DBE Briefing: Safety and Security in Schools, DDM & Delivery of ICT Infrastructure and Internet Access; with Deputy Minister

Meeting report

The Chairperson welcomed all the attendees to the meeting and asked Members to adopt the agenda before commencing with the meeting.

Ms N Ndongeni (ANC, Eastern Cape) moved for the adoption, and Ms D Christians (DA, Northern Cape) seconded the motion.

Apologies

The secretariat received an apology from Ms Angie Motshekga, Minister of Basic Education.

Briefing by the Department of Basic Education (DBE): Safety and Security in Schools

Mr Sifiso Ngobese, Director: Sport and Enrichment, DBE, said that, despite the positive stories of trying to create safe environments in schools, there have been reports of violence, bullying, substance abuse, corporal punishment and carrying of dangerous weapons. The NSSF (National School Safety Framework) is designed to provide a comprehensive document that can guide the DBE, schools, districts, and provinces on a common approach to achieving a safe, healthy and violence-free learning environment. It is also intended for other national and provincial state departments involved in any way in achieving a safe school environment, to ensure a common understanding of the nature and extent of school violence, and a shared evidence-based approach to school safety and violence prevention.

Learners throughout the country experience violence from their teachers through corporal punishment, and teachers need to be educated about the dangers thereof and report when they continue with this. The DBE and the SAPS have established protocols to regulate the violence rate around schools. These include relinking schools to local police stations and closing taverns around schools. The Deputy Minister and her Partner Departments have established an inter-departmental campaign to raise awareness of social ills negatively impacting the schooling process.

See attached for full presentation

DBE Briefing: Delivery of ICT and Internet Access in Schools

Mr Seliki Tlhabane, Chief Director: MST& Curriculum Enhancement, DBE, said that the Department’s strategic goal that is planned to be achieved by 2030 is that schools should have remote learning programmes, digital content, devices, teacher online development and strong internet connectivity. The cost drivers for 2022/23 were as follows:

- ICT Devices: Learners amounted to R1 041 582 960.51, and Educators amounted to R258 669 736.47.

- Connectivity: Education amounted to R34 000 000, Learners to R89 257 200, and Schools to R 323 908 068.11

- Digital Content: Content amounted to R156 108 073, and Content amounted to R37 858 986.

- Distance Learning: Remote learning amounted to R3 277 974.50, and Broadcasting amounted to R5 440 286.40

The Department has been able to reach public special schools and has implemented the connectivity plans in 311 out of 447 because they are not a lot in number. They have discovered that learners should be provided with a specialised sim card that will enable them to access educational resources, and that SITA should host the DBE Cloud to ensure that all the schools will have access to CAPS-aligned content and quality teaching and learning resources.

See attached for full presentation

DBE Briefing: District Development Model and how DBE uses it to guide Provinces

Mr James Ndlebe, Director: Education Management and Governance, DBE, said that the DDM seeks to enhance service delivery in the municipalities through collaborations during planning, budgeting, and implementation by all stakeholders in a municipality. The process of the DDM was studied in the John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality and Sedibeng District Municipality. The DBE has implemented the provincial guidance, monitoring and support measures by using these methods:

- Positioning the Basic Education sector properly in the DDM processes throughout our 75 Education Districts;

- Monitoring implementation of the DDM in the sector with a view to identifying the weaknesses for strengthening the programme;

- Synchronising the reporting process.

See attached for full presentation

DBE Briefing: How DBE initiates monitors and sustains corporate and other funders support

Mr Louis Taylor, Director: Partnerships in Education, DBE, said that partnership add value, provides value for money, good governance and enhance their goal of making education a societal matter. The pillars of partnerships are the Volunteer and Capabilities Pillar, Financial Pillar, Priority Pillar, Research, Innovation and Support Pillar, and the Advocacy Pillar. When considering whether to get involved in a partnership, the DBE will decide having examined the issues set out in the Partnership Framework in consultation with the Action Plan 2019 – towards the realisation of Schooling 2030.

Before a partnership is approved, the Department must evaluate the partnership itself; provide assurance that proper systems are in place and that its outcomes and performance match the goals and intentions of the partnership. The auditing and scrutiny arrangement for a partnership should be clear. The Legal Services of the DBE must provide any necessary advice and guidance to its representatives on partnerships regarding potential liabilities for them, and the Department in their responsibilities and accountabilities.

See attached for full presentation

Discussion

Mr M Bara (DA, Gauteng) welcomed the presentations and asked how DBE identifies occurrence of some principals not implementing policies – for example, when principals do not search students for weapons in schools with the help of the police, and what the consequences of not doing so are. Can it be confidently said that all learners and teachers are safe in schools? What measures guarantee that they are? He asked for clarification on the long-term strategies for distance learning investments made and how they are going to benefit all provinces, especially deep rural areas. Is there a move to ensure that the law is reviewed to accommodate the DDM so that local government is able to participate in schooling matters?

Ms D Christians (DA, Northern Cape) asked why the Northern Cape is not part of the pilot projects that are rolled out for safety measures, considering the violent history that the province has. What are the long-term strategies to sustain connectivity in the rural areas of the province as there are incidents of learners being moved during computer exams, because they did not have enough coverage?    

Ms S Lehihi (EFF, North West) noted that there was a case of a leaner who was bullied at Reabona Secondary School that was not handled well by the principal and a leaner who was beaten by an axe by another leaner in Kgatelapele Secondary School (both in the Nort-West). She asked if there was a better way to decrease bullying and weapon usage on school premises.

The Chairperson acknowledged the presentations and asked how the Department ensures that their partnerships do not overshadow their interests – for example, partnering with companies like the breweries that will send the wrong message to the learners. Are there any partnerships that they have turned down? For what reasons did they do so? He asked what happens in instances where learners are caught with dangerous weapons, because corporal punishment has been removed from schools. He noted the importance of involving the community members in the regulation of safety in schools.

Responses by DBE

Mr Taylor said that their partnerships are always led by their needs and goals. They have a very serious vetting process for considering a partner that ensures that schools are not turned into a marketplace and that inappropriate advertising is not allowed in schools.

Mr Ngobese said that, according to the school monitoring survey conducted in schools, over 80% of teachers have indicated that they feel safe. They have intervened in problematic areas like KwaMashu in KZN. They have requested the SAPS to do regular searches and seizure in schools. Most schools do not have metal detectors and that contributes in the Department not being able to guarantee 100% safety in schools. He noted that the Northern Cape is included in the pilot projects. All provinces are, in fact, included and they will be monitored for some time after the launch of the programmes. Bullying is a challenge because it has escalated to social media spaces. They will follow up with matters raised about the North West. Each school should have a code of conduct that governs it. It should contain steps that should be taken when a learner has committed a particular offence, and that is what should have been used in that instance.

In incidents above the school capacity, external forces like the SAPS should be involved and the law will take its course. They also work with the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development on issues relating to the Child Justice Act due to the changes that have been made to the Act.

Ms Simonë Geyer, DDG: Planning and Delivery Oversight Unit, DBE, said that the Department will conduct further investigations on what happened in the schools in the North West and how the various stakeholders played a part in the cases. 

Mr Seliki Tlhabane, Chief Director: MST& Curriculum Enhancement, DBE, said that connectivity can be provided through copper, satellites, and fibre. The challenges with each are that copper is slower, and fibre requires digging the trenches and taking it where it is going to be used, and satellites are expensive. Rural areas could benefit from satellite towers, but this depends on ICASA allocating broadband to the mobile network operator in that space. This is a challenge to the DBE because these institutions do not report to the DBE but to the Department of Communication and Digital Technologies (DCDT), and they plan on working with them to achieve this goal.

The Deputy Minister of Basic Education, Dr Makgabo Mhaule, said they work with various departments and the community on safety issues, by engaging with municipalities, traditional leaders, and faith leaders. Even though the SGB forms the safety committee, it works with outside structures like the Community Policing Forums. They also assign police members to the schools where they confiscate weapons from learners. Depending on their age, they will make use of applicable disciplinary measures that also involve the parents of the learner. There are areas where teachers feel unsafe to carry their possessions to schools because of the crime in the areas. This goes to show how much they need to associate with other departments. She noted that the DBE and the DCDT are working together to improve the connectivity of schools in rural areas.

Follow-up Discussion

The Chairperson asked about the progress of the involvement of the CSIR in looking at the network and connectivity in schools, and the issuing of iPads and laptops to school learners.  

Ms Geyer said that the issuing of devices is an ongoing process depending on the availability of funds and infrastructure. Gauteng is leading because of its advanced infrastructure. She said that the Department has a relationship with the CSIR for research purposes in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology.

Closing Remarks by Deputy Minister

Deputy Minister Mhaule thanked the Committee for their invitation and engagements for the betterment of the future of a South African child.

Committee Matters

The Committee adopted the minutes of the meeting held on 14 June 2023.

The Committee was invited by the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture to the 2023 Indigenous Games Festival, from 24 to 28 September 2023, in the eThekwini Metro Municipality.

Members commented that it is short notice but those from KZN may attend if they are able to.

The Chairperson thanked the Members for their participation.

The meeting was adjourned.