Question NW152 to the Minister of Basic Education
06 September 2019 - NW152
Ngcobo, Mr S to ask the Minister of Basic Education
(1)Whether her department has an instrument to measure the capacity and effectiveness of subject advisors whose job is to ensure that quality teaching and learning take place in schools; if not, what other mechanisms would help her department monitor effectiveness of what subject advisors do; if so, (a) are those instruments available across provinces and (b) are there consequences for non-compliance;
Reply:
The sector uses the instruments contained in the Education Management Service (EMS): Performance Management and Development System (PMDS) for office-based educators as contained in the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) Collective Agreement No. 3 of 2017; as well as the job description of subject advisors as contained in Collective Agreement No. 4 of 2017 to measure the performance and effectiveness of subject advisors.
(a) Yes. As a national ELRC collective agreement, it is available across all provinces and implementation is mandatory. Subject advisors enter into, and sign annual performance agreements with their immediate supervisor. The agreements contain among others, the following:
- Key Result Areas (KRAs), which describe what is expected from the subject advisor in terms of the job description; and
- Core Management Criteria (CMCs); which are elements and standards used to describe and assess performance, taking into consideration knowledge, skills and attributes.
The performance agreement serves as the cornerstone of performance management of subject advisors at the individual level, while a workplan describes what will be achieved within particular timeframes through clearly defined activities and performance indicators.
(b) There are consequences for non-compliance as determined by the Labour Relations Act and the Employment of Educators Act, which prescribe the processes to be followed during such misconduct.
(2) whether her department has ways to prevent provinces from appointing persons who are not capable and/or suitably qualified and were not achieving good results during their teaching careers; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW1110E
Response
The process for the recruitment and selection of educators prescribed in relevant regulations, as stipulated in the Personnel Administrative Measures, Chapter B. The regulations prescribe educational requirements, statutory requirements, and experience required for appointment in education. The stipulated process includes the selection process, which involves formation of representative panels or Interview Committees that are responsible for the shortlisting a pool of suitable candidates and conducting interviews. It is the view of the department that the existing regulations and processes, are adequate to ensure that suitably qualified educators are appointed in every post.