Question NW4044 to the Minister of Arts and Culture”

Reply:

(a). The Department of Arts and Culture has not outsourced the management of the Artist in School programme. The programme is implemented in partnership with organizations that specialize in arts, culture and heritage matters, such as community arts organisations, to

• Recruit and provide regular training of the contracted arts practitioners;
• Partake in identifying and negotiations’ processes with relevant officials at school Principals, Teachers, creative arts subject advisors and Provincial Department of basic Education and Departments of Sports Recreation, Arts and Culture level before any placement of arts practitioners can take place;
• Lesson planning and teaching of the subject (genres);
• Monitoring the individual arts practitioners to ensure that they execute their functions in a very desirable way and in line with the policy prescript of DBE
• Hosting of the Provincial Schools Festivals;
• Project Management (stipend allowances, conflict resolutions, report writing and all the relevant logistical arrangements that enables the successful implementation of the Project;

(b). The Department of Arts and Culture is not aware of any of the Department’s supported Artists in Schools programme that employs people with no background or training to teach arts in the Schools. Recruitment of the Artists in Schools take place at a local level through the identified arts, culture and heritage organisations to ensure that artists with the necessary skills and experience are appointed, and are placed in consultation with relevant stakeholders. It would be appreciated if any such individual or individuals could be reported to the Department.