Questions and Replies

Reply:

a) Information received from the Limpopo Department of Education indicates that 107 contracts have been issued for scholar transport in Limpopo.

b) The financial implications for three years are as follows:

2019/20 Financial Year	2020/21 Financial Year	2021/22 Financial Year
307,245 m	324,143	341,970

c) The bid was evaluated on functionality, price and BBBEE Status. The Functionality evaluation was based on the following criteria and values illustrated below:

NO	CRITERIA	ALLOCATED POINTS	Total Weight of criterion
1	Capacity to deliver the service on tendered route : Busses available registered in the name of a bidding company	20	20
2.	Back-up per route Bidders are expected to show proof of backup vehicles in case of unavailabity of the contracted vehicles (Proof of backup in name of a bidding company or lease agreement in case the bidder does not have additional fleet)		15
	Proof of vehicle ownership reserved for backup plan in the name of the bidding company. (Proof of ownership must be attached.) OR	15
	In case the bidding company does not have substitute vehicle, a written agreement between service provider and third party which will only be utilised during unforeseen circumstances like breakdowns. This agreement will only be used for a maximum period of 30 days. The third party and his/her fleet must have a depot in Limpopo. NB: Proof of ownership of busses for the third party must be attached.	5
3.	Proof of address for bus depot and business address documents issued by local municipality or traditional Authority.		15
	Locality in a district were the depo is located within Limpopo Province	15
	Locality Outside the district municipality but within Limpopo Province	10
	Outside Limpopo province	5
4. 4.1. 4.2	Risk Management Describe possible risk that may arise when transporting learners.		20
	Five and more Risks	10
	Four risks	8
	Three x risks	6
	Two x risks	4
	One x risk	2
	Explain the mitigation factors
	Five and more mitigations	10
	Four x mitigations	8
	Three x mitigations	6
	Two x mitigations	4
	One x mitigation	2
5.	Operational plan A detail operational plan that will be used to ensure that learners are always on time at school		25
	5.1  Adherence to time schedule/s	5
	5.2 Day to day operations 5.2.1 Daily Vehicle Maintenance 5.2.2 Inspection and services 5.2.3 Bus safety features (physical and electronic) 5.2.4 Safer driving techniques	3 3 2 2
	Learner supervision in a bus, on pick up as well as drop off points	5
	Standard operation procedure in an event of accident	5
6.	Proven track record on learner transport		5
	1-5 years’ experience with contactable reference	3
	6-10 years or more with contactable reference	5
TOTAL 100

NB: Bidders that score less than 70 points out of 100 in respect of functionality will be regarded as non-responsive and will not be considered for further evaluation on Price and BBB-EE stages. Points scored for functionality will not be taken into consideration for price and BBB-EE evaluation

8.2. Price and BBBEE

PHASE 2

NO	CRITERIA	POINTS
1	Price	90
2	BBB-EE	10
Total	100

Reply:

a) There are no reported mud schools reported by the Limpopo Province to the National Department.

b) No plans by the National department to eradicate as they do not exist

c) Please see (a) and (b)

Reply:

 

1. (a) (i) (ii)

Total number of educators who received advisory letters for using corporal punishment by the SACE disciplinary tribunal.

2016/17	2017/18	2018/19
229 advisory letters sent out for corporal punishment	233 advisory letters sent out for corporal punishment	194 advisory letters sent out for corporal punishment

Source: SACE

Advisory letters are letters that are forwarded to an accused educator at the discretion of Council instead of proceeding with a disciplinary hearing against such an educator. These letters are issued in cases of corporal punishment. Once an advisory letter is issued by the SACE and ratified by the Ethics committee, the file is then closed with the proviso that the same educator does not repeat the misconduct. Should the educator repeat the misconduct; disciplinary proceedings get instituted and the file with the advisory letter gets reinstated and prosecuted. Advisory letters are issued only in instances where an educator has already been disciplined by a provincial department of education and a sanction imposed against such an educator by the employer.

(b)

Total number of educators found guilty of applying corporal punishment by the SACE disciplinary tribunal.

2016/17	2017/18	2018/19
07	24	33

RESPONSE TO NATIONAL ASSEMBLY QUESTION 442

The sanctions varied from removal of the names of educators from the roll and which removal was suspended for certain periods with conditions that the educators not be found guilty of misconduct during the period of suspension. These educators were further given fines that were to be paid over different timeframes, but not exceeding 12 months. Same educators' names were removed from the roll of educators where severe injuries were inflicted upon learners.

(2) (a)

The Department of Basic Education has trained District Safety Coordinators on a Protocol to Deal with Incidences of Corporal Punishment in Schools.

(b) (i) (ii)

The question is more relevant to the provincial administration since it is the responsibility of the employer, who in terms of section 3(1)(b) of the Employment of Educators Act, 76 of 1998, is the Head of the Provincial Education Department, to enforce disciplinary code and procedures against all employees employed at the provincial level.

The question should therefore be forwarded to the relevant employer for details and response.

Reply:

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) does not keep statistics of sexual abuse cases. The DBE Protocol for the Management and Reporting of Sexual Abuse and Harassment in Schools positions this function as a provincial competency. The Honourable Member is advised to request this information directly from the provinces.

Reply:

1. (a) (b) (i) ( ii)

Province	(a)	(i) Closure	(ii) Merger
Eastern Cape	1 813	761	1 052
Free State	No info
Gauteng	9	3	6
Kwazulu-Natal	731	0	731
Limpopo	416	133	283
Mpumalanga	10	0	10
Northern Cape	No info
North West	Rationalisation put on hold
Western Cape	25	8	17

Source: PED Provided

1 (c) (i) (ii) and (d) for responses see attached Annexure A1 and A2

2. (a) (b) (i) (ii)

Province	(a)	(b)(i) Closure	(ii) Merger
Eastern Cape	133	54	79
Free State	No info
Gauteng	1	1
Kwazulu-Natal	348		348
Limpopo	124	21	103
Mpumalanga	0
Northern Cape	No info
North West	Rationalisation put on hold
Western Cape	0

Source: PED Provided

2. (c) (i) (ii) (d) for responses to see attached Annexure B1 and B2

Reply:

(a)(b)(c)

Table 1 below shows that about 1 126 and 5 790 public schools use only Afrikaans and English, respectively, as their language of learning and teaching, while 1 112 school use both Afrikaans and English.

Please note that single medium school is defined as “a school that offers only one medium of instruction in every grade of the school.

The term "dual medium of instruction" refers to the employment of two languages as media of instruction, wherein a teacher switches from one medium of instruction to another during a lesson on a 50:50 percent basis. In this instance, the teacher repeats the instruction in another language.

For a school to be classified as dual medium school, all learners of that school should be receiving the tuition through dual medium of instruction. Such information is not collected from schools as it is very difficult to collect.

The Department does however collect information on parallel medium schools. It defines a parallel medium school as one that offers more than one medium of instruction in all grades of the school.

Table 1: Number of public schools by, language of learning and teaching and province

Province	Afrikaans Single-Medium Schools	English Single-Medium Schools	English\Afrikaans parallel medium Schools
Ec	149	890	141
FS	56	217	90
GT	113	563	188
KZ	7	1 367	45
LP	15	1 406	39
MP	18	541	60
NC	158	61	121
NW	44	371	43
WC	566	374	385
Total	1 126	5 790	1 112

Source: LURITS

The underlying principle of the Language in Education Policy is to maintain the use of Home language as the LOLT, hence, there are schools using English and other African languages as LOLT. Majority of primary schools use English and home language as their LOLT especially in the foundation phase. The question requires schools that offers only English and Afrikaans.

Reply:

The South African Schools Act (SASA) demands that school governing bodies should hold meetings. These meetings are held according to the needs and requirements of each school and therefore the date is randomly selected in each school.

The question posed by the honourable member requires detailed information that Provincial Education Departments are best placed to provide. The Honourable member is advised to direct the question to the Provincial Education Department.

Reply:

a) The Department of Basic Education (DBE) participates in the National Committee for School Social Work Education and Practice (NACOSSWEP) which brings together universities, Government Departments and the Council for Social Services Professions (SACSSP) to declare school social work as a specialisation recognised by the SACSSP. In 2019, the Board of Social Work at the SACSSP approved the regulations for specialisation in school social work which is yet to be gazetted by the Minister of Social Development. It is anticipated that social workers will begin to specialise in school social work from 2020 or 2021.

b) The Department continues to optimise services through referrals and close collaboration with the Department of Social Development as the employer of social workers. The DBE currently has no budget to employ social workers.

 

QUESTION 853

Compiler:

DR F KUMALO

CHIEF DIRECTOR: CARE AND SUPPORT IN SCHOOLS

DATE:

DR G WHITTLE

DEPUTY DIRECTOR-GENERAL: SOCIAL MOBILISATION AND SUPPORT SERVICES

DATE:

MR HM MWELI

DIRECTOR-GENERAL

DATE:

QUESTION 853 APPROVED/ NOT APPROVED/ AMENDED

DR MR MHAULE

DEPUTY MINISTER

DATE:

QUESTION 853 APPROVED/ NOT APPROVED/ AMENDED

MS MA MOTSHEKGA, MP

MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION

DATE:

Reply:

1. The Department of Basic Education (DBE) continuously conducts monitoring on the implementation of the National School Safety Framework (NSSF) in order to gauge whether schools are complying with the minimum requirements for school safety. Support is also afforded to all provinces in the form of NSSF training as a means to assist schools to establish functional School Safety Committees, conduct school safety audits and develop school safety plans.

2. Please see below statistics on the number of school safety committees established in response to (a) (b) (i) and (ii):

Province	Functional School Safety Committees Established
Eastern Cape	3 120
Free State	1 346
Gauteng	1 860
KwaZulu-Natal	5 607
Limpopo	3 592
Mpumalanga	1 488
Northern Cape	564
North West	1 284
Western Cape	1 163
TOTAL	20 024

Reply:

(1) and (2)

The Gauteng Province has no schools with inappropriate sanitation (pit latrines).

Reply:

1 (a) (b) The Gauteng Department of Education has plans to eradicate all schools built out of inappropriate materials as mandated by the Regulations Relating to Minimum Uniform Norms and Standards for Public School Infrastructure, Government Gazette Number 37081 of 2013. Both these schools have been identified as schools built entirely out of asbestos and are part of the replacement programme. Both these schools are in the Estimates of Capital Expenditure (ECE) for the 2020/21 MTEF period.

The table below indicates the relevant details of the projects.

No	Project Number	Project name	Scope of Works	Project Status	Indicative / Estimated Budget	Anticipated Start Date
1	GDE/700270025/N&R/2018/1	Randfontein Secondary School	Construction of a Brick and Mortar Replacement Secondary School	Design	R80 000 000	2020/21 MTEF Period
2	GDE/700270033/N&R/2018/1	Toekomsrus Primary School	Construction of a Brick and Mortar Replacement Primary School	Design	R70 000 000	2020/21 MTEF Period

(2) The Department of Labour provides reports and prohibition notices on educational facilities as and when they conduct inspections and they find the facilities to be not compliant. The Department is not aware of any specific reports issued by the Department of Labour on the two schools.

Reply:

(1) With reference to the Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Delivery Initiative programme,

(a) (i) Number of inappropriate school completed in 2014-15 is 59

(ii) Number of inappropriate school completed in 2015-16 is 52

(iii) Number of inappropriate school completed in 2016-17 is 16

(iv) Number of inappropriate school completed in 2017-18 is 14; and

(v) Number of inappropriate school completed in 2018-19 is 21.

(b) The attached table is a list of completed schools including their the names per province,

(c) the attached table also includes the construction cost for each specified school. The cumulative total is R5,7 Billion

(d) The implementing agents (IA) are also indicted in the attached table. The IA’s are Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), the Independent Development Trust (IDT), the Coega Development Corporation (CDC), the National Department of Public Works (NDPW), the Eastern Cape Provincial Public Works (DPW);

(2) Each school was constructed under the JBCC building contract. Each school was managed according to the said contract. Adjudicated extensions of time were approved where they applied and requisite penalties were levied where applicable.

 

Reply:

a) (i) (ii) The implementation of the Technical Vocational Stream commenced in January 2015. 1 660 teachers and Subject Advisors were trained on Technical Subjects Specialisations, 203 in Technical Sciences, and 228 in Technical Mathematics in preparation for the implementation at Grade 10 in 2016.

(iii) In 2016,1 647 Grade 11 Teachers and subject advisors for Technical specialisation subjects.345 trained in Technical Mathematics and Technical Sciences in preparation for implementation at Grade 11 in 2017.

(iv) (v) In 2017,1229 Grade 12 Teachers and subject advisors for Technical subjects specialisations,195 in Technical Mathematics and 206 in Technical Sciences were trained in preparation for implementation at Grade 12 in 2018.

(b) See attached document

Reply:

a)

(i) 880 Projects are currently under planning and design phase

(ii) 127 Projects are currently under construction.

Province	No. of Projects	Planning	Construction
EC	262	262	0
FS	148	80	68
KZN	402	372	30
LP	162	162	0
MP	33	4	29
Total	1007	880	127

b) 

(i) Refer to Annexure A, column B

(ii) 

(aa) All the inappropriate sanitation will be demolished.

(bb) The number of toilets seats to be provided is determined by the learner enrolment as the ratio is prescribed in the Norms and Standards.

(iii) Where there is reliable source of water supply, flushing ablutions will be constructed and if the water supply is not reliable dry sanitation systems will be constructed.

(iv) Refer to Annexure A, column K

(v) All the 1007 projects will be funded through government funding, either the SAFE Allocation which is managed at the National Department of Basic Education (DBE) or the Education Infrastructure Grant (EIG) that is managed by the Provincial Education Departments (PEDs). Refer to Annexure A, column L

Reply:

1. (a), (b) and (c)

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) and Provincial Education Departments (PDEs) are using State Information and Communication Technology (SITA) and National Treasury transversal contracts to procure and rollout ICT devices to schools.

The DBE in collaboration with Department of Trade and Industry, National Treasury, State Information & Technology Agency are working together to develop an education specific contract. The department will use this education specific contract to leverage on the economies of scale. Furthermore, the DTI is conducting a study to determine the local capacity in the country to manufacture and assembly ICT devices. Based on the study the government will be able to determine the cost of providing ICT equipment to schools.

2. (a) The department has not conducted a comparative research study to determine whether there has been an improvement in the performance of learners who have received the above gadgets as compared to schools who do not have these gadgets.

(b) The primary value of providing ICTs in education is to transform teaching and learning to:

• Enhance learning experiences of learners;
• Improve efficiency in delivering educational services; and
• Leverage on ICTs to mitigate educational challenges.

However, drawing lessons from local experiences, the Khanya Project in the Western Cape was implemented to promote learning and maximize educator capacity by integrating the use of appropriate, available and affordable technology (computer technology) into the curriculum delivery process. In addition, the GDE ICT and e-Education Strategy is aimed at ensuring that schools in Gauteng are well resourced with ICT facilities to:

• Promote e-learning with the aim of introducing devices and smart software into the classroom using technology;
• Enhance teaching quality;
• Accessing materials to engage learners; and
• Train teachers and school administrators.

In conclusion, it should be noted that in order to bring 21st century skills to learners, the department is implementing the use of ICTs and eLearning programs to enhance the education environments that are best suitable for teaching and learning.

 

Reply:

1. The Department of Basic Education sent officials to the National School of Government (NSG) on a regular basis, to attend skills development and training courses. The five tables below indicate the number of officials who attended skills development and training programmes offered by National School of Government (NSG) from 2014/15; 2015/16; 2016/17; 2017/18 and 2018/19 financial years.

The information presented includes the name of courses, number of officials according to race, gender, disability and the total cost per financial year.

Financial year 2014/15

Course name	African Male	African Female	Indian Male	Indian Female	Coloured Male	Coloured Female	White Male	White Female	Total number of officials attended	Cost per Official	Total cost per course
Advanced Management Development Programme	10	9						1	20	R 6 498.000	R129 960.00
Foundation Management Development Programme	5	15							20	R4 250.00	R85 000.00
Emerging Management Development Programme	6	11				2	1		20	R6 890.00	R137 800.00
Breaking Barriers into public service		2							2	No cost	No cost
Assessor Training	1	3							4	R 4 215.00	R16 860.00
CIP Train the Trainer		2							2	No cost	No cost
Compulsory Induction	11	15				1			27	R4 025.00	R108 675.00
TOTALS	33	57				3	1	1	95		R 478 295.00

Financial year 2015/16

Course name	African Male	African Female	Indian Male	Indian Female	Coloured Male	Coloured Female	White Male	White Female	Total number of officials attended	Cost per Official	Total cost per course
Public Service Trainers Forum		3							3	R3 275.000	R9 825.00

Financial year 2016/17

Course name	African Male	African Female	Indian Male	Indian Female	Coloured Male	Coloured Female	White Male	White Female	Total number of officials attended	Cost per official	Total cost per course
Advanced Management Development Programme	8	9	1					2	20	R8 400.00	R168 000.00
Compulsory Induction Programme	16	20							36	R1 892.00	R68 112.00
E-Learning on BID Committee (PFMA)	10	5	2	1			2		20	R2060.00	R41 200.00
Job Evaluation Follow up		2							2	R3 680.00	R7 360.00
Supply Chain Management	2	5		1					8	R4 925.00	R39 400.00
TOTALS	36	41	3	2			2	2	86		R 324 072.00

Financial year 2017/18

Course name	African Male	African Female	Indian Male	Indian Female	Coloured Male	Coloured Female	White Male	White Female	Total number of officials attended	Cost per official	Total cost per course
Compulsory Induction Programme	3	13					1	1	18	R2 159.00	R38 862.00
Mentoring for Public Service	1	4					0	1	6	No cost	No cost
Mentoring for Public Service	2	15 (1-disable official)			1	1		1	20	R4 100.00	R82 000.00
Emerging Management Programme Development	4	15			1				20	R8 400.00	R168 000.00
TOTAL	10	47			2	1	1	3	64		R 288 862.00

Financial year 2018/19

Course name	African Male	African Female	Indian Male	Indian Female	Coloured Male	Coloured Female	White Male	White Female	Total number of officials attended	Cost per official	Total cost per course
BID Committee (PFMA)	11	7	2	1	1			1	23	R4 782.60	R110 000.00
Compulsory Induction Programme (On-line)	7	3							10	R946.00	R9 460.00
Job Evaluation	5	1					1	1	8	R4 650.00	R37 200.00
Supply Chain Management	4	6							10	R6 750.00	R67 500.00
TOTAL	27	17	2	1	1		1	2	51		R224 160.00

Conclusion

The total amount spent by the Department of Basic Education for Skills Development and Training programmes attended by officials facilitated by the National School of Government from 1 March 2014 to 31 March 2019 (i.e the past five years) is R1 328 214.00.

Reply:

1.  To date 188 Schools have been provided with adequate sanitation.

Province	No. of Projects	Donor	EIG & ASIDI
EC	11	4	7
FS	29		29
KZN	93	2	91
LP	35	3	32
MP	20	9	11
TOTAL	188	18	170

2.

(a) Refer to Annexure A, column B

b) (i) All the inappropriate sanitation was demolished.

(ii) The number of toilets seats provided is to be confirmed by the Provincial Education Department (PEDs).

c) The type of toilets provided is to be confirmed by the PEDs.

d) & (e) The financial implications are to be confirmed by the PEDS.

Reply:

a) The Department incurred legal cost for the 2014-2015 financial year to the amount of R2 847 339.48. The details of each case is as follows:

NO	NAME OF CASE	AMOUNT
1.	Fedsas v Minister of Basic Education	R276 581.00
2.	MEC Education v Beavallon Secondary school	R184 642.65
3.	PTY Trade 73T/A Edusolutions v MEC Education Limpopo	R519 640.00
4.	Section 27 & Others v Minister of Basic Education	R135 410.58
5.	Disciplinary hearing: Soobrayan	R164 331.00
6.	Isaac Shabangu v Minister of Basic Education	R289 971.84
7.	Pease v Minister of Basic Education and Others	R204 776.79
8.	Magna FS v Minister of Basic Education	R60 534.00
9.	Steadman and Others v Minister of Basic Education	R81 210.50
10	Minister of Basic Education v Public Protector	R302 215.05
11.	SADTU v Minister of Basic Education	R41 969.00
12	Minister of Basic Education v Basic Education for All	R395 308.54
13.	Trade Mark application	R1 435.00
14.	Pitsi Et Al v Minister of Basic Education	R8 208.00
15.	Aurecon v MEC Education and Others	R26 220.00
16.	Konani v Minister of Basic Education	R45 600.00
17.	Opinion (ASIDI)	R25 992.00
18.	State Attorney	R406.41
19.	Centre for Child Law v MEC Education Eastern Cape	R8 216.55
20.	State Attorney (Sherriff)	R57.57
21.	BB Mubake and7 Others v Department of Education and Others	R36 423.00
22.	Michelle Saffer v MEC Education and Others	R38 190.00
	TOTAL	R 2 847 339.48

b) The Department incurred legal cost for the 2015-2016 financial year to the amount of R1 948 671.43. The details of each case is as follows:

NO	NAME OF CASE	AMOUNT
1.	Centre for Child Law vs Department of Basic Education	R9 120.00
2.	BEFA vs Minister of Basic Education	R40 000.00
3.	Clareville Primary School vs Department of Basic Education	R5 130.00
4.	Mtongana vs Department of Basic Education	R82 080.00
5	BVCVO & others vs Minister of Education & others	R231.28
6	Beavollon Secondary School and 36 others vs Minister of Education for Western Cape and 3 others	R 406 629.60
7.	Kgoro Sipho & others vs Minister of Education	R2 852.28
8.	PTY Trade 73T/A Edusolutions v MEC Education Limpopo	R648 642.58
9.	Securing the intellectual property of the DBESA-SAMS	R23 707.18
10.	Request for a Legal opinion on areas of intervention in the Eastern Cape Department of Education in terms of section 100(1)(b)	R32 902.50
11.	Kgoro Sipho & others vs Minister of Education	R17 831.60
12.	Steadman & others vs Minister of Education	R99 792.75
13.	Mabotja Patience Pitsi & others vs Department of Basic and others	R8 208.00
14.	CTU-SADTU & CTU-ATU vs Department of Basic Education	R273 166.57
15	Legal Opinion	R27 787.50
16.	Aurecon Pty LTD vs Limpopo Department of Education	R73 255.26
17.	PSC Investigation into Mr Soobrayan-DG of DBE	R152 071.83
18.	Arbitration: T Khoza	R 45 262.50
	TOTAL	R1 948 671.43

c) The Department incurred legal cost for the 2016-2017 financial year to the amount of R2 054 327.26. The details of each case is as follows:

NO	NAME OF CASE	AMOUNT
1.	Michelle Saffer v MEC Education Western Cape and Others	R345 884.17
2.	Kgoro Sipho and Others v Minister of Basic Education	R190 286.50
3.	Van Den Heever v Minister of Basic Education	R910.50
4.	Magna FS v Minister of Basic Education	R115 398.50
5.	Muvamba Dzivhani v Minister of Basic Education	R14 700.00
6.	Minister of Basic Education v Basic Education for All	R587 871.28
7.	Konani v Minister of Basic Education	R20 292.00
8.	Minister of Basic Education v Public Protector	R9 094.00
9.	Centre for Child Law v Minister of Basic Education and Others	R197 933.31
10.	Mbulawa Zingisa v Minister of Basic Education	R27 588.00
11.	Department of Basic Education//Pinehurst Meridian	R93 907.50
12.	Gebuza v Minister of Basic Education	R31 500.00
13.	Ncedo Hoyi v Minister of Basic Education	R9 600.00
14	Pease v Minister of Basic Education and Others	R15 366.70
15.	Aaron Mkhize v Minister of Basic Education	R11 371.50
16	True Harvest Trading v Minister of Basic Education	R197 942.73
17.	OGOD v Randhart high School and Others	R42 663.50
18.	Equal Education v Minister of Basic Education	R5 980.00
19.	Maqhelana and Other v Minister of Basic Education	R17 100.00
20.	Samson Primary School v MEC Education and Others	R37 217.07
21.	Solidariteit Helpende Hand v Minister of Basic Education	R81 720.00 (Department won with cost)
	TOTAL	R 2 054 327.26

d) The Department incurred legal cost for the 2017-2018 financial year to the amount of R3 895 822.26. The details of each case is as follows:

NO	NAME OF CASE	AMOUNT
1.	CTP and Others v Director-General and Others	R1 751 120.99
2.	Konani v Minister of Basic Education	R128 234.00
3.	Centre for Child Law v Minister of Basic Education	R200 640. 00
4.	Michelle Saffer v MEC Education and Others	R94 260.03
5.	OGOD v Minister of Basic Education and Others	R117 819.00
6.	Prestige Academy v Minister of Basic Education	R23 400.00
7.	Kgoro Sipho and Others v Minister of Basic Education	R85 742.24
8.	Equal Education v Minister of Basic Education	R564 016.50
9.	Ncedo Hoyi v Department of Basic Education	R143 241.00
10	Van Der Westhuizen N.O and Others v Minister of Basic Education	R16 800.00
11.	Legal Opinion	R46 500.00
12.	Minister of Basic Education v Public Protector	R295 695.47
13.	Nhlapo v Minister of Basic Education	R28 500.00
14.	MMPA Quantity Surveyors v Minister of Basic Education	R245 913.65
15.	Centre for Child Law v Minister of Basic Education	R143 489.38
16	Gebuza v Minister of Basic Education	R10 450.00
	Total	R 3 895 822. 26

e) The Department incurred legal cost for the 2018-2019 financial year to the amount of R1 458 797.07. The details of each case is as follows:

NO	NAME OF CASE	AMOUNT
1.	CTP Limited and Others v Director-General of Basic Education	R1 126 078.12
2.	Centre for Child Law v Minister of Basic Education	R248 668.95
3.	Madoda Gebuza v Minister of Basic Education	R56 000.00
4.	Munano and Others v Minister of Basic Education	R28 050.00
	TOTAL	R1 458 797.07

Reply:

1. The funding available currently is for Grade R only. This will be revised in the new financial year to accommodate for the new functions that have been transferred to the DBE.

(b) REQV 13 is the minimum qualification as determined in the Employment of Educators ‘Act and the Personnel Administrative Measures (PAM). The Minister of Higher Education and Training gazetted the Policy on Minimum Requirements for Programmes Leading to Qualifications in Higher Education for Early Childhood Development Educators in 2017. This Policy puts in place a set of qualifications for ECD practitioners who are delivering or assisting in delivering ECD programmes.

2. To be employed as an educator, one has to have an REQV 13 as a minimum qualification as determined in the Employment of Educators ‘Act and the Personnel Administrative Measures (PAM). This translates to Matric plus three years of formal training for a teaching degree. In relation to compulsory Grade R, qualified Grade R practitioners will be appointed as educators in terms of the Employment of Educators Act and will be subject to the conditions of service as they apply to all other school-based educators. In relation to ages 0-4 years, the Department is still gathering information about these practitioners, including identifying a need for a full audit on the qualifications and skills set of the practitioners. The audit will inform the decisions that need to be taken in relation to career options for practitioners. This will also clarify what job titles should exist in ECD centres, the qualification framework required and the salary scales as well as the conditions of service that will exist for Early Childhood Practitioners.

3. Salary scales of educators are determined in terms of the requirements of the Employment of Educators’ Act and the Personnel Administrative Measures (PAM). It will therefore not be automatic that the salaries of ECD practitioners will be equal to educators, if they do not meet the minimum requirements for appointment as educators. However, any qualified Grade R practitioners will be subject to the conditions of service applicable to other school-based educators.

Reply:

a) The outcomes of a competence-based curriculum to enhance entrepreneurship include problem-solving, creative thinking, critical thinking and collaboration all of which are inculcated through the Project Based Learning approach.

b) Assessment in subjects focusing on the 4IR, such as Digital Skills (including coding and robotics) to be project-based (include Practical Assessment Tasks) where learners demonstrate their skills and competencies and which will also foster ‘soft’ skills required for functioning in a changing world.

c) The Learning and Teaching Support Materials (LTSM) will be developed following the finalisation of the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) for these subjects.

Reply:

a) The Department of Basic Education is responsible for the awarding of Funza Lushaka Bursaries to eligible students. The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is appointed as the financial administrator of the Funza Lushaka Bursary Programme. The 13 070 students awarded bursaries refer to the number of students who received all their bursary funding from the NSFAS. The balance of 630 Funza Lushaka bursary holders is approved by the Department of Basic Education but have not received all their bursary funding by 31 March 2019. The Department is working with the NSFAS to ensure all bursary funding is disbursed to approved Funza Lushaka Bursary holders.

b) (i) The Funza Lushaka Bursary Programme awards bursaries by university and not provinces. Students recruited from provinces must be registered in one of the 24 public universities to be considered for the Funza Lushaka Bursary.

(ii) The total budget for the Funza Lushaka Bursary Programme in 2019 was R 1.22 billion. The allocation to a bursary holder is capped at R 103 899.00. The bursary amounts vary per university. The average value of the bursary across 24 universities in 2019 was R 93 923.00. An allocation letter is issued annually to the NSFAS indicating the number and monetary value of bursaries allocated by university.

Reply:

This is an employer-employee relations issue of which the processes are regulated by the Labour Relations Act, 66 of 1995. In terms of section 3(1)(b) of the Employment of Educators Act, 76 of 1998, the Head of the Provincial Education Department is the Employer of educators employed at the provincial level. Therefore, the responsibility to implement rulings wherein cases were ruled against the Employer lies with the Head of the Provincial Education Department.

The response received from the Mpumalanga Education Department states that the Department/Employer has demonstrated its willingness to comply with the award, but Mr Obilana refused to comply and cooperate. An alternative post was identified for him to occupy effectively from 1 October 2018 and was within the same circuit a few kilometres from the school where he used to teach prior to his dismissal, but he failed to report for duty to date.

The details are as follows:

The Department did not immediately comply with the award because at the time the award was received, the position which Mr Obilana occupied prior to his dismissal was already filled. Mr Obilana was, however, informed through his union on 28 September 2018 that the Department had established a vacant substantive post where he would be placed effectively from 1 October 2018. He was directed to report at the Emalahleni Circuit where the Circuit Manager would take him to the institution he would be serving at. A response was received from his union indicating that he was sick, and insisted that the Department place him in accordance with the award. Mr Obilana never reported for duty, but instead proceeded to take steps to enforce the award by filing an application for the certification of the award with the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA).

The award was certified in terms of section 143 of the Labour Relations Act. The CCMA issued a document entitled “Enforcement of the Award” [the CCMA writ] instructing the sheriff to attach and execute the movable goods of the Employer to the value of R 171 952.40 with interest. The sheriff served the document and attached a vehicle belonging to the Employer on several occasions and this culminated in the Employer filing an urgent application with the Labour Court, which was heard on 27 August 2019, wherein the enforcement award was declared invalid and set aside.

Reply:

1. The Department of Basic Education did not host any event or function

(a) N/A

(b) N/A

(c) N/A

2. The Department of Basic Education did not host any event or function and thus the above does not apply.

(a) N/A

(b) N/A

Reply:

Since the 2011 State of the Nation Address, the Presidency has established an interdepartmental coordinating mechanism to explore innovative means for implementing a sanitary dignity campaign, given the prevailing lack of resources in each department. The Department of Basic Education (DBE) continues to mobilise partners in business and civil society to support the cause of providing sanitary pads to leaners.

Reply:

a)  (i) (aa) (bb) Given that holiday and after-school programmes are provincially determined and driven programmes, the number of schools that participate in these programmes per province is not in the possession of the Department of Basic Education and may therefore be solicited from Provincial Education Departments (PEDs).

b) (ii)(aa)(bb) Similarly, the number of schools that do not participate in these programmes may be requested from the PEDs.

Reply:

(a) The total number of schools that have been converted into inclusive schools is 832.

(b) The information is not readily available in the Department of Basic Education and it should be requested from the Provincial Education Departments.

Reply:

a) (i) and (ii)

The Departments of Basic Education and Telecommunications and Postal Services in collaboration with ICASA provided 105 (North West=55, Mpumalanga=21 and Gauteng =29) schools with ICT equipment as part of the Universal Service and Access Obligations (USAO). Each school received the following ICT equipment:

• 24 x Tablets for learners;
• 1 x Server loaded with DBE electronic content;
• 2 x Teacher laptops;
• 2 x Wi-Fi Access Points;
• 1 x data projector; and
• 1 x Mobile charging trolley.

b) The budget for the rollout of USAO solution is part of the Network Operators Licence Obligations imposed by ICASA.

Further information about the procurement of tablets and laptops should be requested from the Provincial Education Departments. The PDEs are responsible for the rollout of tablets and laptops to teachers.

 

Reply:

The sector uses the instruments contained in the Education Management Service (EMS): Performance Management and Development System (PMDS) for office-based educators as contained in the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) Collective Agreement No. 3 of 2017; as well as the job description of subject advisors as contained in Collective Agreement No. 4 of 2017 to measure the performance and effectiveness of subject advisors.

(a) Yes. As a national ELRC collective agreement, it is available across all provinces and implementation is mandatory. Subject advisors enter into, and sign annual performance agreements with their immediate supervisor. The agreements contain among others, the following:

1. Key Result Areas (KRAs), which describe what is expected from the subject advisor in terms of the job description; and
2. Core Management Criteria (CMCs); which are elements and standards used to describe and assess performance, taking into consideration knowledge, skills and attributes.

The performance agreement serves as the cornerstone of performance management of subject advisors at the individual level, while a workplan describes what will be achieved within particular timeframes through clearly defined activities and performance indicators.

(b) There are consequences for non-compliance as determined by the Labour Relations Act and the Employment of Educators Act, which prescribe the processes to be followed during such misconduct.

(2) whether her department has ways to prevent provinces from appointing persons who are not capable and/or suitably qualified and were not achieving good results during their teaching careers; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW1110E

Response

The process for the recruitment and selection of educators prescribed in relevant regulations, as stipulated in the Personnel Administrative Measures, Chapter B. The regulations prescribe educational requirements, statutory requirements, and experience required for appointment in education. The stipulated process includes the selection process, which involves formation of representative panels or Interview Committees that are responsible for the shortlisting a pool of suitable candidates and conducting interviews. It is the view of the department that the existing regulations and processes, are adequate to ensure that suitably qualified educators are appointed in every post.

Reply:

(a) (i) The National Department of Basic Education does not employ teachers.

(ii) The Department does not routinely collect information on the actual number of educators by Grade as part of regular monitoring and reporting. The figures below are an estimation based on the number of Grade 3 classes.

PROVINCE	ESTIMATED NUMBER OF EDUCATORS
Eastern Cape	5 125
Free State	1 680
Gauteng Province	4 770
KwaZulu-Natal	6 528
Limpopo	3 510
Mpumalanga	2 306
Northern Cape	805
North West	1 911
Western Cape	3 071
Grand Total	29706

Source: Education Management Information System Data, 2018

(b) (i) 2018 Foundation Phase (FP) English First Additional Language (EFAL) teachers were tested nationwide on English with emphasis on reading.

(ii) 65% of these teachers did very well, while the remaining 35% is getting attention through the Primary School Reading Improvement Programme (PSRIP).

Reply:

1. Rationalisation of schools cannot be implemented in a blanket approach, but on a case by case approach. In general, non-viable schools are a disadvantage to learners as they cannot be provided with resources and sufficient number of educators, to ensure quality education at par with other schools. However, where circumstances dictate that such schools be retained in communities where they are located, such a determination will be dictated by its peculiar circumstance. As such, it will not be prudent to commit that all non-viable schools will be retained where they are located.

2. The Department continuously monitors the effectiveness of the post provisioning norms including the provisioning to small schools. Once it is decided that it is viable to maintain or establish a small school after considering both educational effectiveness and cost efficiency, the post provisioning norms assists in determining the number of posts to be provided to such a school. The current Post Provisioning Norms are under review to ensure that small schools are adequately addressed. This is being done together with stakeholders in the Education Labour Relations Council.

 

Reply:

The information has been requested from the Eastern Cape Department of Education and the response will be provided as soon as it is received from the Province.

Reply:

1. See the attached list of schools declared as hotspots for the 2018/19 financial year.

Province	No of Schools
KwaZulu-Natal	202
Western Cape	147
Free State	90
Limpopo	22
Gauteng	251
Northern Cape	40
Eastern Cape	99
North West	80
Mpumalanga	414
TOTAL	2 345

2. The National School Safety Framework (NSSF) remains the Department of Basic Education (DBE) strategic response to school violence;

1. It is a comprehensive approach that coordinates and consolidates all school safety interventions in the sector;
2. It is based on a social ecological systems model which locates the school within its broader community;
3. It relies on collaboration and partnership; and
4. The INSPIRE framework provides further granularity to the NSSF focusing on seven (7) areas: Implementation and law enforcement; Norms and values; Safe environments; Parent and care-giver support; Income and economic strengthening; Response and support services; and Education and Life Skills.

The DBE also supports provinces to implement a number of interventions in response to crime and violence in schools; including for example:

1. Strengthening the School Safety Committees through training to adequately respond to the challenges school face;
2. Bullying prevention programmes roll-out in Eastern Cape
3. Anti-gangsterism joint intervention programme with South African Police Service (SAPS) in the Northern Education Region – Port Elizabeth;
4. In partnership with SAPS, searches and seizures are randomly held to seize dangerous weapons in school campuses;
5. Moral rejuvenation seminars held in all North West Education districts in partnership with the QLTC in the Office of the Premier;
6. District Safety Coordinators trained on Protocols on prevention of Corporal Punishment and Sexual Abuse and Harassment of leaners in schools;
7. After the National Summit on School violence hosted by Minister in 2018, five provinces (Gauteng, North West, Free State, Western Cape and Eastern Cape) have convened provincial summits to roll-out the Declaration and implementation of the recommendations to enhance safe learning environments and instil a culture of respect and discipline among leaners and educators.

Reply:

Province	Number of Principal Vacancies as at the end of June 2019	Number of Teaching Vacancies (Includes Deputy Principal, HOD and Post Level 1)
Eastern Cape	562	3 618
Free State	134	943
Gauteng	77	2 783
KwaZulu-Natal	322	758
Limpopo	697	6 124
Mpumalanga	113	237
North West	226	736
Northern Cape	37	195
Western Cape	234	1 211
Total	2 402	16 605

Source: Provincial Education Department Reporting, end of June 2019

Reply:

1. a) The Foundation Phase policy on promotion requirements is stipulated in the National Policy Pertaining to the Programme and Promotion Requirements of the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) and the National Protocol on Assessment (NPA), which state that a learner may only be retained once in the Foundation Phase in order to prevent the learner being retained in this phase for longer than four years.

• In the Basic Education Budget Vote Speech for the 2018/19 Financial Year, it was announced that the progression and promotion policies, especially in the lower Grades needed to be reviewed, a policy proposal that is currently under consideration.

 

b) The international literature on this topic demonstrates very little evidence for repetition policies actually benefitting children. At best, these policies appear to have no effect on learner achievement and dropout, despite the immense financial stress they place on the schooling system. However, in many cases they have a negative effect on child outcomes.

Two early meta-analyses (Holmes, 1989; Jimerson 2001) showed strong negative effects of retention policies on academic achievement and socio-emotional adjustment. A recent and more rigorous meta-analysis (Allen 2009), indicated that on average repetition either had a negative effect or a null effect on academic achievement.

As such, support for automatic progression within the South African context is being considered as a possible policy position, given that repetition is regarded as being associated with learner dropout and poor academic performance (Branson, Hofmeyr and Lam, 2013; Hartley, 2006).

Indeed, many scholars (Jimerson et al., 1997) hold the view that the negative effects of repetition far outweigh automatic promotion.

Within this debate, we must also consider issues of efficiency and human rights aspects of over-sized classes, as well as the unaffordability of bringing the learner/educator ratio down substantially via hiring of additional teachers.

Many school systems in both developed and developing countries have adopted automatic promotion policies which stipulate that all learners who complete a given school year be promoted to the next grade, regardless of their levels of achievement.

2. The Minister will not make a statement. The Department of Basic Education (DBE) is putting plans in place to make the necessary policy amendments which could give effect to automatic progression in the Foundation Phase:

• Every learner will be supported to achieve the expected levels of performance for the grade. There will be adequate support for learners at risk throughout the phase.
• For the breadth of foundational skills across the phase, there will be an identified set of skills per grade to focus on, thus making it possible to give more opportunities to demonstrate competence in the next grade on the same skills if there is a need.
• Learners who experience barriers to learning will be given the opportunities to demonstrate their competence in ways that suit their needs. This has the following implications:
• Some learners may need concrete apparatus for a longer time than their peers.
• Assessment activities, especially written activities, may have to be broken up into smaller sections for learners who cannot concentrate or work for a long time, or they may be given short breaks during the tasks.
• A variety of assessment instruments should be used, as a learner may find that a particular assessment instrument does not allow her to demonstrate her true competence.
• In the Foundation Phase the inability to read should not prevent learners from demonstrating their mathematical competence, because this produces misleading results that are of no use to the learner, the teacher who has to plan the learner’s learning sequence, and the education authorities who have to identify problems in the education system.
• The usage of Mathematical terms should not be confined to the Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT), the knowledge of Mathematical concepts in other languages should be accepted as correct.
• Reporting will be comprehensive, giving the teacher in the next grade and the parents a clear indication of strengths and skills that need further development.

Reply:

Procurement of learner transport service providers and payment of these service providers take place at a provincial level, as such, the information on these payments, or lack thereof is located in provinces. Information has been requested from all the Provincial Departments responsible for the provision of Learner Transport Programme and will be provided as soon as it is received. The Honourable member must also note that the Learner Transport Programme is provided by both the Department of Basic Education and the Department of Transport and that in some provinces the function resides with the education sector whilst in others resides with the transport sector.

Reply:

1. The National Education Infrastructure Management System Report dated January 2018, is information of NEIMS condition Assessment done in the years 2013 to 2014, also information of completed projects which the Provincial Education Department submit every quarter.

2. Yes, DBE have engaged with Provincial Education Department requesting them to make budget allocations for the financial year 2019/20 to ensure that NEIMS condition assessments are done for the updating of the system.

Reply:

(a)(i)(ii)The official international trips that the Minister and her deputy might undertake in 2019-22 depends on, as and when the Department of Basic Education receive an invite, the invitation is then assessed and accepted subject to the president’s approval, or declined if it’s of little value to the department for consideration.

(b)(i)(ii)(iii) Dependant on (a) above, therefore currently not available.

(c)(i)(ii)(iii) Dependant on (a) above, therefore currently not available.

Reply:

(a) The total amount Budgeted for her private office is R 9 342 585.00

Incumbents from 31 May 2019 to date	(b)(i) Total Remuneration	(b)(ii) Salary Level	(b)(iii) Job Title	(b)(iv) Qualification	(b)(v) Job Description
PRIVATE OFFICE
P Sehlabelo	1,308,345.00	14	1 X Chief of Staff	Baccalaureus Artium (BA), University Education Diploma,	Chief of Staff
S Mabua	978,924.00	12	1 X Private Secretary	Diploma Office Administration, Diploma Secretarial Skills & Computer Software	Private Secretary
W Mncube	1,089,294.00	13	1 X Media Liaison Officer	Bachelors Degree In Technology Journalism, National Diploma Journalism	Media Liaison Officer
MJ Letsoha-Mathae	1,023,645.00	12	1 X Community Outreach Officer	Diploma: Project Management	Community Outreach Officer
EN Mbatha	553,677.00	10	1 X Assistant Appointment Secretary	National Diploma: Hospitality Studies	Assistant Appointment Secretary
JN Skwatsha	303,339.00	7	1X Principal Ministerial Typist	Grade 12 & Certificate In Introduction	Principal Ministerial Typist
PM Mphigalale	234,960.00	6	1X Secretary/ Receptionist	Bachelor of Social Science	Secretary/ Receptionist
DR Kunene	122,595.00	3	2 X Domestic Worker	Grade 12 Matric	Domestic Worker
PT Mashaba	122,595.00	3		Grade 12 Matric	Domestic Worker
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
MB Masuku	1,245,495.00	13	1 X Administrative Secretary	Bachelors Degree in Paedagogia, Masters of Law	Administrative Secretary
NM Ramahuma	908,694.00	12	1 X Parliamentary and Cabinet Support	Primary Teachers Diploma, Further Diploma In Education, Baccalaureus Educationis Honoribus, Master Artium (MA)	Parliamentary and Cabinet Support
T Mohlala	869,007.00	12	1 X Cabinet and Parliamentary Officer	N4 Certificate: Business Studies, UNISA - Executive Leadership Municipal Development Programme	Cabinet and Parliamentary Officer
A Segakweng	261,372.00	7	1 X Registry Clerk	Grade 12 Matric	Registry Clerk
MA Mashaba	218,109.00	6	1 X Driver/Messenger	Grade 12 Matric	Driver/Messenger
SM Hlatshwayo	102,534.00	2	1 X Food Aide Services	Grade 11	Food Aide Services

Reply:

a) The Plan is to have a Technical High School in each Circuit. Provinces have not yet identified the schools to be transformed into technical schools.

b) The time frame for the transformation and expansion of schools will be over a period of 5 years starting in 2020 – 2025.

c) Details of how the transformation will take place:

• Identification of schools by the 9 Provincial Education Departments;
• Mapping of schools in circuits to be undertaken;
• An onsite audit of schools will be conducted by the National and Provincial Departments;
• Mathematics, Science and Technology (MST) Conditional Grant covers all schools offering Technical Occupational and Technical vocational subjects.

d) Costs that will be incurred in each case will include the following:

• Infrastructure renovation and construction (workshops).
• Provisioning of equipment tools and consumables for the Technical specialisation subjects.
• Human Resource recruitment.

Reply:

(a) Table 1, 2 and 3 below provides figures for the past three years and (b) since 1 January 2019, (i) 3 632 educators have been trained on various ICT programmes and (ii) all trained educators have completed the training, (iii) 3 632 educators benefitted from ICT training and (iv) the DBE can provide data on how many educators and/ or schools have received ICT devices. However, the data on the usage of these devices lies in Provinces.

The data as captured by the Curriculum Branch on the training provided to educators on how to operate ICT devices, sourced from NSLA reports and the Moodle Platform is as follows:

Province	2016	2017	2018/19
	BASIC	INTERMEDIATE	ADVANCE	TOTAL	BASIC	INTERMEDIATE	ADVANCE	TOTAL	BASIC	INTERMEDIATE	ADVANCE	TOTAL	GRAND TOTAL
Eastern Cape	2 999	782	632	4 413	8 826	14 653	2 852	26 331	4 056	2 667	291	7 014	37 758
Free State	408	8 092	632	9 132	8 172	3 593	6 378	18 143	181	185	39	405	27 680
Gauteng	1 171	502	632	2 305	4 028	6 885	1 326	12 239	1 987	1 700	600	4 287	18 831
KwaZulu-Natal	57	1 555	632	2 244	4 186	8 315	1 507	14 008	4 470	351	295	5 116	21 368
Limpopo	700	300	632	1 632	2 632	4 564	8 828	16 024	343	223	20	566	18 222
Mpumalanga	3 416	12 914	632	16 962	5 599	6 778	1 226	13 603	1 236	592	321	913	31 478
North West	2 638	1 307	632	4 577	8 615	14 592	2 787	25 994	296	4 675	266	5 237	35 808
Northern Cape	374	1 187	632	2 193	4 131	7 888	1 458	13 477	301	121	266	688	16 358
Western Cape	38 314	250	632	39 196	7 760	7 206	23 416	38 382	6 973	3 221	3 245	13 439	91 117
TOTAL	50 077	26 889	632	77 598	53 949	74 474	49 778	178 201	19 843	13 735	5 323	37 665	298 620

Table 1

The data as captured by the Teacher Development Branch sourced from the NSLA on the ICT integration into teaching training programmes:

PROVINCE	2017/18	2018/19	2019 (Quarter 1)
Eastern Cape	2 334	4 661	1 750
Free State	995	1 205	43
Gauteng	11 574	216	0
KwaZulu-Natal	359	234	368
Limpopo	950	1 480	200
Mpumalanga	1 928	1 605	0
North West	1 547	806	137
Northern Cape	250	727	0
Western Cape	3 832	1 879	634
Total	23 769	12 813	3 132

Table 2

Training provided on the Professional Development Framework for Digital Learning since 2018.

PROVINCE	Target Group	Date
KwaZulu-Natal	405 (Provincial Core Training Team)	July 2019
Gauteng	200 subject advisors (3 hour workshops)	August to September 2018
North West	91 (Provincial Core Training Team)	July 2018
Western Cape	30 (30 e-learning specialists, Curriculum Support and Teacher Development)	April 2018
Total	371 provincial and district officials

Table 3

Reply:

(a), (b), (c) and (d).

As part of monitoring, the National Department only collects aggregated information on teacher attendance. The Honourable Member is kindly advised to request the detailed information as requested directly from the Provincial Education Departments.

Reply:

a) During the Basic Education Budget Vote 14 debate for the 2019/2020 financial year, it was indicated that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) has committed to developing a comprehensive plan to ensure a phased-in and systematic relocation of the responsibility and leadership for ECD. It was further indicated that this comprehensive plan will include the provision of two years of compulsory ECD prior to Grade 1; as well as the provision of Early Childhood Development (ECD) for 0-4-year-olds. Finally, the Department committed to the costed plan being finalised by March 2020.

The development of these plans is based on two principles:

1. The plans should ensure that both the access and quality of ECD should improve significantly over the next 10 years; and
2. The plans should be sensitive to the current model of ECD provision and not destabilise nor cause confusion in either the ECD or schooling sector.

b) The detailed plan for institutionalising the abovementioned high-level objectives is still being developed.

c) The DBE is working towards finalising a detailed, costed plan by March 2020, while at the same time beginning preparations for implementation.

d) The cost will be clarified through the detailed, costed plan.

Reply:

All schools have established School Safety Committees in line with the National School Safety Framework. Each Committee is comprised of internal representatives from the School Governing Body (SGB) School Management Team (SMT), educators and learners. External role players are comprised of representatives from Government Department such as, South Africa Police Services (SAPS), Health, Social Development, Municipalities as well as Non-Governmental Organisations NGO) including Faith-based organisations.

The Department of Basic Education has also entered into partnership with the National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT) to coordinate a wide spectrum of stakeholders through the National School Safety Steering Committee (NSSSC).

 

Reply:

The Department has a component that helps develop and empower the principals of schools in management on an ongoing basis in the same way as Subject Advisors assist schools teachers with subject related matters. These are Circuit Managers who are supervisors of school principals. Each Circuit Manager is responsible for between 25 and 30 school principals according to the Policy on the Roles and Responsibilities of Education Districts with consideration to provincial differences.

Reply:

The response below is as received from the Gauteng Department of education.

a) The Gauteng Department of Education completed infrastructure assessments with regard to the number and type of facilities during the 2018/19 financial year. This data informs the number of additional facilities, including classrooms, required per school and by implication the number of new schools required in any given residential area.

b) There is a total of 38 public ordinary schools in the wards referred to above of which 28 are primary and 10 are secondary schools. There is a total shortage of 23 classrooms in 9 primary schools and 3 classrooms in 1 secondary school, whilst there is a surplus of 53 classrooms in 19 primary schools and 61 classrooms in 9 secondary schools, based on our learner: classroom ratio of 40:1.

c) There are no plans to build additional schools in the area as there isn’t a need for additional schools based on our learner: classroom ratio of 40:1. After the construction of Glenvista Primary School in 2015 the overcrowding in primary schools in these areas was significantly reduced.

d) See (c) above.

Reply:

The National School Safety Framework (NNSF) provides the Basic Education Department with an organising framework to coordinate all efforts in response to school related violence. This Framework provides evidence-informed approaches based on accurate and comprehensive data of the effectiveness of existing programmes.

A key pillar of the NSSF is collaboration and partnerships. School violence cannot be separated from the high levels of violence that are experienced in some of our communities. The Framework encourages partnerships with sister departments like the SAPS, civil society organisations, academic institutions and education stakeholders. The Minister convened a School Safety Summit in October 2018 and one of the recommendations of this summit was the establishment of a School Safety Steering Committee comprised of a wide spectrum of education stakeholders including SGB federations, learner formations and teacher unions.

The Department has provided a manual on how to address violence at school level to all schools. The provincial education departments continue to provide training and support to schools, particularly those schools in high crime areas, to effectively respond to school violence and bullying. These hotspot schools have also been linked to local police stations through a national partnership with the SAPS. The manual encourages all schools to establish school safety committees and provides evidence informed strategies to address bullying, homophobia, xenophobia and gangsterism.

In addition, through the Council of Education Ministers, the Department has made available two key protocols on how to address corporal punishment and sexual abuse in schools. The Department has provided training to all provinces and districts on how to utilise these protocols in schools.

The Department, in partnership with UNICEF and Save the Children, will be undertaking the third School Violence Survey in 2019 to continue to monitor the effectiveness of the implementation of the NSSF.

Reply:

1. The Teacher Laptop Initiative was part of a strategy to take forward the objective of improving Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in teaching and learning.  After its announcement in 2009, the initiative was widely hailed as one of the critical steps towards the improvement of the quality of education. The initiative’s aim was to ensure that every teacher owns and uses a laptop, by providing them with a monthly allowance which will contribute to the purchase costs as well as the costs of connectivity.

2. Due to a number of challenges the Department did not launch this project.

3. STATE OF THE NATIONS ADDRESS (SONA) INJUNCTIONS

Based on the 2019 SONA injunctions, the DBE plans to provide each learner and teacher with an ICT device with access to digitised Learning and Teaching Support Material (LTSM).

3.1 A comprehensive ICT plan has been developed to provide a framework for an affordable and sustainable implementation of ICTs in education. The plan will be implemented in three phases, commencing with Phase 1 that will target multi-grade, multiphase, farm and selected rural schools (2020-2021). The Second Phase will target quintile 1 to 3 schools (2022-2023), and Phase 3 will target quintile 4 and 5 schools (2024). All Special schools will be accommodated in all phases according to the type of disability.

3.2 The DBE will work with other government departments, the private sector and social partners in the deployment of ICTs, and will drive a sector-wide campaign to maximise the benefit of e-Learning at all schools in the country.

4. FOCUS AREAS

Four areas have been identified from the e-Education White Paper (2004) as follows:

4.1 Digital content resource development (digitisation)

The DBE will invest in digital content development to ensure that high quality digital resources are available free of charge offline and online via the DBE Cloud, Thutong and other platforms. The basic education sector aims for a balance between ‘state-owned’ content resources, open education resources (OERs) and publisher-created (proprietary) content resources. The Department will continue with its initiative of digitising state-owned content resources.

4.2 ICT professional development for management, teaching and learning integration

The introduction of ICT in the education sector necessitates the professional development of all teachers, managers and educator support staff in the Provinces. This means the provision of appropriate training for teachers and managers before they attempt to introduce the use of ICT in the classrooms. The training of teachers will be guided by the Professional Development Framework for Digital Learning.

4.3 ICT infrastructure

The DBE plans to provide each learner and teacher with an ICT device to enhance teaching and learning. It should be noted that ICT infrastructure is fundamental to the implementation of e-Education and offers opportunities to access learning, redress inequalities and improve the quality of teaching and learning.

4.4 School connectivity

The Departments of Basic Education and Communications have developed a connectivity plan for schools. The plan seeks to provide cost-effective, secure and efficient connectivity that will advance the quality of teaching and learning in schools, specifically ensuring access to quality education.

 

Reply:

(1);(2) This information is not routinely collected by the national department. The member is advised to request the information directly from the provincial departments.

Reply:

1. The national Department of Basic Education has a responsibility to oversee, guide, monitor and support the provinces in the implementation of the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP), and to ensure compliance with National Treasury regulations and the Conditional Grant Framework in particular. The Provincial Education Departments on the other hand, have a key responsibility to implement the programme in line with the applicable prescripts and guidance. Procurement of services for the NSNP is a provincial responsibility. To ensure that learners benefit maximally, the Conditional Grant Framework of the NSNP specifies the following conditions: the percentage of funds that are to be used for procurement and cooking of meals (feeding); the quality of school meals; as well responsibilities for districts and provinces with respect to monitoring and support to ensure adherence.

2. The selection of service providers in the NSNP is managed like all procurement processes in the public service. The selection is done by provinces in line with the Supply Chain Management (SCM) System processes and applicable prescripts. Where the procurement model is centralised (Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Western Cape), an open tender process is followed. In the remaining provinces where the decentralised model is used and funds are transferred to schools, the 3 quotation system is mostly utilised, as determined by the ceiling price of the service in line with SCM prescripts. In all instances, procurement is required to be open, fair, transparent, equitable, effective and efficient, among others. The DBE has developed a guideline for schools on the management of NSNP funds which was disseminated to provinces and districts. School Management Teams were trained on the use of this guideline.

Reply:

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has not conducted teacher training for coding, however some PEDs and individual schools have conducted training and this information may be obtained from PEDs. DBE has finalised Plans to deliver training of Teachers on coding.