Western Cape Education Department 2019/20 Annual Performance Plan

Meeting report

The Chairperson welcomed the Committee Members and guests. The purpose of the meeting was for the Committee to be familiar with the work and the organisational structure of the department.

The Chairperson advised that the departmental HOD should first finish the presentation and questions from the Committee Members would then follow after the presentation.

Mr B Schreuder, HOD, Western Cape Education Department (WCED), presented an overview of the departmental structure to the Committee. He said the department is made up of four branches in the province. These branches include  Education Planning; Curriculum and Assessment Management; Institution Development and Coordination; and Corporate Services. There are Directors and Deputy Directors who are responsible of the functionality of these branches of the Western Cape Education Department.

Mr Schreuder explained the way in which the four branches are coordinated, and stated that Mr Salie Abrahams is the Deputy Director-General of Education Planning, which deals with the organisation of teaching and learning. Mr P Beets is the Deputy Director-General of Curriculum and Assessment Management, which deals with teaching. Mr A Lewis is the Deputy Director-General of Institution Development and Coordination, while Mr I Leon is the Deputy Director-General of Corporate Services. There are eight district directors.

The vision of the education department is to provide education of good quality for every child without any discrimination. The focus for this year is the learner and process of learning being at the centre stage. The department also plans to provide education in every school in the province.

The mission of the department takes into account the overall planning and educational programmes of WCED. The mission is to improve the education system through the application of intensive measures of support. This goes with providing proper education in special schools in the public, and development opportunities for both teachers and learners. Mr Schreuder stated that it is the mission of WCED to reduce poverty in schools through the feeding scheme programme which has been in place for long time. WCED, stated on its mission, also provide the provision of basic conditions of services, incentives and the employee wellness programme.

Strategic outcomes

Strategic outcome 1: Improvement in language and mathematics in all schools. Mr Schreuder provided statistics and stated that WCED has 1.1 million learners in the province and 33 000 teachers, 15 000 schools, 58 000 learners relying on transport and 471 000 on the school feeding scheme. There has been a remarkable increase in levels of poverty, which then placed more demand on the feeding scheme programme and resources.

Strategic outcome 2: Increase in the number and quality of passes in the National Senior Certificate (NSC). The  Western Cape province is among the best performing provinces in NSC results. The WCED expected a huge percentage of learners accomplishing their NSC with bachelor passes. This is due to the effective support and well- functioning of the department. The pass rate for 2019 is expected to be 83%.

Strategic outcome 3: Increase in the quality of education provision in poorer communities. WCED will invest in support of schools in need in order to “decrease the number of schools with a Grade 12 pass rate of under 70% to 40 by the end of 2019”. There has been a notable decrease in poor performance in other grades through the tests administered by WCED for grades three, six and nine.

WCED Challenges

The challenges include drugs, poverty, gangsterism, violence, vandalism, parental support, foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), aging infrastructure, insufficient infrastructure and overcrowded schools and classrooms.

Three Pillars

Teacher- The teacher remains fundamental.

Values- Building a driven institution of learning.

The learner- “Enter to learn and continue to serve.

Legislation in the pipeline

Mr Schreuder expressed that there is no new legislation in place and stated that the Western Cape Provincial School Act needs to be amended.

Unfortunately, Mr Schreuder had to leave meeting to attend to some obligation.

Ms W Conrad, Director: Business Strategy and Stakeholder Management, WCED, then continued the presentation, and noted the impact of gansterism on schools. It was then stated that the WCED has set reachable targets for the year 2019.

Initiatives in the pipeline

In the quest to deliver the vision, education districts are to focus on three focus areas. This is to ensure that all schools are functional institutions. This is also to ensure the quality of teaching in every school. Ms Conrad expressed that good governance becomes an imperative in this regard. The has been a provision of the E- Learning online system in order to provide learning resources more effectively.

The mindset and attitude of learners in schools remains an issue. The leadership development programme is therefore to be provided in education department in order to overcome the obstacles.

Discussion

Mr F Christians (ACDP) asked if there is a way of dealing with learners and teachers who are absent. Mr Christians also asked for clarity on the content and accuracy of the feeding scheme programme.

Ms Conrad replied that teacher attendance has increased because the manual register is taken regularly, and the introduction of the E-Learning system has placed a huge demand to teachers, which then forces them to be always present. Principals are required to note the number of learners and teachers who are absent. The capacity of schools also affects the attendance. The feeding scheme is also available in high schools and breakfast is offered at 07:00 in the morning, and lunch is also offered at midday.

Mr S Bosman (ANC) asked about the processes of recruitment in the department, and inquired about the successes and challenges for laboratory schools.

Ms Conrad replied that there has been a circular sent to the Chief Evaluator who will facilitate the appointment of staff. The job applications will then open. The underperformed schools in Langa have now improved to 83%. There is significant improvement in schools pass rate.

Mr R Allen (DA) referred to page 29 of the report with regards to safety, and asked for the breakdown of safety and security measures in schools. He also asked for clarity on the ten new schools which are to be built.

Ms Conrad replied that double fencing is a key strategy when it comes to safety in schools because it prevents anyone from climbing. Ms Conrad also stated that there is a cluster of cohesive response to the safety of schools.

The Chairperson intervened and stated that there is a report that speaks to that which will be sent.

Ms Conrad again replied that the Department of Public Works (DPW) is building sites and schools for WCED. There is a proper plan to building schools and classrooms in accordance with the budget. Ms Conrad also stated that 80% of the departmental budget goes to the remuneration of teachers.

The Chairperson asked the Committee Members and guests to go to a ten minutes break.

The Chairperson then welcomed the Committee Members and guests back from the short break.

The departmental officials were then allowed to go and were reminded that the next meeting would be on the 31st of July 2019.

Recommendations

The Chairperson stated that the Procedural Officer, Ms W Moosa would take note of the recommendations and amend the document.

Mr Bosman requested a joint meeting and asked for that to be included in the report.

The Chairperson added that it should be called a status report.

Ms Moosa confirmed with the Members the recommendations that were made.

The Chairperson stated that the Committee will meet on Tuesday at 1pm, as opposed to 9am.

The Chairperson proposed that the Committee should visit a school that performed extremely well in matric results.

Mr Christians accepted the recommendation and Mr Bosman seconded.

Mr Bosman stated that he will be away and on the 27th of July, and asked for the joint committee meeting to be held when he is back.

It was then mutually agreed that the joint committee meeting will be held on the 13th of August when Mr S Bosman is back. Oversight visits to different districts will then follow. The districts in rural areas will also not be left behind.

Meeting adjourned.