Hansard: NA: Unrevised Hansard
House: National Assembly
Date of Meeting: 24 May 2017
Summary
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Minutes
WEDNESDAY, 24 MAY 2017
PROCEEDINGS OF MINI-PLENARY SESSION - OLD ASSEMBLY CHAMBER
Members of the mini-plenary session met in the Old Assembly Chamber at 14:01.
Mr B L Mashile, as Chairperson, took the Chair and requested members to observe a moment of silence for prayers or meditation.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr B L MASHILE): Let us welcome our guests in the gallery. We really appreciate your presence in this budget debate but we just need to indicate that no matter what happens on the floor, try by all means not to participate, whether it‘s by clapping hands, ululating or doing anything. We just expect you to watch what happens on the floor. It doesn‘t matter what sort of arts happens on the floor, you just watch. Thank you very much.
APPROPRIATION BILL
Debate on Vote No 14 – Basic Education:
The MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION: Hon House Chairperson, hon members and colleagues, MECs from different provinces, in particular, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, hon Chair we thank you again for this Debate on Vote No 14 of Basic Education. Let me start by requesting this august House pay respects towards the eighteen children, aged between seven and 15 and the two adults who perished in the gruesome accident in the Bronkhorstspruit area in Mpumalanga on Friday, 21 April this year. These learners were from Refano Primary School and Mahlenga High School.
Allow me again to raise our serious concerns that we have as a sector about the effects of violent service delivery disruptions taking place across the country. More concerning to us as a sector, is when schools are used as bargaining chips by those aggrieved communities out there. These violent protests - which in most instances have nothing to do with education, rob our learners of countless school hours and days. The violence and vandalism that accompanies many of the recent protests cannot be condoned, irrespective of the perceived and real reasons. We must collectively make it our business to protect and deliver on our children‘s right to basic education unhindered.
Let me add my voice to the voices out there that are condemning the violence that is meted out on women and children by male perpetrators. What is nerve-racking is the ferociousness that the latest victims of the recent violence were subjected to. We must all condemn such callous acts, committed especially by men on women and children. South Africa will never be the cohesive society we all yearn for when such atrocious acts continue to be committed by humans on others. We wish to applaud those members of civil society, especially the courageous young men, who stood up and decried the recent spate of violence against women by declaring or taking a stance that says, ―Not in my name‖.
Coming back to our debate, let me remind you once again that in 2015, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Unesco, adopted the global education agenda,
―Education 2030‖. The global education agenda is part of the seventeen United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, that make up the Agenda 2030 for sustainable development. Sustainable Development Goals 4 calls for an inclusive, quality and equitable education and lifelong opportunities for all. In our local context, we have our national basic education sector plan – the Action Plan to 2019: ―Towards the Realisation of Schooling 2030‖, which is designed to achieve the long-term vision of education as
encapsulated in the National Development Plan, Vision 2030. The NDP states and I quote:
By 2030, South Africans should have access to education and training of the highest quality, leading to significantly improved learning outcomes. The performance of South African learners in international standardised tests should be comparable to the performance of learners from countries at a similar level of development and with similar levels of access.
Our very own world-renowned Constitution which marked its 21st anniversary this year, declares basic education as an inalienable basic human right for all South Africans. The Constitution – being the supreme law of the land – together with a variety of local, continental, and international conventions, provide the moral imperative and a mandate to government to make access to quality educational opportunities widely available to all South Africans.
Therefore, the Constitution, the Unesco SDG 4, the Continental Education Strategy for Africa and the African Agenda 2063, the NDP – Vision 2030, all provide a clear direction to improve access, redress, equity, efficiency, inclusivity and quality of learning
outcomes through the implementation of the Medium-Term Strategic Framework and our National Strategy for Learner Attainment.
Our sector plan therefore, strengthens and reinforces a whole system approach intended for the improvement of the quality of teaching and learning outcomes; and guides communication and messages around the comprehensiveness of our responses towards research-based findings of basic education system‘s deficiencies. Credible data and information, as well as credible research, continue to help us to identify where there is inefficient co-ordination. There is tangibly more understanding and cooperation within the basic education sector among officials, partners, business, organised labour, and other stakeholders.
We have reported widely and repeatedly on our achievements as a sector, especially on access, redress and equity. I can confidently report that we are increasingly prioritising interventions, policies and strategies that target an improved quality of learning and teaching, and implementing accountability systems to ensure that quality outcomes in the basic education sector are achieved.
We are of the strong view that the internal efficiency of the system and quality basic education outcomes will be achieved through
specific and deliberate interventions in the early grades. This, we are doing because research is showing that the major root causes of dropping out of school towards the end of secondary schooling, are weak learning foundations in the early grades. Therefore, the most important priority must be to improve the quality of learning and teaching, so that we can ensure improved quality outcomes in the early grades. It is through this pointed focus that learners in the foundation phase can be equipped with the skills needed to cope with the curriculum requirements of the higher grades.
We can report with pride that the effects of the interventions in the foundation phase are beginning to result in improved learning outcomes. The skills of learners are continually improving – the rigorous and widely respected international testing programmes are showing this upward swing.
Progress in the sector has also been confirmed by the recent cycles of regional and international assessment studies. The results of recent regional and international studies, the Southern and East African Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality, Sacmeq and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, Timss, respectively, show that the performance of South African learners is improving – symptomatic of a system in an upward trajectory.
The Sacmeq IV study results confirmed the upward trends and showed for the first time that South African learners at Grade 6 achieved Mathematics scores which are above the significant centre point of
500 points, which we are told by researchers it means that our learners are now at the appropriate level that they are supposed to be at, which was not the case in the past. The Timss 2015 results on the other hand, further affirmed noteworthy growth patterns, which when compared with other countries since 2003 at the Grade 9 level, clearly demonstrate that South Africa has shown the largest improvement of 87 points in mathematics, and 90 points in science. More importantly, the largest gains were evident within the historically disadvantaged sections of the schooling system – Quintiles 1-3 schools.
During our 2016 Budget Vote debate, we announced that we are reviewing the annual national assessments, Ana, as our response to general concerns levelled against the Ana. I can now report that the annual national assessments has been reviewed and reconceptualised as the National Integrated Assessment Framework. The new model comprises three tiers, the systemic assessment, the diagnostic assessment and the summative examination.
The systemic assessment will be piloted in October 2017 and the first systemic assessment will be implemented in 2018. Consultations with our social partners are set to be concluded by the end of June 2017 on the diagnostic assessment and summative examination.
These are the improvements that will emanate from the new model of national assessment. Firstly, the use of a single assessment tool, as was in the case of Ana which was used for a variety of purposes, is now avoided through the three separate assessment tools, each with a specific purpose. Secondly, with the systemic assessment being administered once every three years, it gives the system ample time to remediate before the next assessment. Thirdly, the assessment overload is obviated by the administration of the national assessment in selected grades and not on an annual basis.
Fourthly, the diagnostic role of the assessment is emphasised through the provisos of diagnostic assessment tasks for use by teachers in the classroom.
The Class of 2016 was the ninth cohort of learners to sit for the National Senior Certificate, and the third cohort to write, Curriculum Assessment Policy Statements, CAPS-aligned National Senior Certificate examinations. The Class of 2016 recorded the highest enrolment of Grade 12 learners in the history of our
country. The number of learners who qualify for admissions to bachelor studies, who attained bachelor and higher diploma passes increased, especially in critical subjects. There were also more girls who registered and passed, who gratifies us on the question of gender parity. Even the number of learners with special needs who entered, wrote and passed the 2016 National Senior Certificate examinations, some passing with distinctions, also increased – a sign that our basic education is indeed inclusive.
You may recall that in 2015 we encouraged provinces to progress or condone over-age learners who had failed Grade 11 more than once. So, it is not a ―pass one pass all‖. It was over age learners who had failed Grade 11 more than once. There were other conditions which were attached to this and extra support was provided to this learners to prepare for exams – meaning that they wrote part of the examinations and some had to modularise their exams.
Consequently, in 2016 we saw the largest number of progressed learners, and this is in line with what the NDP enjoins us to and I quote:
mediate the high drop-out rate of learners from the basic schooling system by increasing the learner retention rate to 90%,
and allowing for an increase in the number of learners entering vocational and occupational pathways.
The analysis of the 2016 results on progressed learners, paints an extremely interesting picture. What is of significance is that would-be high school dropouts, if they were not progressed, were afforded with an opportunity to either go to university or TVET colleges.
I wish to refer to different researches which confirm that our system is on an upward trajectory. The first research report, published by Unesco in 2015, reveals that since the advent of democracy in 1994, more learners remain in school up to Grade 12. It is not me, it is Unesco. In this regard, South Africa does well relative to other middle-income countries, such as Tunisia, Egypt, Costa Rica and Uruguay. Virtually, all children remain in school up to the year in which they turn 15 years of age, in line with the compulsory schooling policy embodied in the South African Schools Act.
Further, research conducted by the department also confirms that close to 60% of young people were successfully completing thirteen years of their schooling. This figure becomes 56%, if only the
National Senior Certificate is considered. Comparatively, in 1995, only 39% of young people aged 25 had reported to have completed Grade 12.
We should therefore not be surprised to observe from two other research reports that, at the higher levels of performance, the patterns are encouraging, and lend support to the finding of a system that is on the rise. The research published by Dr Martin Gustafson in 2016, indicates that in mathematics, about
34 000 learners achieved above 60. By far, most of the improvements have been amongst black-African learners, who were the ―cinderellas‖ and continue to be ―cinderellas‖ of the system.
It is moreover important to note that historically black-African schools currently also account to a good number of black-African learners who achieve a mark of 60% or more in mathematics. Township and rural schools are making important contributions, and these are in fact the schools which have recently shown the largest improvements.
In physical science, for instance in 2016, this points to even a bigger improvements. The number of learners achieving 60% or more in
physical science, reached the highest figure since the National Senior Certificate was introduced in 2008.
The third report speaks about equity where we also observed that more bachelors are beginning to be harvested previously disadvantaged schools. With this evidence, Madam House Chair, we are convinced that the overall quality, efficiency and inclusivity of the basic education system is on the rise. During the current
Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF, period, we will continue with the good work done in the past three years, particularly focusing on the performance of the young ones in the foundation phase. Accountability imperatives, throughout the entire system are not negotiable. The concerns raised by the National Treasury, the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, the Auditor- General‘s office, the oversight committees of Parliament, and the public in general will continue to be addressed without failure.
We must equally recognise the cardinal role played by the current
81 basic education districts. The NDP also states that teaching in schools can be improved through targeted support by district offices. To deliver on this injunction, for the past two to three years, we have convened quarterly meetings with all the district directors based on specific themes for the academic year so that we
can hold the districts accountable in our quest to improve teaching and learning outcomes.
the President has consistently invited all South Africans to join hands and make education a societal issue. We wish to recognise the enormous work done by the National Education Collaboration Trust, NECT, for co-ordinating valuable contributions made by teacher unions, South African business, universities, research institutions, nongovernmental organisations, and many ordinary South Africans. The NECT has supported the sector greatly by developing, capacitating, and supporting districts in specific management, administration, and on our core mandate of teaching and learning at the school level.
Guided by its operational mathematical mantra that says the ―NECT + NDP = hope, growth and future‖, in its short stint - the NECT has made a great impact in the sector.
The Budget Vote No 14 that we are presenting is marked by a consolidation of our work, and on guiding and deepening learning and teaching in the classroom. We continue to confront the persistent challenges within the basic education sector. Today, we stand in front of this august House to seek a fresh mandate for our programme during the 2017 METF period.
The overall Budget allocation for 2017-18 for the Department of Basic Education stands at R23,4 billion. The fact is that our budget has increased by R1,1 billion in the face of challenging economic times for our country. This confirms that the ANC-led government commitment towards education is the top most priority.
The breakdown allocations of the education programme for the 2017 MTEF period stands as follows: For administration we have been allocated R416,3 million, which is an increase of 9,2% from the previous budget; for Curriculum Policy Support and Monitoring we have been allocated R1,9 billion , which is an increase of 7,4%; for the Teacher Education Human Resource and Institutional Development we have been allocated R1,22 billion, again an increase of 3,8%; for Planning Information and Assessment, we have been given
R13,2 billion, which is an increase of 6%; and the Educational Enrichment Services is receiving R6,7 billion, which is an increase of 6,9%. Viva ANC - it is increase all the way. [Interjections.].
For Conditional Grant Allocations for the 2017-18 financial year, for Mathematics, Science and Technology, MST, the grant stands at R365,1 million, which is an increase of less than one percent For Infrastructure Delivery, we have been allocated an amount ... the Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Delivery Initiative , Asidi, has
been funded at R10,5 billion and R2,6 billion. The Education Infrastructure Grant, which is specifically used by provinces stands at R2,5 billion and Asidi stands at R2,6 billion. Again, both grants, 4,5% and 9,5% respectively. Viva ANC! [Interjections.]
The National School Nutrition Programme, NSNP, has been allocated R6,8 billion, an increase of 5,9% from the 2016-17 financial year allocation. Currently, the benefits of this programme stands at
9 million learners in more than 21 000 schools. The NDP enjoins us to develop a sense of community ownership for programmes such as the NSNP, hence almost 64 000 Volunteer Food Handlers continue to prepare meals for children; while 8 000 small, medium and micro enterprises, SMMEs, benefit from the programme.
This year, on learners with profound intellectual disabilities, for the first time National Treasury has introduced a new conditional grant for learners with profound intellectual disabilities which stands at R78 million and will increase to R190 million. [Interjections.]. The HIV and AIDS conditional grant has been allocated R245,3 million. The funds earmarked for Fundza Lushaka stands at R1,1 billion which is an increase of 5%.
Umalusi stands at R124,6 million which is an increase of 5%. The Second Chance Programme has an allocation of R45 million which will increase by R223,8 million. National Education Collaboration Trust has been allocated R94,2 million which is an increase of 30,7%.
Workbooks, including Braille workbooks stands at R1,5 billion. [Time expired.]
Thank you, House Chair. I will finish when I close ... [Time expired.] ... but thank you very much. [Applause.] [Interjections.]
Ms N GINA: Thank you very much hon Chairperson. Minister, Deputy Minister and all the Ministers and Deputy Ministers present, MECs present here, Director General and your senior officials of the department, hon members, and guests, good afternoon.
Hon Chairperson, one statesman in Britain who was a Lord Chancellor of England, Henry Peter Brougham once said:
Education makes people easy to lead but difficult to drive – easy to govern, but impossible to enslave.
It is from this understanding that we must appreciate education system of our country and treasure it as a national leveller for an
ambitious nation that conceive of herself as aspiring to be in the same league as world leading nations. It is an education system that we are working very hard on and it must take our people out of poverty and give them hope for the future.
It is from the same context that we must internalize as our own guiding lodestar the assertion that one Chinese philosopher made:
If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; but if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.
[Applause.] Our mission, one and only, is to educate our nation. Ours is to give quality education that prepares an African child to any platform in this world, whether black, white, indian or coloured. This budget speech is presented in the year that our government has declared as OR Tambo year. There could be no fitting tribute to our doyen struggle than committing ourselves to deliver the best outcome of education to our children and attend to challenges where they manifest themselves, seeking to backpedal the progress which is being made. OR Tambo was an educationist, a mathematician, whilst a lawyer at the same time. We can draw a leaf
and be inspired to unleash the best out of ourselves in emulating OR Tambo.
Hon Chairperson, we participate in this debate today in full understanding of our oversight responsibilities. Parliament is entrusted with informal, formal watchful and structured scrutiny over the implementation of policies of government and the accompanying budget. We do this to enhance accountability, transparency and efficiency - and prudent use of allocated and voted funds. But also, we do this to make sure that our policies and budget, as the ANC, achieve what we have promised our people through the 2014 election manifesto, the Medium Term Strategic Framework, MTSF, and the National Development Plan, NDP.
The promises to our people have been the guiding sight so that we are kept beholden and steadfast to our course. We know that the ANC manifesto, the MTSF and NDP had pronounced on the mandate the Department of Basic Education had to carry. Ours as the ANC is to assess how far we have gone in improving quality education through improved quality of teaching and learning of our children - eradicate poverty - reduce inequality - improvements in Early Childhood Development - investment in schools infrastructure - support for teacher development - access to learner material -
effective teacher management - improvements in literacy and numeracy, ... [Interjections.]
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr B L MASHILE): Order! Order! hon members.
Ms N GINA: ... improved school safety - support to social cohesion,
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr B L MASHILE): Hon Gina, just a second. Can we just plead for that continuous noise that is coming from the front desk? We really least expect that from you hon member. Thank you very much. You may proceed.
Ms N GINA: ... strengthening accountability - monitoring in the system, and improved partnerships.
Hon House Chair and hon members, we all know that the terrain has not been good, but with resilience and steadfastness, we can all attest to have worked together to improve quality of education of our children. For this in particular, we assert the maxim that says; when the spider webs unite, they can tie a lion. While the journey has been long and daunting, our oversight reveals that the department has not been wavering in its task. Their programmes and budgets have been relevant to steer the course of quality education
to an African child. Our oversight has revealed that we can have hope to our education system. We here today appropriate 23,4 billion for the Department of Basic Education, to continue giving hope to our people.
How can we not have hope to the system that has provided millions and millions of workbooks to our learners? How can we not have hope to the system that keeps feeding nutritious meals to over 8 million learners? How can we not have hope to the system that transports over 450 000 learners through learner transport provision? [Applause.] Through Operation Phakisa driven by the Presidency, our learners will soon be technologically ready for the 4th industrial revolution. How can we not have hope to the system that keeps improving our National Senior Certificate pass rate?
At our committee meetings we looked at the programmes, targets and indicators and we are convinced that the department has prioritised in relevant to its mandate of policy formulation, monitoring and support. We are also happy that some targets will find expression where they belong within the sector, in the Provincial Education Department. It is high time hon members that instead of playing politics; we need to accept the realities of Schedule 4 of our Constitution.
Education at all levels, excluding tertiary education, is functional areas of concurrent functions. Further, provinces are recognised spheres of government in terms of Chapter 3 of the Constitution. We cannot come here and expect the National Department of Basic Education to have indictors that are of provincial competence and budget. But when it suits us, we remind each other of certain governance areas of certain provinces – that is high hypocrisy. We are happy that the department has provided guidance in terms of sector customised indicators and these would find expression in the Provincial Education Department‘s Annul Performance Plans, APPs.
Regardless of the complexities experienced in providing education as a concurrent function, the system shows signs of stability and provides us with more hope. We want to thank the Minister and Deputy Minister for decisive leadership in this complex space. The interventions that have gone into the system are clear. The boldness of your leadership to take lead on Accelerated School Infrastructure Delivery Initiative, ASIDI, especially in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape bears testimony. Your boldness to intervene through Section l00 in the Eastern Cape and Limpopo show decisive leadership. On matters of the rights of learners to quality education, you did not sit and watch but proactively led and
intervened where necessary regardless of the constraints of Schedule
4 of the Constitution.
We have seen the continued implementation of the Early Childhood Development, ECD, which strengthens the implementation of the Grade R Policy, National Curriculum Framework for children birth to 4 years and the Human Resource Development Plan for Integrated ECD plan. This gives us hope. We urge the department to prioritize the harmonization of this programmes in all centres that offer ECD, and to pay particular attention to the conditions of service of the ECD practitioners.
The ANC takes inclusive education serious. Portfolio Committee has been undertaking on the NDP goal and objective that says that we must:
Provide inclusive education that enables everyone to participate effectively in a free society. Education provides knowledge and skills that people with disabilities can use to exercise a range of other human rights, such as the right to work - the right to live independently and contribute to the community - the right to participate in cultural life - and the right to raise a family.
Ensuring that all children with disabilities have access to
quality education will help South Africa meet its employment equity goals in the long run. [Applause.]
We then encouraged the department on the following: To continue strengthening curriculum and certification of learners with special education needs. Not to falter in the progressive rollout of SIAS Policy and Curriculum Differentiation this has thus far reached over 29000 teachers - Resourcing of full service schools - Strong monitoring and gradual increase of the new conditional grant for Learners with profound and intellectual disabilities. And please, monitor the admission of learners into these schools to avoid long waiting lists.
Our oversight to Pretoria hon House Chair impressed us so much. We witnessed the trolley libraries that our government is providing to schools - this was never there in our times. The Read to Learn Campaign should continue to be supported. Schools are taking the campaign serious. We call on parents who can, to really join in and support the campaign. Minister, these are the campaigns that entrench value and hope to our system and we cannot pretend like we do not see them and their value to an African child The President of the ANC, in his January 8 statement, indicated that We are proud of the fact that we are making gradual, but steady, progress in areas
such as learner retention. We also accept the honesty of the department in its APP, in acknowledging that the sector is still beset with unacceptably high dropout rates. While the debate varies on the levels of drop-out rates in the country, we are pleased that our access to education has reached the required standards in terms of the Millennium Development Goals. But reading by the numbers of learners enrolling in Grade 1 and completing Grade 12, one observes that a more thorough research hon Chairperson needs to be done to ascertain the fall of some learners in their schooling journey. If this is not done, it has a potential of creating an opportunity for misguided conclusions.
The President also beseeched the department to continue to make strides to improve the performance in mathematics and science. The strategic objective of developing and reviewing of the Mathematics, Science and Technology, MST, framework to support provinces in improving learner performance in MST subjects is welcomed. While we appreciate all the targets associated with the improvement of MST subjects, we request a turnaround in the provision of Maths and Science teachers. Our oversight in different provinces revealed acute shortage of Maths and Science teachers.
Hon Chairperson, this would be difficult to realize the turnaround in the provision of maths and Science if we do not have enough teachers for these subjects. It is always said that society suffers from a number of social ills such as crime, violence and poverty and, indeed, given these ills the pressure is on teachers to ensure that they produce responsible citizens. The teachers are viewed by many as inspiration and they carry hopes of millions of our learners. Society hopes that teachers can show learners that their lives and futures can change for the better. Therefore, our recruitment should be spot on to deliver and recruit relevant teachers.
Hon Chairperson, let me also thank the teacher union collaboration and encourage the department to continue working with them and we are thankful for that collaboration that the department have with teachers unions. I also want to congratulate our Minister for the boldness in instituting the task team on jobs for sales matter and the co-operation that you have seen, our unions, SGB and all the stakeholders putting in that and we hope and believe that the resolutions thereof are going to be implemented and adhered to by the Department of Basic Education in all the provinces.
Let me take this chance to thank the all the Portfolio Committee members, the support team of the Portfolio Committee, Minister and DM for continuous stewardship to the department, Director General and all the officials and all the hon members in our Portfolio Committee for the continuous engagements that are sometimes a little bit brutal but at the end we are all aiming for the quality education to be delivered to an African child. I thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Mr G R DAVIS: Thank you Chairperson. I must say from the outset that it was very disappointing to hear the Minister paint a rosy picture based on selective evidence, instead of a frank and honest assessment of our education system.
I am not going to go into the many ways that our education system is failing poor children in our country. Suffice to say that each one of us here, including the Minister, wants a world-class education system for every South African child.
However, the Minister suffers from the same problem that afflicts every single ANC politician. She is compromised by the internal politics of her party and its alliance partners. She is bound up in a corrupt patronage network that prevents her from doing her job
properly. This is why she lacks courage when dealing with the number one problem in our education system. The number one problem identified in the ministerial task team that the Minister set up on the jobs for cash scandal is that trade union bosses from the SA Democratic Teachers Union, Sadtu, have captured our education system. They are running education in our country and not the government.
The Minister knows this very well. She just doesn‘t have the guts to say it in public. So allow me to report to this House on what the Minister said in her correspondence with the SA Human Rights Commission, SAHRC, on the subject of Sadtu. I‘m holding this letter from the Minister in my hand and I‘m very pleased to see that the SAHRC is in the gallery today. In this letter written by Minister Motshekga she bemoans what she refers to as Sadtu‘s ―hardened‖ attitude to measures to improve education. She accuses Sadtu of using policy matters as bargaining chips to get its own way. She talks of Sadtu‘s antagonistic approach. She says she is disappointed with illegal Sadtu strikes, boycotts and stay-aways, and she acknowledges her task team‘s finding that Sadtu is the culprit in the jobs for cash scandal. Now, you will never hear the Minister say these things in this House ...
An HON MEMBER: Why not?
Mr G R DAVIS: ... and you certainly won‘t see her taking any action against her alliance partners. She doesn‘t have the courage because she needs Sadtu for her own political survival.
Now we all know that Minister Motshekga is supporting Mr Ramaphosa to become the president of the ANC ... [Interjections.] ... and we saw last week how Mr Ramaphosa had nothing but praise for Sadtu when he spoke at their congress.
The CHAIRPERSON (Mr B L Mashile): Order!
Mr G R DAVIS: This is why the ANC cannot self-correct. [Interjections.] The ANC cannot self-correct, even under a new leadership.
The CHAIRPERSON (Mr B L Mashile): Order, hon members. Order, hon members! Can we just make sure that we don‘t drown the speaker at the podium?
Ms S P KOPANE: Point of order Chair: Can you please protect our speaker? [Interjections.]
The CHAIRPERSON (Mr B L Mashile): That‘s probably what I‘ve just done. Proceed.
Mr G R DAVIS: The uncomfortable truth is that for as long as the ANC is in power, our education system will remain captured by Sadtu.
So we need to start thinking beyond the ANC to a new government under a new President. When a new government under President Mmusi Maimane ... [Interjections.] ... enters the Union Buildings we will bring balance to the education system. We think it is wrong that the highest number of teaching days lost due to strikes on the African continent is in South Africa. So we will initiate legislation that regulates teachers‘ strikes so that no child loses their right to a decent basic education. And, instead of weakening school governing bodies as the Minister wants to do, we will strengthen them so that they can help check and balance Sadtu.
We will also implement the recommendations of the jobs for cash report, such as stopping the cadre deployment of Sadtu officials into provincial education departments. This is something that the Minister won‘t do and an ANC government will not do.
We will introduce bold new reforms to improve the quality of
teaching, whether Sadtu likes them or not. We will implement the teacher competency tests and principal performance agreements that have been blocked by Sadtu for five years.
The CHAIRPERSON (Mr B L Mashile): Order! Just hold on ... [Inaudible].
Ms Z C FAKU: Point of order Chair: The member is irrelevant. He‘s not debating now but he is talking about the DA‘s manifesto. Future dreams.
Mr G R DAVIS: That‘s right; that‘s right.
The CHAIRPERSON (Mr B L Mashile): Order hon members. Order! [Interjections.] Order hon members! I think the ANC members that will be coming to speak will talk to that. Thank you very much. Proceed.
Mr G R DAVIS: Under the next government teachers who do not have the qualifications to teach — and there are still more than 5 000 teachers with zero qualifications teaching in our schools — will simply not be allowed to teach.
To bridge the skills gap, we will aggressively head-hunt excellent Mathematics and Science teachers from all over the African continent and all over the world. We will bring back teacher-training colleges to give teachers the practical skills they need to make a meaningful impact in the classroom.
Finally, we will give parents more choice in their children‘s education. For example, we are looking at the introduction of a school voucher system. This will give poor parents the financial muscle to take their kids out of schools that don‘t perform and into schools that do. Now, we know that Sadtu will not like any of these proposals but this will not stop us from putting children first.
I want to end off by commending the Minister for one thing, and that is for her, Read to Lead campaign, to get kids reading in our schools. And I encourage her to take a leaf out of one of the best- loved children‘s books. In Harry Potter by J K Rowling, the great wizard Dumbledore says:
There are all kinds of courage. It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.
Stand up to your friends, Minister. Stand up to Sadtu. Stand up for the rights of children in South Africa. [Applause.]
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION: Point of order.
The CHAIRPERSON (Mr B L Mashile): Order, hon members. Order, hon members! Hon Steenhuisen, is that a point of order?
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION: It‘s a point of order in terms of Rule 84 of the Rules. The hon member over there, who has been howling the whole way during the hon Davis‘ speech, said, voetsek suka! [go!] [Interjections.] I would submit to you that that is unparliamentary and she should be asked to withdraw it.
The CHAIRPERSON (Mr B L Mashile): Which hon member are you speaking about? Who‘s that? Which one? [Interjections.] Do you mind identifying? Order! Hon Steenhuisen, is it possible to identify the hon member you are referring to?
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION: It‘s the hon member sitting in front of the hon Beukman. [Interjections.]
The CHAIRPERSON (Mr B L Mashile): Hon member, can you just stand up there? Did you utter those words?
Ms C MATSIMBI: I never said that. He must not come up with stories. [Interjections.]
The CHAIRPERSON (Mr B L Mashile): Okay, thank you. Order! Hon Steenhuisen, we will look at Hansard and at the right opportunity we will come back. Thank you very much. Order! Hon Khawula? [Interjections.] Hon members, I‘m still pleading with you. Let us offer our guests the best budget debate possible. Thank you very much. Proceed, hon Khawula.
Ms M S KHAWULA: Eh! Sabotage! [Laughter.]
IsiZulu:
Sihlalo, njenge-EFF, hayi, asihambisani nalesi sabelomali. Inkinga eyenza, ngicela silalele bakithi asilwi, sekukaningi sifaka iziphakamiso zethu la ePhalamende sihlaba indlela lomnyango oqhuba ngayo kusukela ngo-1994. Namanje izinga lemfundo, hawu ... [Ubuwelewele.]
The CHAIRPERSON: (Mr B L Mashile): Just a second.
Nk M S KHAWULA: Uyibale imizuzu [minutes] yami.
The CHAIRPERSON: (Mr B L Mashile): The Hon member there at the back, please can you just avoid pressing the button there because you are disturbing the speaker on the podium. Thank you very much.
IsiZulu:
Nk M S KHAWULA: Ngithi siyi-EFF hayi asihambisani nalolu hlelo. Inkinga yakhona ukuthi sekukaningi sifaka iziphakamiso lana phakathi ePhalamende sihlaba indlela lomnnyango oqhuba ngayo ikakhulukazi ukusukela ngo-1994. Namanje izinga lemfundo yethu isahlukene kabili, kukhona eyabacaphuna kusale, khona eyabadla imbuya ngothi. Ngivumele ngichaze, laphayana eThekwini sinenkinga, kunesikole kuyimanje esixoshe ingane, isikole ekuthiwa yi-New Life Academy ngoba igqoke isiphandla. Leyonto ikhombisa ukuthi kusukela ngo-1994 asikakakhululeki. Izikole ezisemaphandleni, isemalokishini, nasemapulazini nokuyizo ... [Ubuwelewele.] hawu Nkosi yami!
The CHAIRPERSON: (Mr B L Mashile): Hon Khawula, just a second madam.
Nk M S KHAWULA: Ngiyabonga, uzziongipha baba imizuzu. Eyi Jesu!
The CHAIRPERSON: (Mr B L Mashile): Hon members, let us not heckle continuously to an extent that we can not hear the speaker on the podium.
AN HON MEMBER: Let her go. Put her out.
The CHAIRPERSON: (Mr B L Mashile): Please, let us lower our voices down. Let us not heckle continuously because we can not hear the speaker. I still do plead that let us try to maintain some decorum in the House and offer the best debate to our guests. Thank you very much.
Nk M S KHAWULA: Okubuhlungu lana izolo besikhuluma ngamasiko, namhlanje sizokhuluma ngokuthi kunezikole ezisaxosha izingane ezigqoka iziphandla ezikoleni. Angazi ngempela ukuthi yini sikwazi ukuthi sikhulume ngamalungelo kolunye uhlangothi [other side] sesiyaphikisana. Lilonke, emakhaya uma sikhuluma ngemfundo, siyazi ukuthi iningi lethu thina bantu besifazane, izingane zethu zifundiswa yithina kanzima singomama abangasenabo abayeni. Kodwa kuyimanje kukhona imali le yesibonelelo kaHulumeni [government] ayikhiphayo ukuthi abantwana bakwazi ukuthi baphile. Kodwa kugcina lemali umzali ngenxa yokuthi ufuna izingane zethu zifunde, siba
nenkinga la ukuthi ekugcineni izingane zethu kuthathwa lemali engabe iphakelwa ukudla ngayo iyokhokhela imoto ethuthayo. transport]
Lendaba yezimoto ezithutha abafundi ngifuna ukwazi ukuthi ihamba ibhekephi ngoba ikhona ukuthi izingane kwezinye izindawo ziyazithola izimoto ezizobathutha ukuthi zikhokhelwe uHulumeni lezo zimoto.
Kwezinye izindawo siyawabona amabhayisekili, angazi noma kukhetha nina ngoba niwu-ANC yini. Uma ungabheka imiphumela yakamuva eminyakeni emithathu eyedlule, izinga lokuphumelela kwabafundi baka matikuletsheni lehle lisuka ku-70,3% laya ku-61,6%. Ngaleso sikhathi elasezikoleni zomacaphuna kusale zona zimi phakathi kuka-91% kuya
ku-92%.
Sisaqhubeka namanje sisasho ukuthi uMnyango Wezemfundo Eyisisekelo awukakwenzi okwanele ukwehlisa izinga labafundi abalaxaza isikole bengakaqedi nomatikuletsheni. Lenkinga isazoqhubeka isikhathi eside uma umnyango uqhubeka ungalisukumeli lolu hlelo lokulekelela laba bantwana abasuke bengaqedanga esikoleni. Lokhu Ngqongqoshe kusho ukuthi izingane zabacaphuna kusale zisazoqhubeka zithole imfundo esezingeni eliphezulu zona kodwa ngalesi sikhathi ezabadla imbuya ngothi zisazoqhubeka singakutholi ukufunda ngendlela efanele.
Iminyaka engamashumi amabili nantathu [23] kusenezikole ezingenawo
amathoyilethi, eNdwedwe esigcemeni [ward] u-19, izingane zakhona amathoyilethi uma zingena sinezinyathelo [footsteps]
Empumalanga Koloni [Eastern Cape] izikole zakhona, izingane zakhona, zise udaka, ezinye zifundela ngaphansi kwesihlahla. Lento ibuhlungu ngoba iminyaka engamashumi amabili nantathu akuyona into yokudlala. Siwubekile u-2019 lapho khona i-EFF izophatha. Nozolubona ushintsho. Azizukudlala thina ngabantu bakithi abahlwempungoba kusasa niyosho ukuthi yini eniyenzele abantu bakithi. Hayi, ninomsindo.
Mr N SINGH: Chair, I will start when the people on the – okay, they are quiet now! – Chairperson, my time starts now. The hon Msimang is the permanent member of this portfolio committee and I will share some thoughts on his behalf and on the behalf of the IFP. Our national senior certificate results since 2014 have been a stark reminder that all is not well in the basic education sector, and the causes for the poor performance of the Grade 12 candidates during the said period, are many and varied.
Some originate from within the department and others from within sister departments that are in partnership with the basic education. Let me refer to some of the sister departments: Here, one must make mention of the Department of Public Works, which builds and repairs
school buildings. It is quite concerning that, even at present and
23 years after the democracy, there are still learners who study in mud schools, and some under the trees.
The schools that are damaged by wind and rain storms take years before they are repaired, and I think that this is a disgrace. The case in point is Ntabezulu and Gobityeni schools in the district of Idutywa, in the Eastern Cape. Many schools in the Eastern Cape are rationalised and merged. Whilst we welcome the benefits that learners enjoy with the increased number of educators, merging ends up creating new challenges.
Learners find themselves travelling long distances, which the hon Khawula has referred to, and crossing rivers they did not need to cross before. This then behoves the Department of Transport, another sister department, to intervene and build roads and bridges to make schools accessible by school transport. Since this department often fails to intervene timeously, the learners find themselves resorting to the vans which are banned by the Department of Basic Education from transporting learners, as these have in the past led to fatal accidents.
We do know that there are some regulations in place banning them, but this does not take away the hardships that learners have to face. The other departments which are crucial to the delivery of quality education are Communications and Energy, with the entities, Telkom and Eskom. These are essential in the delivery of internet, communications and the electrification of schools. Whilst in the urban areas almost all schools have electricity, in our rural schools electrification is lagging behind.
This leads to a two-stream education system. On the one hand, the learners from rural schools are still subjected to outdated modes of learning, whereas in the urban areas, learners are exposed to e- learning methods, where the use of Information and communication technology, ICT, is the norm. Since ICT is the modern way of communication throughout the world, the learners from rural areas remain terribly disadvantaged, and all of us can share different experiences with you.
In respect of concerns with the basic education, I will mention the lack of sufficient qualified teachers in the field of Science and Mathematics. On the previous oversight visit to Gauteng, hon Msimang went there on basic education oversight, the MEC on Basic Education seated behind me and he does very well in his province, informed the
committee that, the reason why his province came second to Free State in the senior certificate results in 2016, was the poor performance in Science and Mathematics.
The House Chairperson (Ms Y N Phosa): You have one minute left, hon member!
Mr N SINGH: This deprived many of his candidates‘ degree accessible passes. The department must address this lack, as these two subjects are fundamental to any good education. Chairperson, the IFP supports this Budget Vote in the further hope, like hon Gina had hoped, that quality education and quality infrastructure is made available to all learners in South Africa, in both rural and urban areas. This is a dream we should all jointly strive for. But having said that, hon Chairperson, all is not gloom and doom in the rural areas, because there are many shining examples of excellence. I thank you. [Time expired.]
Prof N M KHUBISA: Chairperson, hon Minister, Deputy Minister, Ministers present, hon members and our guests in the gallery, the NFP believes that education is important, hence Minister, we support this budget. [Applause.] We welcome the department‘s budget allocation of R23,4 billion for this financial year which represents
a 5,1% increase on the R22,3 billion during 2016-2017 financial year.
Equally, we welcome the spending projection across the five programs and are encouraged that the bulk of the budget is earmarked for Program 4 which contains the school infrastructure program. We urge the department to prioritise infrastructure development for rural schools, which are in dire need and are often last in the line for assistance and development.
We still have mud schools; we still have children getting education while sitting under the trees and we have to emulate bucket toilets. In the rural areas, in particular, we have schools without laboratories and libraries. We still have to lure Maths and Science educators to come to the rural areas, and have a way of giving them incentives so that they could be willing to teach in the rural areas. Also, we still have to provide some web boxes.
Chairperson, in Zululand, I understand that the hon V kaMagwaza- Msibi provided about 200 boxes for schools around Ulundi, so that our children can be exposed to the ICT, which is very important. We note that a new focus for the department over the medium-term is the
second chance Matric Program which is intended to give learners an opportunity to rewrite the National Senior Certificate examination.
The NFP welcomes this prioritisation which we believe is of crucial importance. Too many of our young people who are victims of substandard education, face a bleak future with very little or no employment prospects and this program holds out a ray of hope that we may yet avert having a lost generation to account for our future generations.
The NFP agrees with the observations and recommendations contained in the report. In general, the NFP believes that certain issues warrant close attention, notably, the scourge of politicisation of our education and fraud, particularly qualifications‘ fraud, which seems to be increasing in this department.
We need to address the lack of a culture of teaching and learning. Minister, we say: If our education has got a weak basis, we will have weak results at the end of the day, hence, Grade R education and all other grades are very important. We believe also that we have to deal with transport and security in our schools. As the NFP, having said that, we support this budget. Thank you very much. [Time expired.]
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION: Hon Chairperson, hon Minister and esteemed hon members, in December last year we celebrated 20 years of the proclamation of our Constitution which is the supreme law of our land. I was very fortunate and indeed honoured to be part of an extraordinary venture in putting together a book encapsulating the diverse perspectives of the different negotiators from different political parties and this book is titled; Reflections on the Bill of Rights, and it is obtainable from Parliament.
The book itself sought to capture the essence and values enshrined in our Bill of Rights which is indeed the cornerstone of our democracy. Our President and Deputy President provided the foreword and a chapter respectively in the book. In the foreword, President Jacob Zuma states:
The Bill of Rights is described in its preamble as the cornerstone of our democracy. It is underpinned by the values of human dignity, equality and freedom. The choice of these values was a conscious and deliberate effort given our divided past when the vast majority of our people blacks in general and Africans in particular had their dignity violated in multiple ways on a daily basis.
Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, with the chairperson of the constitutional assembly at the time and who dubbed this Constitution as the birth certificate of our democratic nation, reflected on the values and rights enshrined in the Bill of Rights. He correctly stated that:
The liberation struggle was a struggle for human dignity and human rights and the affirmation, recognition and protection of each South African‘s human dignity. It was also about achieving equality for the masses of our people and ensuring the enjoyment of full civil, political and social and economic rights of our people.
He reminds us that President Nelson Madiba, the first President of a democratic South Africa, precisely 23 years ago from today, while addressing the two Houses of Parliament, had the following to state:
Our definition of freedom of the individual must be instructed by the fundamental objective to restore the human dignity of each and every South African. This requires that we speak not only of political freedoms. My government‘s commitment to create a people- centred society of liberty binds us to the pursuit of the goals of freedom from want, freedom from hunger, freedom from deprivation, freedom from ignorance, freedom from suppression and freedom from fear. These freedoms are fundamental to the guarantee of human dignity.
This book also significantly reflects on a chapter by Louise Asmal, the wife of the late, Kader Asmal, in which she states that the genesis of the Constitution can be traced to the instruction of O R Tambo, whose birth we celebrate this year in the African month. In that chapter, she indicates that O R Tambo had instructed long before the release of Nelson Mandela that Kader Asmal, Zola Skweyiya, Albie Sachs and few others would get together and prepare the first draft of the Constitution. It is important that we recognise that we have moved a long way since then. The Constitution
as requested should be informed by the African Claims Document, the Freedom Charter and the African Charter of People's Rights and Obligations. This request is then enshrined in the right to basic right to education. We were confronted in our democratic right disposition, you know they say a fool must speak because a wise man speaks because he has something to say, a fool speaks because he must say something. That is the difference and that is part of what education is all about.
Basically, this is the question. We will have this continuous interruption out in order to distract me to convey a message. The difficulty with the DA is not what it says but it is what it does not say. It does not say that it failed to deliver in Atlantis any school and that the national department in an ANC-led government had delivered schools to them. It does not say that in Dunoon, which is overcrowded, that the people had to wait for more than 20 years for a school and this national department, this ANC-led department has indeed provided the infrastructure that the community does need. It does not say that in an attempt to create a social and cohesive society, the DA has only had 1,5% of its schools teach the children in African indigenous language because they are polarised society that they only think of perpetuating the privileges of the past.
It does not say that this ANC-led government contributes on a daily basis to 9,3 million people who are fed. It does not say that several years ago, when the Department of Water Affairs told the municipality in Cape Town that you will experience drought, they said no, it will not happen. As a result, they failed to make interventions. It does not say that it has been the recipient of 25 state of the art schools that was provided to this community.
The CHAIRPERSON (Ms C C September): Order! hon members. You are drowning the speaker.
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION: It is unfortunate that you are obsessed with the South African democracy. That is clearly what the hon Davis did, he did not speak about education and he did not speak about the polity of education. What did he speak about? He spoke about Sadtu, South African Democratic Teachers' Union, and strikes. He does not take this House into his confidence that there has been no strike at all in this current administration. He does not take into confidence that those Sadtu teachers teach in the schools in the Free State who for the first time were able to achieve more than 90% which the Western Cape never did. These were Sadtu organisers.
He does not say that these Sadtu teachers teach in overcrowded schools. He does not say that no single white teacher goes to a township or a rural area to go and teach out there because they perpetuate white privilege. They accumulate wealth and seek to benefit only the privileged few. He does not say that because what is his compulsive obsession? It is Sadtu. Yes, there are individuals that may be within Sadtu who are basically causing mayhem but the organisation itself has worked together with us. The reality is that the Western Cape cannot accept that the Free State has done better than it and that it has been trounced by the Free State and North West more than once.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms C C September): Round up, Deputy Minister.
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION: He does not say that not withstanding the privileges of the past it has failed to succeed. That is the difficulty with the DA. Hon Chairperson, I will now not be distracted any further. We have to share with this particular House the importance ... [Interjections.] Shame, shame. We have to share with this particular House the importance of providing the dignity of learning in an environment that is conducive to learning. This ANC-led government has contributed 179 state of the arts schools in the Eastern Cape alone. Mme Khawula, we have contributed
more than 120 state of the art schools. These schools have libraries, laboratories, ICT, Information and Communication Technology, facilities and sports amenities. In the Western Cape, you have been the recipients of 22 schools and within the next 6 weeks there will be three more schools in the historically disadvantaged areas where your government failed to deliver at all in the past 12 years. That is the reality.
What we should hear from hon Davies and what we do not hear from him is the reality that provincial departments have contributed more than 740 schools – I repeat, more than 740 schools – to our people since 2010. What you have not told this House and what you failed to do and so that is part of your narrative of concealing the positive contribution that has been made. It is a reality that 60 million books are delivered to every single child, black and white, privileged or not privileged in this particular system and these are to promote literacy and numeracy. That is the reality and the change that we speak about. That is the condition that we seek to bring about in order to provide quality education. What we do not hear from the DA is that the quintile 1, 2 and 3, the no fee schools contribute more distinctions than the quintile 4 and 5 schools that the breach in terms of quality is becoming narrower, notwithstanding the socioeconomic conditions. It is unfortunate that the hon Davies
and the DA seek to politicise an important issue such as education, that is indeed the reality.
However, what is the challenge then that we face in the 21st Century? We are indeed on the cusp of the fourth industrial revolution. That means that we have to recognise the value of ICT in the education environment and we should do what the hon MEC, Member of the Executive Council, from Gauteng and the hon MEC from the Western Cape are doing, to pay a particular attention to ICT as an empowering instrument to enhance learning and teaching. It means that the learning environment has changed that there is a dynamic environment which is changing so rapidly that you require extra ordinary skills from educators who are able to facilitate learning and teaching. It means that we should pay particular attention to the new methodology of teaching and new pedagogies of teaching. It means that the task of teaching in this rapidly changing environment is indeed a difficult one.
The CHAIRPERSON (Ms C C September): Your time, hon Deputy Minister.
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION: For this reason, we have established 147 teacher resource centres countrywide in order to sustain ... [Interjections.]
The CHAIRPERSON (Ms C C September): Your time has expired, hon Deputy Minister.
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION: Shame, you don‘t want to hear the truth. Is it so hurtful that you don‘t want to hear it? That is sad.
The CHAIRPERSON (Ms C C September): Thank you very much, Deputy.
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION: Is my time expired, hon Chairperson?
The CHAIRPERSON (Ms C C September): Your time has expired, thank you, Deputy.
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION: May I thank the Minister, the Director-General, everybody else and the poor opposition who cannot swallow the truth. I thank you. [Applause.]
Ms D CARTER: Hon Chairperson, from the commencement of our democratic South Africa, education was rightly seen as key in ensuring the reconstruction and development of South Africa -
addressing poverty and gross inequality, fundamentally transforming South Africa, and creating a more just and prosperous society.
The RDP White Paper put it and I quote: ―Developing the human resources of the country is both a goal of the RDP and a requirement for achieving other RDP goals.‖
Substitute RDP with NDP and I am sure the message remains the same.
Now, according to the Institute of Race Relations, IRR, the bad performance of our schools condemns more than half of our children to a future of unemployment and welfare dependence. The lower the level of education attained, the more likely adults are to be poor and experience more intense levels of poverty.
If we are to break the cycle of poverty and inequality, we need to grow the middleclass. Education is the primary predictor of whether or not a child will attain a middleclass standard of living.
The abject failure of our basic education system is starkly put in a report conducted by the University of Stellenbosch, which noted that and I quote:
If primary school teachers are unable to teach literacy and basic numeracy to their students, there is little point in attempting any of the other subjects and yet, it has become as clear as day that the majority of South African teachers are unable to wield either of these skills effectively in their classrooms.
The fact of the matter that only half of those entering the system progress to matric and that the real attrition happens between Grades 10 -12; that very few who remain, pass Mathematics and Science; and that we spend more on education as a percentage of GDP than, amongst others, Spain, Poland, and Indonesia, yet our outcomes lag far behind most emerging markets.
There is a correlation between the views of the IRR and the study conducted by the University of Stellenbosch. The report points to four binding constraints to an improved educational outcome for the poor and these are: weak institutional functionality; undue union influence; weak teacher content, knowledge and teaching skill; wasted learning time and insufficient opportunity to learn.
One can‘t help but conclude that the nexus of problems besetting Basic Education are primarily political – ANC alliance, particularly
in the relationship between the ANC and the South African Democratic Teachers‘ Union, SADTU.
The Jobs for Cash Report notes the following.
Firstly, all deputies directors-general in the Department of Basic Education are SADTU members and attend meetings of that union. That being the case, it is not improbable to say that schooling throughout South Africa is run by SADTU and not by you, Minister.
Secondly, the deployment of officials to the department from unions weakens the department because those so deployed often struggle to demonstrate that they are able to balance the complexity of competing loyalties and demands.
If undue influence, a polite name for corruption, is a result of cadre deployment, then cadre deployment is likely to lead to corruption. It was the impression of the task team that corruption is endemic in the entire education system and that, as a first move to cleanse the system, cadre deployment should not be permitted.
Thirdly, the Department of Basic Education endeavours to regain control of administering the education system in all provinces, so
that clear distinctions can be established between the roles and functions of the Department of Basic Education and the concerns of SADTU. Thank you.
Adv A DE W ALBERTS: Hon Chairperson, Minister, addressing you every year seems like déjà vu. Every time, the very same issues emerge and every year, we try to provide some advice. Despite, this, the parlous state of basic education is not getting any better in this country. This country still faces the cliff of climbing back from the depth of being the poorest achiever - if one can use that word - in Mathematics and Science, the two most important subjects to adequately compete in the modern local and international economy.
Our youth is being deprived of a decent future and they are destined to become mere cannon fodder for populist politicians, a process that has already started. Our abundance of young people could be a demographic divided to us to spur economic growth, as opposed to the developed states where workers are growing old, or they can become victims of populist leaders that will promise Utopia, but create another Zimbabwe.
Afrikaans:
Minister, ons het gevind dat baie van die probleme by die provinsiale lede van uitvoerende komitees, LUKs, lê, wat nie u sentimente deel nie. U het voorheen, in reaksie op vorige begrotingsdebatte, die volgende sterk standpunte ingeneem: een, dat u geen probleem met Afrikaanse skole het nie; twee, dat moedertaalonderrig belangrik is; en drie, dat meer skole gebou moet word. Ons stem saam met u daar.
English:
We want to believe that you are still committed to these positions. We need more schools to be built where people actually live and most of those school must make provision for instruction in official languages, other than English. Unfortunately, your provincial colleagues do not seem to agree with you.
Afrikaans:
Ons vind dat die oprig van skole in baie provinsies, soos Gauteng, nie ‘n prioriteit is nie. Die ironie is dat, terwyl daar selfs bestaande leë skoolgeboue staan, veral in Gauteng, word Afrikaanse skole deur die LUR van Gauteng gedwing om anderstalige leerlinge in te neem. Uiteindelik vedwyn daardie Afrikaanse skole heeltemal.
Wanneer hierdie soort optrede plaasvind, weet mens dat dit met
politieke motiewe gebeur en niks te make het met die skep van regverdige geleenthede vir alle leerlinge nie.
LUR Lesufi is so daarop gesteld om witmense as rassiste uit te beeld dat hy selfs ‘n kleuterskool intimideer en sy ondersteuners per Twitter oproep, om in massa daaraan deel te neem, terwyl die sogenaamde diskriminasie wat sou plaasgevind het, bloot vals nuus is.
Hierdie gretigheid tot skuldigverklaring van witmense, in plaas daarvan om skole te bou en bestaande leë geboue te gebruik is duidelik deel van ‘n plan om minderhede te demoniseer. Ander minderhede, soos die Afrikaanse bruin gemeenskap, is ook baie bekommerd. In Davidsonville word ‘n Engelssprekende hoof by ‘n bruin Afrikaanse skool aangestel met geweldadige gevolge. Die bruin gemeenskap se geduld is ook op en ons vra u om u weer te verbind tot Afrikaansskole, moedertaalonderrig en die bou van nuwe skole. Baie dankie.
Ms C N MAJEKE: Hon Chairperson, hon members, the UDM supports the Budget Vote 14. [Applause.] Basic education requires the centrality of the role of community in defining and shaping our content and system of education. This is one of the pillars of the Education
Charter Campaign and it is our view as UDM that we need to go back to those basics. Education is one of the public goods and therefore it must not only be valued by the community but must be advanced, protected and preserved. A community that values education will claim ownership of its processes and the infrastructure.
Accordingly, communities must be given responsibility and sufficient space to define and shape the nature and content of the system itself. It is through education that the nation can be reconciled, reconstructed and developed. It is through education that the realisation of the full potential of a child and the nation is enhanced.
The concept of people's power, means engaging local leaders and people in broad-based community education forums, and to ensure that all resources are pooled together with strengths and skills as well as knowledge in pursuit of a qualitative education. Well organised communities are better positioned to generate and emerge with alternative policies and plans for consideration by government and school governing bodies. This may ultimately shape the nature and content of the knowledge designed for the development of young boys and girls. Accordingly, in supporting this budget, we suggest that the department should give priority to the critical role that
communities should be enabled to play in making our basic education a qualitative tool for socioeconomic development.
We also support this budget in order to encourage the department to make sure that the collapsing scholar transport system in the Eastern Cape is addressed before many young boys and girls fail to attend school due to the poor planning and budgeting of the relevant provincial departments. This year alone, we have already lost countless young innocent souls due to reasons that are related to poorly organised and managed scholar transport, across the country. In this regard, the UDM suggest that an urgent and comprehensive review of the scholar transport system should be conducted. In doing so, the department must place communities at the centre of planning and execution of a better, effective and efficient system. It cannot be that when our children leave home to seek education they end up in mortuaries and hospitals.
The feeding scheme is engulfed with serious challenges that reflect weakness at the level of interdepartmental collaboration and co- operation. In conclusion, once again, only when the communities own these processes that they can be delivered successfully, efficiently and effectively. We therefore call on the department, to make this budget a budget that will put the communities first and at the
centre of the delivery of a qualitative basic education. Once again, we support the budget. I thank you. [Applause.]
Ms N R MOKOTO: Hon House Chairperson, Minister of Basic Education, Deputy Minister, Ministers present, hon members, Director-General and his cohort from the department, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I greet you all and wish you well as we continue ... [Interjections.]
The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Ms C C September): Hon Mokoto, just a moment, what is the point of order hon member?
IsiZulu:
Nk M S KHAWULA: Sihlalo, nginephuzu lokukhalima okuphambukayo. Hayibo nansi imikhuba yenzeka lana. U-Nomarussia ukhona lana? Uma ekhona ngubani? Ufike nini?
English:
The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Ms C C September): No hon member that is not a point of order.
IsiZulu:
Nk M S KHAWULA: Cha, yiyona, ngifuna ulungise kuleyondawo.
English:
The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Ms C C September): Thank you, hon member.
Ms N R MOKOTO: That is local content that Hlaudi Motsoeneng was talking about. ... to commemorate the year of our revolutionary and selfless veteran and forbearer, Comrade Oliver Tambo and in the midst of a period marking the reawakening of our continent Africa and commemorating the formation of the Organisation of African Unity, OAU, now the African Union. We do this with the theme: Restoring the Dignity of the Learners through the provision of decent Infrastructure – To Advance Quality Education. Coupled with that, we wish to pay tribute to all the young women – emphasizing on what the Minister has already said - wives, sisters, aunts, mothers and grandmothers of our nation, we salute you. We want to raise this important matter which continues to face and threaten our sisterhood and in some instances they had succumb their lives to senseless, violent and inhumane abuse, kidnappings and death at the hands of their supposed loved ones and partners.
We further call on the menfolk to man up. We appreciate the efforts that were taken by a group of men in Pretoria who stood up to say that they are against women abuse and women killings and that it should not happen in their name. We need the menfolk to stand up and
join us to end this scourge of violence that is targeting our women. We say enough is enough and we stop violence against women. [Applause.] A learned professor once said that:
To destroy a nation one does not need the use of nuclear bombs or any weapons of mass destruction. It only requires the lowering of the standards of education, allowing learners to plagiarise, and copy during exams and restricting access to educational resources.
And that is exactly what the apartheid government sought to do through the Bantu education system which excluded black learners and rendered education a privilege and not a fundamental human right.
One of the most predominant apartheid legacies which the newly formed democratic government of South Africa had to deal with was that of eradicating unsafe infrastructure and lack of basic services to the majority of the people of South Africa. We have definitely come a long way when it comes to the provision of school infrastructure.
From the eradication of improper and unsafe infrastructure in schools, to the building of flushing toilets, classrooms, science and ICT laboratories, school kitchens, libraries, sports areas and
grounds, building security fences, providing electricity and availing clean and safe water including providing decent sanitation have been made a top priority by our government. Through these meaningful efforts the ANC-led government has made it possible for all the ideals and rights spelled in our Constitution to be a living reality.
Twenty years ago before the dawn of democracy in South Africa many learners had to attend school and learn under trees.
Mr I M OLLIS: They still do!
Ms N R MOKOTO: They had to use bushes as toilets and had no water to drink or even wash their hands. They had to face up to the reality that they might not finish school thanks to a system that they had no control over. Bantu education never gave anyone a choice, something which hon Davies had stated that they are going to give.
That is why many black learners in 1976 had to die, sacrifice their lives in order to ensure that they reassert their right to choose a better education, better facilities, language of their choice and all the necessities for decent education was respected. The future for them was bleak it was just a dream that might never be realised. Today our Constitution and our country‘s educational laws and policies make it compulsory for learners to access basic education
and providing all the needed educational resources like textbooks, workbooks, learner transport and all other facilities.
President Jacob Zuma in his state of the nation address identified education as a top priority, through that, we have seen an increase in infrastructure development particularly the provision of school infrastructure. Even the budget allocated has grown significantly. We have seen growth and improvement in the expenditure patterns in provinces in terms of reducing infrastructure backlogs. Many schools new schools were built, and damaged and old ones have been renovated. Additional classrooms have been erected. About 1 145 additional schools were provided with clean and safe water. 939 more schools were provided with decent sanitation. [Applause.] Through the Accelerated School Infrastructure Delivery Initiative, Asidi, programme we have seen that the Department of Basic Education provides one school per week and we want to say that we support the budget. Thank you. [Applause.]
Mrs C DUDLEY: Chairperson, the United Nations, UN, data indicates that South Africa allocates a higher proportion of its budget towards education than the United States of America, USA, United Kingdom, UK, and Germany. Not only does this show a clear commitment to investing in human development in our country, it also makes
sense considering that education for the vast majority of people in South Africa has been historically entirely inadequate and prioritised.
The ACDP l00% supports the prioritizing of education in order to ensure greater opportunities for every child in South Africa and to sustainable tackle inequality and poverty. We were also encouraged by the Minister stand against community protests being allowed to disrupt schooling and disadvantage learners. However, we now encourage you hon Minister to follow through with the regard to union activities that undermine education in this country and the enormous effort that your department is making.
Basic education in South Africa has been allocated R752 billion over the next three years and although South Africa‘s national school pass rate has improved, the public school system is still struggling. Some would have us believe that more public-private partnerships, PPP, would turn the situation around. While the ACDP would welcome a focus on PPP we are aware of the controversial nature of these arrangements.
Many argue that PPPs in fee-free schools would provide flexibility, greater efficiency, increased accountability to government and
parents and deliver improved teaching and learning because of much needed extra resources. But sadly, there seems to be no conclusive evidence that PPPs are performing better than their public counterparts. In fact, more money per pupil tends to be paid for administration and management costs and less money per pupil tends to be paid on teaching and learning, in both for-profit and non-profit schools, with teacher salaries being kept low by relying on younger, less experienced staff.
By contrast, the largest part of South Africa‘s education budget, divided through equitable share to the country‘s nine provinces, goes to salaries. While so much that determines a child‘s school performance is linked to the home and not the classroom, there is still a growing consensus that South Africa‘s poorest performing schools are under-funded. So it seems, we have a catch 22 situation where our over burdened budget would make us look in the direction of nongovernmental organisation, NGOs, and private operators, yet the experience of other countries shows a real risk of making the country‘s public education funds vulnerable to capture by private interests.
However, the ACDP calls on the department to apply their minds to how the benefits of PPPs can be harnessed without making the public
funds vulnerable to agendas and profit making at the expense of learners on route to quality education for all.
The ACDP welcomes the review by National Treasury of spending and implementation of scholar transport in schools infrastructure and the exploring of options that allow for ring fencing of funds allocated for these purposes. The ACDP also recognizes work done by the department in ensuring access to early childhood development, ECD, centres across the country. We call on the Minister however, to ensure ECD practitioners have access to the skills they need for these centres to be successful. The ACDP has decided to support this budget on which so much depends. Thank you.
Ms H S BOSHOFF: Chairperson, standing here today I can confirm that over half a million children with disabilities are not in schools. These children are being denied their right to basic education as virtually no special needs schools — where most children with disabilities are erroneously sent — are not fee—free schools.
Children with disabilities are also forced to shoulder additional costs and fees in special schools typically differ as there are no set tariffs. Location is another problem — many special needs schools are located in urban areas with little or no boarding
facilities. Where boarding facilities are available, we find waiting lists of up to 200 learners per year. If a child with disabilities is accommodated, staffs are not always adequately trained. This is why so many of our learners with disabilities do not attend school. Absence of personal wealth should never be a barrier to education because no child should be denied their right to learn because of poverty.
The new grant for learners with profound intellectual disabilities is definitely a step in the right direction for the sector, but does not address many of the problems. Special needs programmes suffer from a lack of qualified educators and specialised learning materials, just one example is a severe lack of braille books.
Physically disabled, blind and deaf learners who do not have any cognitive disabilities can, with proper education, enter the labour market at the end of their matric year or further their studies and achieve great things like the founder of Motswako Office Systems, Sebenzile Matsebula, or the former Justice of the Constitutional Court, Zak Jacoob. Yet, these learners sit at home or are sent to Day Care Centres where mothers of those communities assist in providing care whilst the parents are at work.
Does the ANC government not think these children are worth the investment? The DA4 is however committed to allowing parents to make the best choices for their child, with special education programmes both in mainstream schools and in special needs schools.
In the Western Cape, where we govern, the government has worked tirelessly to improve access to specialised support in townships and rural areas, through multi-disciplinary teams and well-trained educators.
In the 2017-18 Western Cape education budget, over R1,2 billion is allocated to special needs education. It is absolutely amazing what can be achieved when a governing party focuses on its mandate to support its citizens, instead of dreaming up new schemes to defraud the public. I thank you.
Mrs J V BASSON: Chairperson, distinguished guests in the gallery, and the House at large, I greet you all.
Afrikaans:
Aan my mense in die Noord-Kaap, goeiemiddag.
IsiXhosa:
ENtsimekweni ekhaya, molweni mawethu.
English:
I would like to indicate that the ANC supports Budget Vote No 14: Basic Education. [Applause.] In supporting the budget, my emphasis is on progress made in addressing the social challenges through the implementation of pro-poor programmes in advancing quality education for all and realising the mandate of the National Development Plan, of course.
A lot has been done by the ANC-led government in a short period of time, given the vastness of the challenges that the previous apartheid system left the majority of our people with. Thus, since 1994, the ANC-led government committed itself to the task of social transformation, now declared by His Excellency President Zuma in his state of the nation address as being in line with radical economic transformation. We believe this is what our people yearn for.
Social challenges are experienced by millions of our people who were deliberately excluded from quality education by a system that intended our people to be slaves from generation to generation. The social challenges I refer to are, amongst others, rooted in the
colonial system and have created bad, rotten fruit in our society. [Interjections.]
Afrikaans:
Ja, dit is!
English:
Poor education for a specific group is marked by hungry learners expected to concentrate in class, learners dropping out due to their parents‘ inability to pay fees, the high level of teenage pregnancy, bullying, alcohol, drug, and other forms of substance abuse. Now we see educators in schools being killed, a lack of health support programmes, service delivery protests depriving learners access to education, learners having to walk long distances because of a lack of transport. This is the legacy of apartheid.
Dr M J FIGG: Chairperson, on a point of order ...
Mrs J V BASSON: I quote the Freedom Charter ...
The CHAIRPERSON (Ms C C September): Hon Basson, just a moment. What is the point? What point do you rise on, hon member?
Dr M J FIGG: Chairperson, I rise on Rule 79. The member in the front there, she is ...
An HON MEMBER: What does it say?
Dr M J FIGG: Read it. She is sleeping, and she has been disrupting this House for the entire session, Chairperson. [Interjections.]
The CHAIRPERSON (Ms C C September): That is not a point of order. Continue, hon Basson. [Interjections.]
Mrs J V BASSON: Chairperson, I quote the Freedom Charter that says
―the doors of learning shall be opened‖ to all. The ANC-led government noted these things and put in place systems aimed addressing the freeing of people socially and economically. The reality is that these challenges are massive and need a lot of resources to address. Damage done over 360 years cannot be addressed in a short period of time – 20 years is nothing! [Interjections.] [Applause.]
IsiXhosa:
Inde le ndlela mawethu, masingadinwa.
Afrikaans:
Verkramptes sal verkramptes bly.
English:
Despite those enormous challenges, much has been done. Let me just highlight the important things the department has done: the National School Nutrition Programme, scholar transport, inclusive education, health and wellbeing of learners, and free education.
To conclude, those who claim not to see the work done and progress made so far by the ANC ...
The CHAIRPERSON (Ms C C September): Order, hon member. There is no scholar patrol here.
IsiXhosa:
Nksk J V BASSON: Yeyabo leyo, mabahlale. Ayifuni thina leyo. Abazimfama baya kuhlala bezimfama.
English:
The ANC lives, and the ANC delivers. We are indeed moving South Africa forward.
IsiXhosa:
Suka wena phambi kwethu ngoba siyaqhuba thina.
English:
Once more, we support the budget. [Applause.] [Interjections.]
Ms N I TARABELLA MARCHESI: Chairperson, I would like to dedicate this speech to the 18 learners who tragically lost their lives in a minibus taxi accident in Bronkhorstspruit, in April, this year. As we say ...
IsiXhosa:
... singamaXhosa, lalani ngenxeba akuhlanga lungehlanga.
English:
Many students in this country are forced to travel vast distances to get to school, like the learners at Chief Ngonyama Technical School in iLembe District Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal, which we visited at the beginning of the year, who walk up to 10km a day to gain access to basic education. This is injustice. We need to speak honestly about providing education infrastructure in both rural and township areas. On Monday I visited Vuwani in Limpopo, a full year after 28 schools that were burned to the ground during the protest action. As
I visited school after school, I quickly realised that the department had sent contractors and architects to access the damage, but then disappeared in the air. The mobile classrooms are still there and buildings have not been mended.
My oversight ended at Vhafamadi Secondary School, a school that was burned to the ground. It now stands as a state–of–the–art school built in just three months by donor, the Shudukani Foundation together with the National Lottery, in just three months. A quality learning environment is available to learners; but sadly, this has been afforded to all learners in the area.
Historically disadvantaged learners are not getting fair service delivery. Is this because they are not allocated enough funds? Yet shockingly, the fact is that the money allocated to improving these schools is not being spent. For instance, in the 2015-16 financial year alone, R424 million was returned to National Treasury instead of being spent on infrastructure. Limpopo alone returned R86 million in that year and in 2016-17 it under spent on infrastructure by another R67 million. This is an indictment to our learners. Learners of Vhudzani Secondary School - another school burned during protests
- has to this day not received even one of their allocated
literature books. They are forced by an uncaring ANC-led government to do photocopies.
We learned last week that Limpopo Department of Education has again failed to meet the deadline to deliver textbooks to school. This is after the member of executive council, MEC, promised that they will be available by the end of March. Five hundred and thirty one Limpopo school are still waiting for crucial maths and science textbooks.
Education departments cannot continue to blame bad contractors and implementing agents. The reality is that when these problems with underspending and not delivering textbooks happen yearly, it is time to take a hard look at the leadership in that province, who have been appointed by the ANC. The MECs who repeat are offenders must be taken to task, so too must the Minister to Basic Education. [Time expired.]
Ms S P KOPANE: House Chairperson, I rise on a point of order: I did not want to interject while the speaker was still at the podium.
However, Chair, can you please protect our speaker, I don‘t know whether this is how the ANC impress the people in the gallery.
[Interjections.] However, that is too low and unparliamentary that they should drown our people.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr B L Mashile): Hon members, order! Order, hon members!
Mr L M NTSHAYISA: Hon Chairperson, let me apologise for doing the unusual of coming to you straight while the member was still at the podium. I was just confused and I thought I missed the opportunity.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr B L Mashile) You are pardoned.
Mr L M NTSHAYISA: The Department of Education has been allocated R23,4 million, the bulk of which now goes to infrastructure, which is very important because we need the building of schools in our areas. The launching of Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Delivery Initiative, Asidi, which was just set up now to build these schools has been failing a little bit. One of the reasons for failure is that some of the implementing agents such as the Independent Development Trust, IDT, have been failing to build these schools.
This is one of the reasons why some of the responsibilities have been taken away from the IDT implementing agency.
However, the monitoring and the oversight of Asidi have been promised by the department and this should happen for the progress. The department has the following key priorities that it has to follow: it has to improve on the information and technology communications, ICT in schools; to focus on the teacher resource centres for teacher professionalisation; and focus on maths and science challenges, which is a challenge more especially in the rural schools.
There is what we once referred to as rural allowance. This rural allowance seems to not be doing well with teachers because if this can be practised, most teachers will be very much interested in going to rural areas and teach maths and science. Some of the challenges that have been found by the Auditor –General South Africa was the nonsigning of performance agreements by the principals, the completion of the whole curriculum by schools and the ineffectiveness of the districts as related by the principals.
It is important that the role of the districts should be clearly defined because the districts have been given minimum competencies to do their job. However, they are just rendered powerless. The Department of Education and Training should ensure that there is an alignment of the Annual Performance Plan, APP with the National
Development Plan, NDP, and the Medium-Term Strategic Framework. Teaching and learning should be not a matter of negotiations between the departments and the unions, it should just happen because it is one of the negotiable that teachers should teach and learners should learn.
Conducive schools environment and infrastructure for effective teaching and learning is a matter of urgency. We are very much against, as the IAC, the disruption of schooling and property. This can never take us anywhere forward and cannot be tolerated.
We need social cohesion in schools and in communities so that these people should work together for success and a conducive environment for teaching and learning in our schools so that there is safety, peace, security and good performance. The Department of Basic Education core function is policy development, monitoring of the implementation of policies and oversight role over the provinces.
This should be done in accordance with the National Education Policy Act, 27 of 1996. [Time expired.]
Mr D MNGUNI: House Chair, Minister and Minister of Basic Education, Ministers and Deputy Ministers, including the MEC of Education from Gauteng, hon members, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, it
is indeed, a privilege to be granted an opportunity to come here and critical reflection on the Basic Education System as a whole.
The Chairperson of the portfolio committee has already indicated on the challenges and complexities of providing education within the framework of concurrent function. Regardless of those complexities, the ANC stood up against them in order to ensure that the system of education is efficient and functional. The performance of the system can be measured by two factors namely, the efficiency and the effectiveness.
Siswati:
Niyabona nine baka EFF lenitenta bongcamngceshe, niyatsandza kuphapha. Nilibele kulandzelana nalabangani benu baka DA, endzaweni yekutsi nibukane netisekelo tetemfundvo. Ngaso sonkhe sikhatsi nilibala kugijimela etinkantolo kantsi lapha nehlulwa timphikiswano. Nigijima niyewushona le eGauteng, nisuka la eKapa.
English:
Let me explain to you community what is meant by efficiency and effectiveness. And you EFF and DA please take notes. I am giving you a free lecture. [Interjections.] Efficiency indicates the manner in
which the inputs are used by the system. Being efficient means the system uses inputs in a right way.
Ms S M KHAWULA: Point of order, Chairperson.
The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Mr B L Mashile): Hon Mnguni, just a second. Mam‘uKhawula is that a point of order?
IsiZulu:
Ms S M KHAWULA: Ngiyabonga, hhayi bengithi umhlonishwa lapho ngaphambili akakhulume ngento azokhuluma ngayo la. Ahlukane ne-EFF ngoba akayazi. [Ubuwelewele.]
The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Mr B L Mashile): That is not a point of order. Just sit down Mama.
Mr D MNGUNI: If the input-output ratio is adverse, we say that the system is inefficient though it produces the desired output.
Ms M S KHAWULA: He must withdraw the word ―uyaphapha.‖
The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Mr B L Mashile): Order, order hon member. Just sit down.
IsiZulu:
Nk M S KHAWULA: Kulungile uma ethi siyaphapha.
The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Mr B L Mashile): Just sit down. Thank you.
Mr D MNGUNI: Effectiveness is the measure for deciding whether the system provides the desired output or not. Being effective means producing the right output in terms of quality and quantity. When the system is ineffective, it is out of control and it needs a major correction. A system has to be effective and efficient for the highest utility to the user of the system.
Ms KHAWULA: On a point of order. I am not playing. [Interjections.]
The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Mr B L Mashile): Hon Mnguni, just hold a second. Hon members, we are almost at the end of the debate. Please, let us not create chaos. Let us not create chaos in the House.
Ms KHAWULA: Chairperson, I am not playing. I am not coming here to play.
IsiZulu:
Ngifuna ukwazi ukuthi ngubani uNomarashiya. Leli lungu elihloniphekile alisho ukuthi ubani uNomarashiya. [Uhleko.] Awukhuze osichotho bakho. [Uhleko.] Khuza osichotho bakho. [Ubuwelewel.]
The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Mr B L Mashile): Hon members, please can we afford hon Mnguni to complete his speech.
Mr D MNGUNI: Broadly speaking, the effectiveness is a measure of the goodness of the output, while the efficiency is a measure of the productivity – that is the measure of the output against the input. I hope you EFF your myopicness is now sorted out. I would like then to state that the introduction of Bantu Education was a tragedy to our country in that it contributed negatively to the efficiency and effectiveness of education service delivery. It is very clear that such a disaster was well orchestrated and engineered so that it is not easy to undo it.
Siswati:
Nine-ke bondlebetikhanya lilanga, baka DA, nibose nifundzise kahle labantfwabenu, bake bayekele lokusitjela kutsi bomadlangengwenya benta lokuhle ngekuta la kuleli lakitsi. Nibokhumbula phela kutsi tsine satsatselwa live kanye nemnotfo wetfu.
Manje-ke kulungile nanilwa nodvwa nome ningacala kubulalana nodvwa kulungile. Selfe lohlon ulwa nemphatsi wakhe umn Mayimane; ngalendzaba yaMbali Ntuli losekela sihlalo walabasha. Babanga nje kutsi lomake umbita ngekutsi unelubandlululo. Umn Mayimane ume ngaku Ntuli kantsi Umn Selfe ume ngakulomake. Tiyekele tibulalane todvwana, tintsanganye! Basho njalo le ebholeni. [Kushaya Tandla.]
English:
The African National Congress pride itself for having made progress in reversing such a system. It took a lot of consultative work with stakeholders inside and outside the country for the ANC to create a system through which an environment where the previously divided nation, is able to at least live together. What was adopted by the democratically elected government was a dysfunctional system of government, which even today some of its damage still needs attention in education. As the ANC, we still believe that more still needs to be done. In our engagement with the department, we noted that it has prioritised the following critical issues: The efficiency and improved institutional performance at all levels of the system; and monitoring of the system across all levels for compliance and efficiency. We are confident that the Department of Basic Education, through this budget that you disagree with, as
usual EFF, will ensure that, there is a progression towards sound leadership and management in schools.
IsiZulu:
Hhawu nkosi yami, Bab‘uKhawula bonke laba abasekele lesabiwomali sifuna ukuthi kubo siyabonga nakuBab‘uMsimang obemelwe ubab‘uSingh.
English:
What we want to tell you, is that, yes, we acknowledge that there are still mud schools. We are aware of them. We are addressing them.
Siswati:
Nyalo nje, kuleliviki leliphelile, mhla ka 7 Ngenkhwekhweti, kuleliviki lelelanywa nguleli leliphelile, Lisekela Lendvuna belilapha eDanuni. Bekavula sikolwa lesakhiwe nyalo kantsi siyati nangalokwekuhanjiswa kwebantfwabesikolwa kutsi kunenchubomgomo lesandza kusungulwa. Emaprovinsi-ke asetikwayo ayiphetse. Siyayiva- ke nalendzaba yetenkholo njengobe make Khawula ake washo.
English:
There is a policy SA Schools Act, Act 84 of 1996 - I am giving another lesson so that you are going to check. The SA Schools Act addresses the issue of religion. We thank hon Khubisa for the
support that you have given us. We also thank hon Magwaza-Msibi for the donations she contributed. We also recognise your presence. [Applause.]
You know DA, more especially hon Davis, you are suffering from one problem. You are self-righteous, egocentric, and self-centred, including obsession. You are very much obsessed. [Interjections.] You are obsessed about the SA Democratic Teachers Union, Sadtu. Let me tell you, if you want to know more about this union called Sadtu, I will recommend, go and join it and attend all its meetings and you will see what it stands for and what contribution it has done into the education to dismantle your father‘s apartheid tendencies in education. [Applause and Interjections.]
May I bit baptise you with a pedagogically information, you know what happens. Sadtu when it was created, it created a unitary nonracial, nonsexist for teachers which your father‘s purported apartheid policies that killed and still letting our education down. [Interjections.] Your fathers were silent in those days and Sadtu came in and became the loudest voice while your fathers were feeding us with poisonous education. [ Applause.] Sadtu also spearheaded the teaching of mother tongue in all schools which you DA are struggling to understand and fight against. It developed and still developing
teachers through workshops, etc. The report for cash has cleared the union for wrong doings.
Mr I M OLLIS: Are you finishing?
The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Mr B L Mashile): Order, hon members.
Dr M J FIGG: Chairperson, can you recognise me. Will the member take a question?
The ACTING CHAIRPERSON (Mr B L Mashile): Hon Mnguni, will you take a question?
Mr D MNGUNI: I keep on telling you, you must send a please call me. I will come back to him. DA you are failing to look at your own internal affairs and indulge in the ANC‘s issues. What are you saying? Governing South Africa – in your dreams! [Applause.] The Sky will fall and the masses will change the skin. Hon Alberts says discrimination and racism is nonexistent. I don‘t think, you are living in South Africa. Go and check, you will see racism is till existing. With you hon Boshoff, on the issue of inclusive education, I don‘t know which committee are you sitting on, because in that committee, everything has just been said on inclusive education.
Now, there are 223 braille textbooks that have been adapted. [Interjections.] We are strengthening polices such as the Screening, Identification, Assessment and support, SIAS, and admission with regulation. The ANC supports this budget. [Applause.] ... [Time expired.]
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr B L Mashile): Hon members, those that have spoken have said many things on this Budget Vote, can we know give the Minister an opportunity to give responses to all of us, as well as the guests at the gallery. Let us hear the responses.
Sesotho:
LETONA LA THUTO YA MOTHEO: (Mme M A MOTSHEKGA): Modulasetulo, ka
Lesotho ba tla re ke photolehile ha nka araba ditaba tse ding tse ka mona.
English:
I really think I have to save my trouble from people who are obsessed with Sadtu.
Sesotho:
Ke tla be ke itshenyetsa nako.
I was taught that if you argue ...
Sesotho:
... le motho a sa phelang, ...
English:
... you also end up ...
IsiZulu:
... ngathi awuphilanga nawe.
English:
My advise to hon Tarabella and hon Khawula ...
IsiZulu:
... uboxoxa into ekuxoxwa ngayo. Sixoxa ngesabelomali sezwe, asikhulumi ngezindaba zezifundazwe, ake niye ku-induction banitshele ukuthi izwe liyini nokuthi isifundazwe siyini. Indaba yaseThekwini eyaseThekwini futhi ayingeni la, ngakho-ke ngeke ngiyiphendule.
Sihlalo, kuyazigulelwa ngeke ngiphendule yonke leyo nto. [Ubuwelewele.]
Ms M S KHAWULA: Chairperson, on a point of order.
IsiZulu:
Ake nithuleni. bengishilo ukuthi ake ukhuze igama lakaMarashiya la.
English:
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr B L Mashile): Okay, thank you.
IsiZulu
Nks M S KHAWULA: Ngicela ukhuze igama lika Marashiya kulabosithotho bakaZuma waseNkandla.
English:
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr B L Mashile): Thank you Mama Khawula. Hon members, we don‘t know ‗Amarashiya‘. We don‘t know that person. We don‘t know that hon member. Thank you very much. Proceed, Minister.
The MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION: I really want to conclude by also informing the House that during the Cabinet Lekgotla of this year the President had instructed both the Department of Social Development and the Department of Basic Education to develop a
programme to look at giving opportunities to our young people who are out of school and we will be giving a report.
I wish to conclude by reiterating that the basic education system is definitely a system on the rights. All of us have a duty to ensure that the rights of our learners to quality, effective, inclusive and efficient basic education is non-negotiable.
We now have a stable system that looks at the whole development of a child – our future leaders. So we are also excited Chair - that as we continue with this debate, we continue to cherish the life, the leadership and the teachings of one of our greatest visionaries and the struggle icon of our times Comrade O R Tambo. The 27th has been declared a centenary of his birth – this stalwart, his values, virtues and legacy have contributed immensely to the freedom and the rights we now have and enjoy as a democratic South Africa.
His love for children is aptly illustrated in what he said, I quote:
The children of any nation are its future; a country, a movement, a person that does not value its youth and children, does not deserve the future.
I want to take this opportunity to sincerely extend a word of gratitude to my Deputy Minister Surty, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee, all hon members serving in the committee, the Oversight Committee of Parliament, different MECs – I can tell you we work very well even with your MEC from the Western Cape.
We have got a much matured committee. We don‘t keep on pointing fingers because we know that these children are our future. To all the MECs that I work with, to the ODGs and the Director-General Ntate Mweli and your team - thank you very much - and the Senior Managers.
To SACE, Umalusi and the NECT - that is one of our biggest partners. To our teacher unions – including the biggest of them all Sadtu, and all of them. [Applause.]
I want to thank the teacher unions, the Principals Associations as well as officials in my office for their diligence and support. I want to say we are immensely grateful to all the teachers, the principals, the parents, the learners, the SGBs, individuals who worked tirelessly to make quality, effective, inclusive and efficient basic education a reality in the various parts of the country.
Lastly, but not least, I also want to thank my family for all the support – and I can invite members who are obsessed with Sadtu to say, I‘m also willing to give some perspective about the history of Sadtu because I was privileged as a young teacher to have been part of the small unions, which led to this giant. We are very proud of these achievements and will always respect it. [Applause.]
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr B L Mashile): Hon members, let us thank the Minister and the Deputy Minister for leading on this debate. Let‘s also thank all hon members that were present here participating and our guests at the gallery. Thank you.
Debate concluded.
The mini-plenary session rose at 16:13.
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