Question NW2247 to the Minister of Basic Education

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31 August 2017 - NW2247

Profile picture: Motau, Mr SC

Motau, Mr SC to ask the Minister of Basic Education

(1)How does (a) her department and/or (b) the provincial departments intend to distribute the R477 million Medium-Term Expenditure Framework conditional grant for profoundly intellectually disabled children; (2) how will the specified grant be used to benefit (a) learners and (b) teachers in the implementation of the Policy and Learning Programme; (3) did any legal settlements prompt the introduction of the grant?

Reply:

1. (a) The funding allocation to Provincial Education Departments is as follows:

Province

Allocation 2017/18

Allocation 2018/19

Allocation 2019/20

 

R’000

R’000

R’000

Eastern Cape

3 537

12 283

14 622

Free State

11 368

28 864

34 360

Gauteng

12 632

30 707

36 554

KwaZulu-Natal

5 558

14 739

17 545

Limpopo

9 853

24 565

29 243

Mpumalanga

12 883

31 322

37 285

Northern Cape

2 021

6 142

7 312

North West

2 274

6 756

8 042

Western Cape

11 874

30 093

35 822

Total

72 000

185 471

220 785

(b) Provinces will distribute the grant in accordance with the following guidelines as stipulated in the Grant Framework:

  • 13% for training of teachers and the 31 Outreach Teams;
  • 11% for Learning and Teaching Support Materials, toolkits and equipment for centres and designated schools;
  • 56% for compensation of itinerant teams and provincial co-ordinators; as well as
  • 20% for administration including travel, vehicles, accommodation and subsistence.

(2) (a) The Grant will be used to benefit learners in the following ways:

  • To provide therapeutic and psycho-social intervention to learners and their families in targeted 186 schools and 280 care centres by appointing and training 155 specialised staff, who will provide the therapeutic intervention and procuring equipment as well as learning teaching support materials (LTSM) to be used by the staff;
  • To track, provide learner-specific support and follow up on their progress by creating a comprehensive and reliable database of learners in the targeted schools and care centres;
  • To provide quality education and support to learners by further developing the professional capacity, knowledge and skills of caregivers and teachers in the 280 care centres, 186 schools;
  • To facilitate leaners’ access to various government services and other intervention programmes through working collaboratively with other government departments and non-governmental organisations (NGO); and
  • To advocate for learners’ rights to access public-funded quality education through documenting and reporting on the Grant’s achievements.

(b) The Grant will be used to benefit teachers in the following ways:

  • To provide accredited training programmes to teachers in 186 schools, caregivers in 280 care centres and 155 therapists, on disability and on how to implement the Learning Programme for Learners with Severe to Profound Intellectual Disability;
  • To develop teachers’ and caregivers’ professional practice in managing learners with severe to profound intellectual disability, through the provision of onsite training and support by a team of therapists and special needs teachers; and
  • To provide caregivers in 280 targeted care centres an opportunity to acquire a Level 5 qualification, which is currently being developed by the DBE in collaboration with the University of Cape Town.

(3) Yes. The grant was prompted by the judgement of the Western Cape High Court in 2010, in the case of the Western Cape Forum for Intellectual Disability against the Government of South Africa and the Government of the Province of the Western Cape (Case No: 18678/2007).

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