Question NW1794 to the Minister of Basic Education
07 October 2016 - NW1794
Steenkamp, Ms J to ask the Minister of Basic Education
Whether, in line with recommendation 13 of the report of the Ministerial Task Team to Investigate Allegations into the Selling of Posts of Educators by Members of Teacher Unions and Departmental Officials in Provincial Education Departments, she is taking steps to ensure that (a) those persons who are appointed to district and provincial offices should be required to demonstrate their capacity to carry out the job for which they have applied, (b) there is no political appointments nor cadre deployments, (c) people persons employed in district and provincial posts are accountable to their employer and are assessed regularly and (d) the role of circuit offices is redefined in a way that eases pressure on the district office in terms of managing employment relations closer to institutions and/or schools; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
(a) In 2013, the Minister gazetted a policy on the Organisation, Roles and Responsibilities of Education Districts. Chapter four (4) of the National Education Policy Act, 1996 (Act No. 27 of 1996) outlines the District organisation, Functions and Delegation which enables the District officials to demonstrate their capacity to carry out responsibilities with which they are entrusted. In addition to this policy, there are Performance Management and Development Systems (PMDS) for both employees appointed in terms of the Public Service Act, 1994 (Act No. 104 of 1994) as amended and those employed in terms of the Employment of Educators Act 76 of 1998 as amended. These systems manage and develop the performance of the employees with the view to achieving both individual and institutional excellence, which also serve as a process of continuous appraisal. The performance standards in the PMDS are specific, measurable, attainable and reasonable so that an employee knows exactly what is expected of him or her.
(b) Department has taken the following steps in order to curb political appointments and/or cadre deployment:
- Published standards for principals which will enhance the Professional Image and Competencies of School Principals;
- Requirement that aspirant principals must undergo competency tests; and
- Drafted the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill (BELA) which among others, aims to amend the roles of School Governing Bodies (SGB’s) and departmental officials in appointments.
The Department also envisage doing the following:
- Revision of appointment procedures;
- Review the collective agreement about the selection criteria for the appointment of School Management Teams and how the interview panels are constituted;
- Vetting of panel members; and
- Creating a pool of panellist to serve on interview panels.
(c) As in (a) above, the Department is using a Performance Management and Development System (PMDS) to improve performance, thereby developing a culture of quality, identify areas of development and formulate a plan to ensure that this development takes place and to reward employees based on evidence of good performance. This is a system to manage and develop the performance of public service employees with the view to achieving both individual and institutional excellence, which also serves as a process of continuous appraisal. The performance standards in the PMDS are specific, measurable, attainable and reasonable so that an employee knows exactly what is expected of him or her. This system allows for quarterly assessment of employees work.
(d) The policy on the Organisational, Roles and Responsibilities of Education Districts outlines the circuit boundaries, size and norms in order to ensure effective service delivery and an appropriate span of control for circuits. This enables the circuit managers to carry out their responsibilities with ease.