Department of Basic Education Annual Performance Plan 2024/25; with Ministry

Meeting report

Opening remarks

The Chairperson began the meeting by introducing himself as a delegate from the Eastern Cape. He said today's meeting would focus on basic education, sciences, and the creative industries in South Africa. He then requested Committee Members introduce themselves to foster familiarity among the group.

Ms Siviwe Gwarube, the new Minister of Basic Education, and Dr Reginah Mhaule, the Deputy Minister, introduced themselves.

Minister Gwarube said they had had a similar engagement with the Portfolio Committee last week, and had tabled the budget votes in the National Assembly yesterday. The Department would present its current status, particularly the annual performance plans and their relevance to the Committee Members' constituents, the provinces, and the provincial mandates.

She reiterated the Department of Basic Education's (DBE's) unwavering commitment to accountability, and highlighted the critical relationship between government and Parliament. She acknowledged that as public representatives, the Committee should thoroughly scrutinise their plans and budgets. She welcomed rigorous engagement and tough questions from Members of Parliament and the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), as it was through such scrutiny that progress could be made towards delivering quality basic education, which was a constitutional right for all South African learners.

She said she and the Deputy Minister would participate after the presentation by officials of the DBE.

DBE's annual performance plan

Mr Mathanzima Mweli, Director-General (DG), DBE, said the presentation would be handled by Ms Stella Banyana Mosimege, Chief Director: Strategic Planning, Research, Evaluation and Monitoring, DBE. The second part of the presentation, focusing on financial aspects, would be handled by Mr Patrick Khunou, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

(Please see the attached document for presentation details).

Discussion

Minister Gwarube thanked the Department for the presentation and asked Deputy Minister Mhaule if she had any additional input before proceeding. She suggested using the opportunity to hand over to the team, and then take any questions from the Committee.

Dr Mhaule responded that she thought the presentation had been loud and clear, and that the Department would respond to any questions. Before that, however, she wanted to share news about a tragic loss experienced in Gauteng on 10 July.

Minister Gwarube then updated the Committee Members about the tragic loss of 11 schoolchildren and a driver who lost their lives in a scholar transport accident last Wednesday in Carletonville, Gauteng. She mentioned visiting the schools, teachers and learners affected by the tragedy, and said an investigation was ongoing. She had been in contact with the Gauteng Member of the Executive Council (MEC) to offer any support they could provide.

She then invited the Committee to ask questions about the presentation, and the Department would wrap up once the Members were satisfied.

Ms L Arries (EFF, North West) raised her about the literacy rate and the struggles children face with reading. She asked what programmes were in place to improve reading ability, and the plans for ensuring every school had a library.

She also referred to a point mentioned in the presentation, highlighting ongoing issues across the country, such as at Kanana Primary and Montclair Secondary School, where children were not currently in school. She emphasised that children had a right to quality education and wanted to know what measures were in place to ensure every child was placed in a school.

Regarding infrastructure grants mentioned in the presentation, she referred to George, in the Western Cape, where there were only two primary schools, and one high school in Pacaltsdorp. She asked what plans were in place to constantly monitor the influx of expanding communities and build more schools accordingly. She said the high school in Pacaltsdorp was built in 1976 and was now dilapidated, and nothing had been done about it. She stressed that quality education could not be achieved if the learning conditions were not conducive for teaching.

Ms Arries raised the point of Early Childhood Development (ECD) programmes to support children in the early years as a human capital investment to break the cycle of poverty and inequality. She asked what measures were required to eliminate the unnecessary red tape surrounding ECD facilities, and to ensure easy training access for ECD practitioners, especially those working with children with disabilities. She shared her personal struggle with finding ECDs for children with special needs, and asked what measures were in place to train practitioners for these children and address the shortage of ECDs accommodating special needs children.

Regarding access to technology and basic infrastructure, she asked what was being done for children in rural areas without access to technology, and to ensure all schools had electricity, water and fencing. She acknowledged that infrastructure might not be a priority for the Department, despite its importance for a conducive learning environment.

Ms Arries outlined the need for social support and nutrition. There was a need for social workers in schools to address social problems like teenage pregnancy and suicide. What were the plans to ensure each school had a social worker? She also asked about including ECD facilities in nutrition plans, highlighting the struggles many ECDs face.

Regarding dropout rates and school performance, she requested that the presentation include a column showing the number of children who dropped out, and not only the number of children who came to school or finished school. She asked about measures in place to accommodate children with disabilities in ECDs, to improve underperforming schools and to address the challenge of children who dropped out of school.

Mr M Sibanda (ANC, Mpumalanga) asked what was being done to introduce African languages in different schools and address the issue of institutions in the country that did not accommodate African learners. He inquired about the DBE's plans to tackle load-shedding during crucial times like the examination period, as it affected school buildings and disrupted exam periods.

He wanted to know whether the Department had conducted study trips to other countries, such as Japan, to explore new ways to improve the education system. He commented that Japan's education system, which starts educating children at an early stage, resulted in producing more technicians and engineers, and he wondered if research was being done to improve the current system based on this example.

He lastly expressed his concern about the education performance in Mpumalanga schools, which were lagging behind due to a lack of resources compared to other schools in the country. He asked what measures were being introduced to address this disparity and to improve the educational performance in the region.

Ms N Chirwa-Mpungose (EFF, Gauteng) asked what the Department's plans were for improving comprehension among students up to grade four, and said she was aware of the future plans that the Department had presented to the Portfolio Committee. Her first concern was about implementing and monitoring these plans, noting the absence of a pilot programme. She pointed out that without evidence-based analysis, there was no proof that the interventions would yield the desired results in the long run.

She asked about the training of staff members, including the outcomes and timeline for readiness. She noted several open gaps in the programme presented by the Department. She requested a proper appraisal of how it planned to implement the programme, and its capacity to do so.

Ms Chirwa-Mpungose pointed out the need for a pilot programme to test the interventions in real-life scenarios before full implementation. She said that the Department should not allow boardroom interventions without assessment of the real-life impact on the ground.

She highlighted the importance of holding the DBE accountable, just as other departments dealing with vulnerable people, such as Health and Social Development, were held accountable. She requested information on the effectiveness and impact of piloting programmes in different districts and provinces and how these would impact various geographic areas.

She also raised her concerns about the lack of support for sexual assault victims within the DBE. She highlighted the issue of young girls -- some as young as ten years old -- entering classrooms pregnant. She said that the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) had reported that the majority, if not all, of these pregnancies were the result of rape. She criticised the Department for not providing tangible support geared towards offering justice or a support system to these victims, saying it was the Department's responsibility to protect these vulnerable children, and commenting that many of the perpetrators were known to the victims and were often their family members, caretakers or guardians. She called on the Department to be held accountable for ensuring the safety and justice for these children. She asked about the Department's plans to implement the recommendations made by the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE), which stated that pregnancy cases reported to the Department should be counted as sexual assault cases. She asked whether the Department was facilitating the process of opening sexual assault cases through the South African Police Service (SAPS). She inquired about the relationship between the SAPS and the Department of Basic Education in dealing with these issues.

Ms Chirwa-Mpungose referred to a recent incident in Soshanguve where a school security guard raped a young girl. She used this case to highlight the broader issue of ensuring the safety of students within school premises. She asked how the Department supported its staff in institutions and facilities to prevent such incidents. She emphasised the need for proper vetting and monitoring of staff members, especially those in positions of trust and responsibility, such as security guards. She asked how the Department planned to resolve these issues and prevent future occurrences. She stressed that in many cases, perpetrators were part of the Community Protection Forum (CPF), but were not necessarily vetted by the DBE.

She suggested that the Department consider in-sourcing all general staff in facilities to ensure thorough vetting processes for the safety of the children. She said that it must be able to account for every staff member. She pointed out that the current system, where staff may not be adequately vetted, posed significant risks to student safety. She acknowledged that while vetting did not eliminate all possibilities of abuse, it did significantly reduce the risk.

She expressed concern over the lack of precise information on students with disabilities who drop out due to the failure of retention efforts. She deemed this unacceptable for a national department. She highlighted the need for a system that tracks students, especially those with disabilities, from the beginning to the end of each year, to understand and report on their status. Regarding mental health and student tracking, she stressed the importance of mental health support systems and the need for the Department to account for students who were no longer in classrooms. She called for an indicator in the annual performance plan to show the outcomes for students, particularly those with disabilities, who leave the school system.

Ms Chirwa-Mpungose asked the Department how it planned to address the needs of students with disabilities in the current year. How many new schools were being built to cater specifically to special needs students, particularly in areas like the Eastern Cape, where such facilities were lacking? She emphasised the need for interventions at the national level to cater for the increasing number of diagnoses, particularly for conditions like autism. She called for a national strategy to provide support in mainstream facilities and specialised schools. She asked the Department what plans were t in place to ensure that staff were adequately trained to support and teach children with special needs. She also asked how the Department intended to increase the number of staff catering to special needs students.

Mr F Mokwele (ANC, Limpopo) said such meetings were crucial, but the connectivity issues faced during the meeting made it difficult for Members to tackle the issues facing the country. Despite the connectivity issues, he welcomed the presentation by the Department of Education, and acknowledged the progress made since 1994, particularly noting the improvement in matric results.

He expressed his concern about the performance of schools in rural areas. The Department was not allocating enough resources and investing adequately in disadvantaged areas, such as rural regions in Limpopo. He noted a lack of schools catering for children with disabilities and insufficient resources to help such students in Limpopo. He urged the Department to focus more on this aspect.

He pointed out that 80% of the Department's budget was used for conditional grants to schools in well-performing provinces. He suggested that the Department needed to be more informed about the specific needs of provinces when dispensing funds, to ensure that resources were directed appropriately. Infrastructure in Limpopo was an issue, with deteriorating school buildings and inadequate capacity for the number of learners.

Mr Mokwele highlighted a crisis in governance at the provincial level in Limpopo, asserting that school governing bodies were not being supportive enough, and appealed to the DBE to provide more support to these bodies so they could respond to the needs of communities and schools effectively.

Ms J Adriaanse (DA, North West), drawing on her experience as a former teacher, said the foundational importance of reading, writing and arithmetic (the three Rs) in education was very important. She expressed her concerns about the 72% competency rate in reading and numeracy skills among 10-year-olds, stressing that these skills were crucial for the country's future development.

Research statistics showed South Africa was ranked last out of 57 countries in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, which had tested the reading abilities of 400 000 students globally in 2021. Despite various programmes and efforts, literacy rates among South African children have improved only marginally, from 78% in 2016 to 81% currently. This slow progress was alarming, as literacy was fundamental to academic and professional success.

She underscored the necessity of not just teaching children to read, but ensuring they understand what they read. She stressed that comprehension was essential for mathematics, studying, and other academic pursuits.

Ms Adriaanse pointed out that only 32% of workbooks had been delivered by the Department in the North West by January 2024, and by July, it should be at 100%. She emphasised that any school and teacher who valued their profession and prioritised quality education would strive to be well-prepared at the beginning of the new school year. She pointed out that a day lost was a missed opportunity to educate and teach a child. The late delivery of workbooks was unacceptable. She asked what steps were being taken regarding consequence management when workbook deliveries were late. She asked whether the issue was simply a question of failing to plan, or if there were other underlying problems.

Referring to vacant positions, she inquired about the last time a Gazette advertising the available vacant positions in the North West had been published. There were schools, such as a secondary school with more than 1 000 pupils, where both the principal and deputy principal positions were filled by acting personnel. She stressed the need for intervention and clarity on what was happening within the North West Department of Education.

Ms N du Plessis (DA, Gauteng) said she was worried about the appointment of political elements within the school governing bodies (SGBs) in her constituency, including Lenasia, Soweto, Linhai, and surrounding areas. The community had complained that SGBs were often not composed of parents within the community who had children in the school, and were not genuinely interested in the functioning of the school.

She said there was a massive backlog in the Department's infrastructure development which had a serious impact, such as overcrowded schools. She mentioned the Fred Norman Secondary School, which had a capacity of 900 students but currently accommodates 2 000 students. This overcrowding had led to incidents of racial tension, gang activity, and a general lack of pride among the students.

There was a recurring issue with service providers, such as "project creep."  They would initially propose a project costing R4 million and promise completion in six months, only to later request more time and money without visible progress. She said this issue affected the quality of education and student safety, citing an incident where a student fell from a mobile classroom and broke her leg.

Ms Du Plessis said the other issue that was faced in these schools was bullying, where reports of bullying from both students and teachers, particularly in overcrowded schools, had reached her. Allegedly, teachers sometimes bullied students, who ended up getting expelled for minor infringements to reduce the number of students in the school.

She emphasised the transformative potential of ECD, drawing examples from Brazil and South Korea. She inquired about the focus of ECD beyond school readiness, such as the inclusion of solution-driven thinking to assist in future nation-building.

She said there was a disparity between quintile classifications and actual socio-economic conditions in Gauteng. Some schools classified as quintile five were in informal areas and were no-fee schools, yet they did not qualify for feeding schemes. She suggested reviewing these classifications and possibly looking into public-private partnerships (PPPs) for feeding schemes to address hunger among students.

She said research showed that sports and extracurricular activities could help children with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by rewiring their brains and fostering positivity. These activities could help students to deal with trauma experienced both at home and at school. Regarding neurodivergence and disability schools, she said that while integration of students with disabilities was ideal, specialised remedial schools were still necessary. She commented that remedial schools had not been well maintained and were in need of reinvigoration.

Ms Du Plessis also highlighted principals and school leadership as a concern, as principals were often political hires rather than community-based selections, which could lead to dissatisfaction within the community. Regarding the monitoring of curriculums, a significant portion of the budget went towards curriculum monitoring. It is important to ensure the curriculum addresses basic skills and also helps students to integrate into society, and an inclusive school system should promote understanding and care among students.

She asked about the need for realistic and practical reproductive health education in schools. This should include information on consensual sexual intercourse, and an understanding of rape and abuse. This would help to get rid of myths such as the belief that first-time intercourse cannot lead to pregnancy. Comprehensive education on these topics was crucial for young people in South Africa.

Ms T Breedt  (FF+, Free State) raised her points and questions regarding ECD and the revised reading and literacy strategy. She expressed optimism about the future of schooling under the leadership of the new Minister and her Deputy. She asked the Department to share the key actions and initiatives regarding incorporating ECDs into the DBE. This included a timeline of initiatives to be completed by the end of the year, clarity on the process followed in formulating the draft set of data standards for ECDs, and a status update on their approval

She asked about the collaboration with the University of Johannesburg and the Department of Health to develop screening tools for early identification and intervention for children with developmental delays. What was the status of the screening tool, and what assistance was available to ECD practitioners once developmental delays had been identified? She also wanted to know how the new revised reading/literacy strategy would be funded and implemented in the long run.

DBE's response

Minister Gwarube thanked Members for their inputs, and said the Department was totally committed to responding thoroughly, and appreciated being held to account.

She wanted to emphasise the issue raised around reading, and reading for meaning. This was one of the key priorities they had highlighted for the Department over the next five years. They knew that literacy and numeracy rates were unacceptably low, and aimed to address and improve this issue. They also wanted to promote a reading culture within their communities, emphasising the importance of reading not only in the classroom, but also at home. This was crucial for children to develop strong reading habits and for South Africa to become a reading nation.

Another key priority was addressing infrastructure backlogs, including eradicating pit toilets. As indicated by the CFO, this was supported by the budget. She asked the Members, particularly those of the Select Committee, to hold the departments accountable for implementing these initiatives. The budget may flow to the provinces, but the MECs had to ensure that these funds were used to improve infrastructure, eradicate pit toilets, and make schools safer for both learners and educators.

Lastly, regarding the issue raised by Ms Chirwa-Mpungose on sexual offences in schools, she said the Department had passed a policy in 2022 to guide the handling of such incidents. The policy mandates that when sexual offences occur in schools, they must be reported to the SAPS. However, it was important to note that schools were a reflection of society, so it was vital to work with other departments and colleagues, including the ministers of police, justice, infrastructure, public works, and water and sanitation, to ensure that learning environments were safe and conducive to education.

Regarding inclusive education, the DBE had over 450 schools for learners with special needs, and there was a strong commitment to enhance these facilities.

Deputy Minister Mhaule said she would like to direct questions to the Deputy Directors-General (DDGs), who are responsible for providing specific answers to specific questions. She named the relevant DDGs as:

• Ms Simone Geyer: Early Childhood Development,
• Dr Granville Whittle: Safety in Schools, Extracurricular Activities, including Psychosocial Support and School Nutrition
• Dr Naledi Mbude: Reading and Afrikaans Languages,
• Mr Hubert Mweli (Acting): Infrastructure,
• Mr Patrick Khunou (CFO): Human Resources and Finances.
• Dr Barney Mthembu: Special Schools.

Mr Mweli said he wanted to propose that the Department forward written responses in the interest of time. They were able to answer the questions, but the problem was the time constraint.

In the meantime, regarding Early Childhood Development, the DBE convened a workshop towards the end of the Sixth Administration, bringing together all key stakeholders, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs). They had put together a comprehensive plan to address all ECD matters, involving sister departments such as the Department of Social Development and the Department of Women, Children, and People with Disabilities, which had been part of that workshop. There was a plan, and they were willing to share all of this with the Select Committee.

Regarding learners with special education needs, the DBE convened a meeting to develop a comprehensive plan. They had acknowledged that they needed to address areas of weakness, as the Minister had indicated. However, they had a very comprehensive strategy and implementation plan.

They had also done the same concerning infrastructure. Mr Mweli felt that at some point, the Department should come and present on infrastructure and look at their progress and the areas they still need to cover. These concerns had even been raised in the budget debate yesterday by the Minister and Deputy Minister. Before that, he had presented to the Council of Education Ministers on all of these matters. They were willing to come back and present based on the plans they had shared, and the Committee could then tell us if they were on the right track or not. They were ready to do that.

On the issue of sexual offences, Members were correct -- it remained a significant concern. The Department had once been called to the Commission on Gender Equality (CGE) with all nine provinces, where we came up with a report and plans on how to address these issues moving forward. We were monitoring these matters with the provinces regularly. For instance, the Department met with provinces on infrastructure monitoring every Monday. All the provinces involved with infrastructure delivery, together with the implementing agents, are present at these meetings. The Deputy Minister was responsible this, and she led the meetings on infrastructure. This was why he was suggesting that if the DBE could come and present on all of these matters, it would do justice to the matter, rather than just dealing with individual questions.

The last point he wanted to make was about the dropout rate. Two of the DBE's researchers had done an extensive benchmarking study of South Africa against other countries, and they were prepared to share their data. South Africa's dropout rate was not out of kilter compared to the rest of the world, but the DBE wanted to reduce it to an acceptable level. The same applied to the nature of the education provided in South Africa. The DBE was part of an international forum, benchmarking with them to ensure they were on the right track.

He asked if the Department could respond to the rest of the questions in writing.

Deputy Minister Mhaule acknowledged the DG's point about the more than 40 questions recorded, which was why she had indicated which DDG was responsible for each question. The DG had covered most of them, and to ensure the Select Committee received thorough responses, they would provide every detail in writing.

She said it would not always be easy for both the Minister and the Deputy Minister, along with the DG, to be available. However, if the Committee allowed it, they would ensure that either the Minister or the Deputy Minister was available to the Select Committee, along with the entire team and some senior officials, in case the DG was attending to other priority areas.

Minister Gwarube said they appreciated the opportunity to engage with the Select Committee. It was indeed a pity because, as the Deputy Minister had said, she was looking forward to the DG responding to their specific questions so that Members could have a second opportunity to ask questions if needed. However, in the interest of time, they would end it here and supply detailed responses to the Committee.

The Chairperson acknowledged the time constraints, and said the only thing the Committee could emphasise was the need for an improvement of the infrastructure so that they could do their work properly and avoid the kind of situation they were currently confronted with. He suggested that the DG communicate with the Committee secretary to arrange a session where they could interrogate the information provided. This would ensure everyone was on equal footing regarding information, leading to better engagement and a proper understanding moving forward.

The meeting was adjourned.