structured consultations with teacher unions, national SGB associations, national association responsible for learners with special education needs, national association of independent schools, as well as civic society to discuss the full attendance of primary school learners.

On 19 May 2021, the Council of Education Ministers (CEM) unanimously supported full attendance of primary school learners at the beginning of the third term.  CEM also unanimously agreed to suspend contact sport, and all events related to the 2021 South African Schools Choral Eisteddfod.  Chairperson, I can report that this CEM decision, was unanimously supported by the entire Basic Education Sector.  We will however, intensify compliance with non-pharmaceutical COVID-19 protocols; and ensure that our educators and support staff are prioritised for vaccination.

Conclusion

In conclusion Chairperson and Honourable Members, I wish to report that we recently concluded the most difficult, but very successful School Governing Bodies (SGB) elections in all our public schools.  Because schools had to strictly observe non-pharmaceutical COVID-19 protocols, we had to explore election modalities we had never used before.  We are now in the process of inducting and providing orientation and training to approximately two hundred and fifty thousand (250 000) elected SGB members on their governance roles and responsibilities.  We must applaud our officials, principals, teachers, support staff, parents and learners for running such successful SGB elections.  When we all hold hands, success is guaranteed.

We wish to thank our international partners, sister departments and their State institutions, business, and civil society organisations, for their professionalism and the variety of the roles they continue play.  I wish to single out the SACE, Umalusi, NECT, our teacher unions, the national SGB associations, the principals’ associations, national organisations responsible for learners with special needs, as well as independent schools’ associations for their wise counsel and impeccable resilience.

I wish to thank the Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson, the Whippery, and the Honourable Members of this august House, especially our Chairperson and the Honourable Members of our Select Committee.  We cannot forget to acknowledge the members of CEM and the Heads of Education Departments Committee (HEDCOM).

Finally, I wish to thank the Deputy Minister, Dr Reginah Mhaule; the Director-General and his army of senior officials, the entire Ministry staff, and my family for their ongoing support and cooperation.

I thank you