Questions and Replies

Reply:

Below is the extract from a speech made by the Minister of Transport on the occasion of the handing over ceremony torch of peace, at Soshanguve East Secondary School in Shoshanguve –Gauteng, on 17 January, to provide context to the response:

“RTMC is currently implementing numerous road safety school projects. To mention just two, for the purposes of brevity, the RTMC’s drivers licence project gives unemployed youth opportunities to obtain drivers licenses through training on simulators and on the roads and they also facilitate the Scholar Patrol project which offers scholar patrol training to schools.”

“Part of the long term initiative to establish and enhance road safety relates to the skilling of our drivers, particularly those who will be acquiring licenses for the first time. Our intended purpose is to work with the Department of Basic Education to include the Driving lessons at high school as part of the curriculum.”

 (a) The Department of Basic Education intends to pilot the driver simulator lessons in partnership with the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC).

 (b) Driver Simulator lessons are a practical method of training drivers before they drive a vehicle on the roads. The intention is to have competent drivers at the point when learners are eligible to test for a driver’s licence. This will not be in the curriculum but will be an enrichment programme.

 (c) No, there would not be any cost to be incurred by the Department of Basic Education.

Reply:

(a) Academic – Learners who have fallen pregnant are encouraged to remain in school as long as they are able to, until they deliver their babies. They are supported, like all learners, to perform optimally.

(b) Financial – No specific financial assistance is given to pregnant learners. They benefit through other Departmental programmes like the provision of nutritious meals through the National School Nutrition Programme, no-fee paying schools or exemption from fees in fee-paying schools, and scholar transport if they qualify as per the set criteria for these programmes.

c) Medical assistance – The Department of Basic Education collaborates with the Department of Health to make available school health services through itinerant school health teams. In addition, schools are encouraged to establish a relationship with their nearest health facility, to which learners are referred for medical assistance as is needed.

Reply:

(a) The total number of new and replacement schools delivered by Provincial Departments of Education as at the end of the third quarter of the 2016/17 financial year is 708. The number, however, did not include schools built through the Accelerated School Infrastructure Delivery Initiative, which is implemented by the Department of Basic Education (DBE), which were included in the number referred to in the State of the Nation Address.

Reply:

The Department has forwarded the question to the nine Provincial Education Departments and is awaiting the response. The response will be forwarded as soon as the Department receives it.

Reply:

(1) The works of Shakespeare, unlike any other writer, are prescribed and compulsory for Grades 10, 11 and 12 and therefore constitute a significant emphasis on the English Literature.

(2) Yes, the works of Shakespeare are still relevant in terms of thematic material and character analysis, so that teachers have a standard against which to measure other classical dramas. For example, a classical play includes all literary features such as exposition, rising action, conflict, climax, falling action/anti-climax and resolution/denouement. It also includes timeless motif/themes and/or background and settings.

(3) No, the works listed above do not require a review and are currently included on the national catalogue of prescribed works.

However, the life span of a national catalogue is ideally five (5) years and therefore these catalogues will be continually reviewed to ensure that more African writers and South African writers in particular are included.

Reply:

The DBE has forwarded questions 1, 2 and 3 to the Eastern Cape Provincial Education for a response. Once received the response will be forwarded to the National Assembly.

(1) Waiting for a response from the EC.

(2)(a) Waiting for a response from the EC.

    (b) Waiting for a response from the EC.

3.Waiting for a response from the EC.

(4)(a) UNESCO has published much literature on the importance of mother tongue education. Provisions for education in mother tongue are contained in several international conventions, namely, the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention (1989), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) and the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families (1990).

(b) Section 29(2) of the SA Constitution makes provision for everyone “to receive education in the official language or languages of their choice in public educational institutions where that education is reasonably practicable.”

The Language in Education Policy, which is premised on the imperatives of the Constitution, provides for learners to learn through any of the eleven official languages. Learners and schools have an option from Grade 4 onwards to select a language of their choice for learning and teaching, and that includes English or Afrikaans.

5.The Eastern Cape Province, upon concluding the evaluation of their Mother Tongue Based Bilingual Education pilot initiative, will present their findings to the Department of Basic Education. Thereafter a determination for a demand of mother tongue in the other official languages will be made.

Reply:

1. (a) India was included to widen the scope of international research in Asia,

(b) Rwanda was included to widen the scope of international research in Africa,

(c) Zimbabwe was included to widen the scope of international research in Africa,

(d) Nigeria was included to widen the scope of international research in Africa,

(e) China was included to widen the scope of international research in Asia and as part of BRICS as suggested by stakeholders during the Round Table discussion of December 2015,

(f) Tanzania was included to widen the scope of international research in Africa,

(g) Russia was included to widen the scope of international research in Asia and as part of BRICS as suggested by stakeholders during the Round Table discussion of December 2015, and

(h) Brazil was included to widen the scope of international research in Latin America and as part of BRICS as suggested by stakeholders during the Round Table discussion of December 2015.

2. International research shared at the History Round Table indicated that the majority of African countries teach history as a compulsory subject only in primary and lower secondary schools. In European countries History is mostly compulsory up to Grade 9 and a popular elective offered as part of various streams. It was also indicated that the subject is packaged differently in both African and European countries. In some countries, it forms part of a subject or learning area called Social Sciences or Social Studies, or People and Society or Social, Political and Environmental education; while in other countries it is offered as a stand-alone subject. The curriculum content thereof, in most of these countries focuses on the historical, social, geographic, economic and political changes that have shaped these societies within the broader global environment.

3. It is envisaged that various stakeholders would be invited to form part of these consultative meetings such as representatives of Teacher Unions, School Governing Bodies, principal associations, Higher Education Institutions, heritage institutions, members of civil society, History associations, curriculum advisors, etc.

Reply:

Yes. The Draft Guidelines on the Employment of Foreign Educators in South Africa (public schools) were approved by the Heads of Education Departments Committee. The guidelines are currently being implemented by Provincial Education Departments (PEDs).

Reply:

1. (a) No

(b) Provincial Education Departments are autonomous. DBE does not have access or control over their procurement processes.

(i) N/A

(ii) N/A.

2. None.

Reply:

a) After following internal processes in the Department of Basic Education (DBE), the report was submitted to the Minister in March 2017. Having engaged with the report, the Minister approved that it be made public by posting it on the website of the DBE. To this end, the report is being formatted and will be posted on the DBE website as soon as this is completed.

b) In addition to posting the report on the DBE website, NEEDU findings and their implications for the education sector will be shared in different forums between May and June 2017. These forums include different branches and structures within the DBE, HEDCOM and its sub-committees and the Council of Education Ministers. Presentations will also be made in the forums where the DBE interacts with stakeholders e.g., Principals’ Association of South Africa (PASA) and the consultative forum of National School Governing Body Associations.

Reply:

(a) The question has been referred to the provinces and the response will be forwarded as soon as information is received Provincial Education Departments (PEDs).

(b)(i)(ii)and (iii)

The question has been referred to the PEDs and the response will be forwarded as soon as information is received.

(c) The question has been referred to the PEDs and the response will be forwarded as soon as information is received.

Reply:

Whether her department has engaged with the office of Women in The Presidency to discuss the roll-out of its Sanitary Dignity Campaign to provide sanitary towels to vulnerable and poor girls;

Yes, the Department of Basic Education serves on the Sanitary Dignity Campaign Task Team as coordinated by Department of Women in the Presidency.

(a) in what ways will her department be involved

The Department has been participating in the task team meetings with the view to contribute to the campaign. There are no adequate resources in the DBE voted funds to address the provision of sanitary towels to poor girls. However, provinces such as Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal are providing sanitary towels to various degrees.

(b) what are the further relevant details in this regard

The Department is engaging its partners to consider supporting the initiative but this will be informed by empirical evidence of the need for sanitary towels among affected learners of school-going age and by identifying locations of greatest need for a more focused intervention.

Reply:

1. (a) The Department of Basic Education did not participate in the mentioned event.

(b) Umalusi Response: Umalusi did not participate in the Dialogue with the President: Unpacking of the SONA 2017 on Radical Economic Transformation Implementation event hosted at the Oyster Box Hotel in Umhlanga, Durban, on 25 February 2017.

SACE response: N/A

2. (a) The Department of Basic Education did not participate in the mentioned event.

   (b) Umalusi response: Umalusi did not participate in the auction of the souvenirs or personal belongings of the President of the Republic, Mr Jacob G Zuma.

SACE response: N/A

Reply:

a) The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) was not informed of the protest prior to the protest day, and therefore, permission to protest was not granted. The number of learners that participated in the protest led by COSAS on 15 March 2017 is estimated to be around 2 000 and not 5000.

b) The demands of the protesting learners, as captured in the attached memorandum, Annexure A, submitted to the MEC on 15 March 2017 include the following:

1. Termination of contracts between GDE and the National School Nutrition Programme service providers who distribute food to schools.
2. National School Nutrition Program to include breakfast.
3. Provision of Economic Empowerment (Entrepreneurship) lessons in the school curriculum.
4. Provision of still water and not Rand water to schools.
5. Provision of scholar transport to learners that walk for more than 5Km.
6. Provision of sanitary towels for girl learners.
7. Provision of free uniforms to learners.
8. Replacement of chalkboards with smartboards in all schools.
9. Construction of swimming pools in townships schools.
10. Construction of schools of excellence in all townships.

c) The GDE will be engaging the learners through COSAS with regard to all their demands. However, the Department takes exception to the violent behaviour displayed by the learners during the protest.

Reply:

1. The Department is aware of the role domestic migration plays in the large number of learners who wish to register not only in the Western Cape school system but in all big cities of all our provinces. The relevant details of the Western Cape are provided in the table below as follows:

Table 1: Number of learners to the Western Cape

FROM	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	TOTAL
Eastern Cape	20.990	22.286	21.283	20.200	14.291	99.050
Free State	351	400	506	608	258	2.123
Gauteng	1.609	1.499	1.704	1.698	780	7.290
Kwa-Zulu-Natal	365	390	589	490	572	2.406
Limpopo	139	136	225	173	75	748
Mpumalanga	171	191	236	185	79	862
North-West	155	165	187	229	102	838
Northern Cape	795	788	834	744	421	3.582
Other Country	2.033	2.100	1.812	2.053	1.397	9.395
Total	26.608	27.955	27.376	26.380	17.975	126.294

The table below indicates the number of learners moving from province to province:

Table 2: Number of learners from one province to another, by province, in 2016

Province	Previous Province
	Eastern Cape	Free State	Gauteng	Kwazulu-Natal	Limpopo	Mpumalanga	North West	Northern Cape	Western Cape	Grand Total
Eastern Cape		1 068	6 259	3 678	159	406	701	445	10 310	23 026
Free State	1 980		6 581	1 004	341	719	1 732	1 161	740	14 258
Gauteng	6 964	3 102		6 368	10 151	23 872	21 481	589	3 560	76 087
Kwazulu-Natal	4 715	614	7 291		248	1 993	3 267	126	923	19 177
Limpopo	172	325	9 536	162		2 877	3 091	70	146	16 379
Mpumalanga	679	470	6 249	2 350	11 205		3 314	113	237	24 617
North West	1 599	1 344	9 370	362	1 793	784		1 261	192	16 705
Northern Cape	462	741	1 161	86	157	173	2 425		1 547	6 752
Western Cape	77 952	1 871	8 054	2 012	653	853	728	3 085		95 208
Grand Total	94 523	9 535	54 501	16 022	24 707	31 677	36 739	6 850	17 655	292 209

Source: 2016 LURITS

2. (a) The impact that the high number of learners who move to any province including the Western Cape is that the majority of the learners arrive late in such provinces, often between January and March. They place a huge pressure on the receiving province to accommodate them and provide all the necessary resources and support. The financial impact and cost to the Provincial Education Department is huge as this is not factored into the norms and standards allocation.

(ii) The impact on provinces from which learners migrate is that provincial departments in rural provinces are forced to merge or close some of the schools and teachers deployed to where their services are required.

Reply:

 

1. The Department was made aware of the letter when an anonymous caller wanted to confirm the legality of the letter sent out to parents by Eastleigh Primary School a few days after its distribution.

2. A school principal is the representative of the Provincial Head of Department at schools level. The principal is required in terms of Section 14-21 of the National Education Policy Act, 27 of 1996 which deals with documents required for admissions to verify all submitted documents for the purpose of admissions of all learners in a school.

3. The Department will not investigate the matter as the matter was addressed with the School Management Team and the School Governing Body. The letter of 22 February 2017 was withdrawn by the school and an apology letter was sent to all parents of the school. The Gauteng Department of Education is working with the Department of Home Affairs in the area to assist affected parents and prevent the repeat of the incident.

Reply:

1. (a) – (e) The Department has forwarded the question to the Provincial Education Departments and is awaiting the response. The response will be forwarded as soon as the Department receives it.

(f) As part of the process of rationalisation, merging and closing of schools, learners who will need to be transported from their current schools to the host school are identified, the routes finalised and approved. These are then factored into the transport plan that is submitted to the Department of Transport for the transportation of these learners.

(g) The LTSM resources of the closed school are transferred to the host school that has been identified to accommodate the learners from both schools that are merged. Where there are shortages, additional orders are placed to ensure the requisite LTSM resources are supplied to the school.

However, it must be noted that provisioning of educators at receiving schools is in terms of the post provisioning norms, which takes into account the number of learners as one of the factors.

2. The Department has forwarded the question to the Provincial Education Departments and is awaiting the response. The response will be forwarded as soon as the Department receives it.

Reply:

(1)(a) The Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) have allocated their 2016/17 Learning and Teaching Support Material (LTSM) budgets as follows

PROVINCE	TEXTBOOKS	STATIONERY
EC	R 835 620 697	R 304 693 907
FS	R54 000 000	R51 5 00 000
GP	R1 006 583 271
KZ	R514 000 000	R384 000 000
LP	R489 339 000	R149 000 000
MP	R 7 281 067	R198 740 602
NC	R79 590 165	R22 337 831
NW	R336 846 462	R163 920 770
WC (S20)	R 196 311 000	R 34 798 247
(S21)	R 495 019 000

(1)(b)(i)(ii)

Retention and retrieval of textbooks are deemed to complement each other and therefore targets have not been separated for each. The department has provided the sector with guidelines which aims for a retention and retrieval rate of 95%.

(2)(a)(b)

Textbooks and other LTSM are maintained through the Retention and Retrieval Guidelines, which is also managed in context with the asset management policies of each provincial department and district. The Guidelines seeks to promote preservation of learner teacher support material as well as holding managers of schools accountable for low retention and retrieval.

In addition, schools are encouraged to implement effective retrieval and retention practices in order to reach universal coverage of textbooks. The attainment of universal coverage is incentivized by allowing schools autonomy to divert textbook budgets towards other learner teacher support materials that the school may deem necessary to promote teaching and learning.

Reply:

The Department engaged the Hawks regarding the matter who advised that the relevant body that needs to deal with the matter is the Asset and Forfeiture Unit.

Reply:

a) How many volunteers have been investigated for fraud to date?

The Department has been investigating alleged cases of fraud that were reported.

90 volunteers were allegedly involved in fraud and corruption. All reported cases of fraud have been dealt with decisively.

The Department continuously updates its internal controls which assists in strengthening the validation processes and financial management of the campaign.

(b) Was any volunteer found guilty?

Yes, 90 volunteers were found guilty through the Departmental internal processes.

(c) What amount of money was involved?

90 volunteers were identified to have been paid an amount of R282 297.22 without any learners.

(d) Will the volunteer be criminally charged, and

The identified volunteers were removed from the Campaign and the monies deducted.

(e) What steps have been taken to recover the amount in each case?

The Department has recovered R 281 838.53 (99.84%) to date.

To recover monies, the Department deducted the funds owed from the stipend payments due to volunteers. The Department employs volunteers in a hierarchical structure, which are; Monitors, Coordinators, Supervisors and Volunteer Educators.

Detailed Steps:

Deceased Learners registered in the Campaign

Step 1: Once the deceased learners have been identified by the Department of Home Affairs, the volunteers who submitted list of deceased learners are identified.

Step 2: The actual stipend is determined as per the sliding scale.

Step 3: The determined amount of stipend related to the fraudulent transactions is then deducted.

Step 4: The identified volunteers are removed from the Campaign.

 

Reply:

The list does not include schools with access to only improved ventilated pit latrines.

The requested information can be found on the link to the following webpage: http://www.education.gov.za/Newsroom/ParliamentaryQuestions/2017NA670.aspx containing the Annexure of the list of schools with Ventilated Pit Latrines.

Reply:

1. During the Section 100 (1) (b) Intervention in Limpopo Department of Education pay performance incentives to qualifying employees were authorised by the Administrator. The value of the performance incentives paid to qualifying employees was R11 918 310.16

2. The bonus pay-outs were authorised by the Administrator only for salary level 1 – 12 employees and SMS members were only paid pay progression.

Reply:

The process of sharing the findings and recommendations of the report of the South African Human Rights Commission with the key structures of the sector commenced as soon as the DBE received the report in September 2016. Flowing from this, the DBE has constituted an internal multidisciplinary team that will not only respond to events, but that will also develop and institutionalise proactive mechanisms to ensure the protection of the right to a basic education. To guide the work of the team, the DBE has developed terms of reference of which consultations are currently underway within the Department.

Reply:

1. (a) The ASIDI Programme was allocated an amount of R 2 046 825 000 for the period ending 31 March 2016 (2015/16).

(b) The table below indicates expenditure per province:

Province	Allocation in 2015/2016 Financial Year	Expenditure
Eastern Cape	R 1 084 091 000	R 1 036 314 282.84
Free State	R 478 416 000	R 187 121 154.00
Gauteng	R 11 202 000
KwaZulu-Natal	R 138 097 000	R 40 545 596.00
Limpopo	R 104 316 000	R 18 233 998.00
Mpumalanga	R 128 569 000	R 47 164 814.00
Northern Cape	R 33 638 000	R 6 439 905.00
North West	R 68 496 000	R 15 062 193.00
Eskom (All Provinces)		R 24 806 781.00
Total Capital Expenditure		R 1 375 688 723.84
Add: Operational Expenditure		R 246 731 387.91
Programme Support Unit		R 107 446 255.23
Operational Expenditure		R 33 132 264.97
Furniture & Equipments		R 106 152 867.71
Total	R 2 046 825 000	R 1 622 420 111.75

2. a & b (i & ii), R 424 404 888.25 m was returned to the National Treasury as a result of underspending. The underspent amount was returned to the National Revenue. The primary reason for the under expenditure was the mergers and rationalisation programme undertaken by the EC DoE which resulted in the projects allocated to the Implementing Agents on the ASIDI Programme having to be suspended. The process has since been completed and all the affected projects are in the process of implementation.

Reply:

The Department has forwarded the question to the Northern Cape Provincial Education Department and is awaiting the response. The response will be forwarded as soon as the Department receives it.

Reply:

(a) The correct amount is R1 549 899. At 31 March 2017 an amount of R474 737 was already deducted/recovered from the affected volunteers, leaving the balance of R1 075 161. The balance will be deducted from the affected volunteers when remaining payments are processed where possible.

(b) The Auditor-General based their findings on the information presented to them for audit purposes. Some irregularities were identified during the audit. If the Department disagreed with these findings, the Department had to provide evidence to prove the Department’s case. However, there was not enough time for the Department to agree or disagree with the findings. The investigation of the process would have gone beyond the time of the audit and, in the absence of the evidence the Department disclosed the amount as per the findings of the Auditor-General.

Reply:

a) The impact of the progressed learners on the overall results of the 2016 National Senior Certificate examination, is 3.7%.

b) The overall pass rate with the progressed learners included is 72.5% and the overall pass rate with the progressed learners excluded is 76.2%. The difference between these two figures is 3.7%

c) The impact was calculated after the standardisation process.

Reply:

1.  Yes, the Department has set the deadline for provinces to ensure that all the necessary Learning and Teaching Support Material (LTSM) is delivered to schools. The deadline is end of October annually. Between November of the same year and January of the following, provinces, districts and schools are conducting mop-up processes to accommodate the learner migration and late registration phenomena.

2. The Department has monitoring and oversight systems in place to ensure that provinces deliver all necessary LTSM to schools on time. These systems include reports to the Council of Education Ministers (CEM) meetings, Head of Education Committee Meetings (HEDCOM), Teacher Development and Curriculum Meetings as well as quarterly LTSM forum meetings. These meetings are platforms where provinces are held accountable, where applicable, and assisted where there are challenges.

Reply:

The following table reflects the spending, per-learner, with regard to the school allocation. The spending, per-learner, is the same for both primary and secondary school learners.

		2016 School allocations per-learner
Province	Per learner allocation to no fee learners	Per learner allocation to fee paying learners in Quintile 4	Per learner allocation to fee paying learners in Quintile 5
EC	R 1 177	R 590	R 204
FS	R 1 177	R 590	R 240
GT	R 1 177	R 590	R 590
KZN	R 955	R 522	R 179
LP	R 1 102	R 590	R 204
MPU	R 1 010	R 503	R 173
NC	R 1 125	R 698	R 326
NW	R 1 177	R 605	R 204
WC	R 1 144	R 573	R 198

 

Reply:

1. The independent was appointed to investigate the alleged fraud and corruption in the Kha Ri Gude programme for the 2014/15 and 2015/16 financial years.

2. (a) There was no tender issued to appoint the service provider because the threshold allowed the Department to source the service through the quotation process. Quotations were sourced from the audit companies registered on Central Supplier Database;

(b) The selection process was based on the 80/20 point system whereby 80 points were for price and 20 points for B-BBEE because quotations were only sourced from the audit firms.

(c) The Terms of Reference required:

• The appointed service provider to investigate the alleged fraud and corruption in the Kha Ri Gude programme for 2014/15 and 2015/16 financial years;
• During the 2015\16 financial year audit, the auditors found that there was registration of deceased learners before the start of the campaign resulting in the overpayment of stipends to educators, supervisors, coordinators and the project management company on account of fraudulent claims and the educators having less than 18 learners. This resulted in alleged fictitious payments made to educators.

(d) The findings and recommendations were as follows:

Findings

• Payment made to individuals with invalid, non-existent ID numbers
• Overpayment of stipend
• Anomalous data

Recommendations

• The Department must recover the money lost with immediate effect and a clear recovery plan must be formulated and implemented. (Recovery has already started. At 31 March 2017 an amount of R474 737 had already been recovered and the recovery continues).

Reply:

a) The Department has instituted measures to ensure that the annual registrations for schools proceed smoothly in each province by holding scheduled meetings with all provincial co-ordinators who are at director level and responsible for admissions on a regular basis. They analyse the admissions processes in order to review and amend such processes to ensure that annual registration proceed efficiently from year to year. Provincial admissions co-ordinators share best practice as a way of bringing uniformity in the sector while taking into consideration provincial differences.

b) The following methods have been put in place for Provincial Departments to implement:

(i) Review Regulation/Circular;

(ii) Determine the admission period with a comprehensive management plan (timeframes) mapping out:

• Application Period – distribution of admission forms, when parents return forms, information on documentation needed;
• Management of registration – clear criteria for waiting lists and process to rank applications using feeder schools and residential information as examples, depending on provincial Regulation;
• The period to inform parents on the status of their children’s application;
• Period of placement of learners with information on period to lodge appeals, where to find support if a learner is not placed with contact details of provincial and district officials responsible admissions; and
• Clear strategies on admission of non-citizens.

(iii) Establish admission teams at provincial and district level;

(iv) Mediate admission Circular to schools;

(v) Ratify admission policies of schools;

(vi) Conduct advocacy campaigns to inform parents about early registration and provide all the necessary information about admission processes;

(vii) Place all admission information on the provincial website;

(viii) Monitor admission processes in schools and intervene where there is non-compliance with policy;

(iX) Identify hotspots and develop strategies to address them;

(x) Create a rapid response team to handle grievances and appeals;

(xi) Resolve/ mediate appeals within the shortest period possible;

(xii) Compile report and update figures monthly for the DBE is attention as per the requirement of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education; and

(xiii) Make requisition for additional resources (classrooms, teachers).

The most recent inter-provincial meetings on admissions took place on 6 and 7 December 2016, 7 March 2017 and 29 March 2017. Follow-up meetings focusing on progress reporting in terms of planned admissions activities are scheduled quarterly on the following dates:

1. 7 May 2017;
2. 6 August 2017; and
3. 28 November 2017.

c) Late registrations are centralised in districts as a measure to address disruptions caused by late registrations. This is also meant to prevent parents from disrupting teaching and learning by moving from school to school seeking placement for their children. Districts establish admission teams which collect admission information on available spaces in schools so as to direct learners seeking admission late to such schools accordingly. Letters are issued by disticts directors to schools with spaces available to ease the challenges of late registration.

Reply:

According to the layest information received by the Department of Basic Education, the results of the Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ) IV Project will be made publicly available by the SACMEQ Coordinating Centre by the end of the second term of the 2017 academic year.

Reply:

(a) (b) The Director-General of the Department of Basic Education, Mr HM Mweli, has directed each Provincial Department of Education to implement principal competency testing in writing (i) on 27 January 2016.

(ii) Provinces have not complied with the directive because the matter has not been finalised at the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC). It is important for the matter to be concluded by the Council as it affects the basic conditions of employment of educators.

The Western Cape has a functional competency testing system for appointment of principals but it is not mandatory yet. School Governing Bodies are still given an option to utilise the system if they so wish.

Reply:

(a); (b); (c) and (d)

The above mentioned provinces experienced delays in allocation of projects and procurement processes for implementation in the current financial year’s programme. It should, however, be noted that expenditure on maintenance has improved significantly subsequent to the said presentation.

Reply:

The Mpumalanga Department of Education budgeted amount was availed to only cater for provision of new textbooks on the National Catalogues to be implemented in the 2017 school year. The budget was insufficient to provide for top ups to new schools.

Reply:

1. Yes, the outstanding information has been received from the SACE. The SACE has provided the DBE with the following information:

(a)(aa)Total number of disciplinary hearings conducted and finalised 2012/13

Province	KZN	N. Cape	E. Cape	Limpopo	MP	NW	GP	FS	WC	TOTAL
	6	_	2	2	3	2	4	2	_	21

(i) & (ii) Sexual abuse and Violence or corporal punishment cases per Province 2013/14

Province	KZN	N. Cape	E. Cape	Limpopo	MP	NW	GP	FS	WC	TOTAL
Sexual Abuse	24	01	16	05	05	06	17	10	19	104
Violence	24	-	02	08	29	07	14	04	115	182

(bb)Total number of disciplinary hearings conducted and finalised 2013/14

Province	KZN	N. Cape	E. Cape	Limpopo	MP	NW	GP	FS	WC	TOTAL
	10	-	3	1	9	2	8	15	9	57

(i) & (ii) Sexual abuse and Violence or corporal punishment cases per Province 2013/14

Province	KZN	N. Cape	E. Cape	Limpopo	MP	NW	GP	FS	WC	TOTAL
Sexual Abuse	6	_	2	2	3	2	4	2	_	21
Violence	15	01	11	08	04	04	21	04	188	209

(cc) Total number of disciplinary hearings conducted and finalised 2014/15

Province	KZN	N. Cape	E. Cape	Limpopo	MP	NW	GP	FS	WC	TOTAL
	11	-	5	8	10	7	10	12	6	69

(i) & (ii) Sexual abuse and Violence or corporal punishment cases per Province 2014/15

Province	KZN	N. Cape	E. Cape	Limpopo	MP	NW	GP	FS	WC	TOTAL
Sexual Abuse	23	02	06	06	09	05	22	10	11
Violence	25	03	08	10	08	07	22	05	165

(b) Cases are categorised per province and not per district.

(2) The SACE has provided the DBE with the following information:

    a) Total number of misconduct cases reported to SACE for the periods:

     (i) 2011/12                      525

  b) 

(i) Fraudulent qualifications, Financial mismanagement and Theft	56
(ii) Sexual misconduct	126
(iii) Physical assault	174

 (ii) 2012/13                               556

(b)

(i) Fraudulent qualifications, Financial mismanagement and Theft	65
(ii) Sexual misconduct	104
(iii) Physical assault	182

 (iii)  2013/14                600

(b)

(i) Fraudulent qualifications, Financial mismanagement and Theft	42
(ii) Sexual misconduct	82
(iii) Physical assault	209

  (iv) 2014/15                    572

(b)

(i) Fraudulent qualifications, Financial mismanagement and Theft	34
(ii) Sexual misconduct	88
(iii) Physical assault	252

(v) 2015/16                              593

(b)

(i) Fraudulent qualifications, Financial mismanagement and Theft	40
(ii) Sexual misconduct	97
(iii) Physical assault	267

Please be advised that cases of fraud, financial misconduct and theft have always been captured in the same column and not as fraudulent qualifications alone.

Only since April 2016 is fraudulent qualifications being captured separately for ease of identification and reference.

Reply:

1. (a)(b)(c)(d)

There were two Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) that were placed under administration in terms of section 100(1)(b) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa – the Eastern Cape in 2010 and Limpopo in 2011.

The main reason for placing these two PEDs under administration, was the detected collapse in essential administration functions, including financial management, human resource management – especially the rationalisation of excess teachers and the appointment of teachers where needed - the transfer of funds to schools in terms of the National Norms and Standards for the Funding of Public Schools, the procurement and delivery of learning and teaching support materials (LTSMs), the management of the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) and other Conditional Grants, etc.

2. (a)(b)(c)(d)

The administration in terms of section 100(1)(b) in Limpopo was down-graded to section 100(1)(a) of the Constitution, which allows the PED to continue with the implementation of the section 100(1)(b) interventions, as well as recovery programmes identified for the section 100(1)(a) intervention. The Minister still oversees the roll-out of the section 100(1)(a) intervention in Limpopo in line with her oversight responsibilities in all PEDs in terms of the National Education Policy Act.

The Limpopo Provincial Treasury also placed the Limpopo Education Department under section 18 of the Public Finance Management Act, for the continued failure of the Limpopo Department of Education to effectively and efficiently manage its appropriated funds. This was in the main, one of the reasons that the section 100(1) (b) intervention was downgraded to section 100(1) (a) intervention.

A different situation prevails in the Eastern Cape. In its defence against South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU), the Eastern Cape Education Department argued in the Eastern Cape High Court that the section 100(1)(b) intervention had lapsed. They based their argument on the timeframe that was stipulated in a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Minister on behalf of the National Executive and the Members of Executive Council (MEC) for Education in the Eastern Cape on behalf of the Provincial Executive. The High Court agreed with the Eastern Cape Education Department on the basis of facts presented to it. The Minister was not joined in the Application.

Reply:

The following legislative framework is applicable:

• The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (hereinafter, "the Constitution").
• The South African Schools Act, 84 of 1996 (hereinafter, "SASA").
• The Admission Policy for Ordinary Public Schools (hereinafter, "the Admission Policy"), which was published in terms of section 3(4) of the National Education Policy Act, 27 of 1996 (hereinafter, "the NEPA").
• The Immigration Act, 13 of 2002.
• The Refugees Act, 130 of 1998.

 

The Constitution

Chapter 2 of the Constitution guarantees certain fundamental rights for everyone in the Country. One of them is the right to a basic education, and various pieces of legislation strengthen this right.

The South African Schools Act (SASA)

The SASA defines a learner as any person receiving education or who is obliged to receive education in terms of the SASA. The definition of a parent in terms of the SASA includes the biological or adoptive parent or legal guardian of a learner or the person legally entitled to the custody of a learner, as well as the person who undertakes to fulfil the obligations of the above-mentioned persons towards the learner’s school education.

The SASA also obliges every parent of a child of a prescribed age to ensure that such a child goes to school – section 3(1). Most significantly, the SASA makes it compulsory for any public school to admit learners and to serve their education requirements without unfairly discriminating against them in any way.

The SASA does not distinguish between citizens of the Republic and foreign nationals.

Admission Policy

Although the SASA makes no distinction between citizens and non-citizens, the Admission Policy does make provision for learners who are not citizens of the Republic and whose parents are in possession of a permit for temporary or permanent residence issued by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA). It also provides that persons classified as illegal aliens must, when they apply for school admission for their children or for themselves, show evidence that they have applied to the DHA to legalise their stay in the country.

This means that, when applying for admission to a public school, the parents of a non-citizen learner must present the documents stipulated in paragraphs 14 to 18 of the Admission Policy, as well as the documentation stipulated in paragraphs 19 to 21.

The Immigration Act

Learners (school-going children) who intend to study in the Republic for longer than three months must apply for a study permit. A study permit is issued on certain conditions, as stipulated in the Immigration Act.

The Director-General of the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) issues a study permit only if he or she is satisfied that the proposed institution of learning 

• Has been approved and is in good standing with the Director-General of the DHA;
• Certifies that it has received guarantees to its satisfaction that such foreigner’s tuition fees will be paid;
• Received the prescribed guarantees that such foreigner will have sufficient means to support himself or herself while in the Republic;
• In the case of a minor, provides the name of the person in South Africa who is, or has accepted to act as, such minor’s guardian while in the Republic;
• Undertakes to provide prescribed periodic certification that such foreigner is satisfactorily performing his/her curriculum of study; and
• Undertakes to notify the Director-General when such foreigner has completed his/her studies or is no longer performing them satisfactorily.

The Refugees Act

The Refugees Act provides for the manner in which asylum seekers should be received in the Republic and regulates applications for, and the recognition of, refugee status in the Republic.

Refugee status is granted to a person who, owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted by reason of his or her race, gender, tribe, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a particular social group, is outside the country of his or her nationality and is unable or unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of that country, or, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his or her former habitual residence is unable or, owing to such fear, unwilling to return to it.

Before a foreign national is formally recognised as falling within any of these categories, he or she is treated as an asylum seeker and is allowed to enter the Republic and to stay here temporarily, pending the outcome of the application to be accorded refugee status. Such an applicant receives an asylum seeker permit from a refugee reception officer, and this allows the applicant to stay in the Republic, pending the determination of his or her refugee status.

Once refugee status has been granted, an asylum seeker is a recognised refugee and, as is the case with permanent residents, a refugee is entitled to apply for an identity document and enjoys most of the rights of citizens, such as education and health care services. A person's refugee status remains valid until it ceases in terms of the provisions of the Refugees Act.

a) In terms of writing the matric examination, the Council of Education Ministers (CEM), has taken a decision that foreign learners that have been in the system, but do not have the appropriate documentation to register for the NSC examination, should be allowed to register provisionally, and on condition that they will not receive their results, until the appropriate documentation is provided.

b) Children are not allowed to open bank accounts and may only do so when they reach the age of majority (18)

c) Most children in general do not contribute to the economy as they only start working once they finish their school career.

Reply:

The amount allocated to the 2015 round of the Trends in International Maths and Science Study(TIMSS) over a four year period was R12 000 000 for Grade 9 Mathematics and Science and R9 900 000 for Grade 5 Mathematics.

Reply:

a) An investigation was instituted by the Risk Management Section of the Eastern Cape Department of Education. A report was tabled to both the Senior Management of the Department and the Portfolio Committee. The Labour Relations Section of the Eastern Cape Department of Education appointed an independent tribunal to craft charges and adjudicate on the matter. This process is underway. However, the following interim measures have been put in place to restore normality at the school, while the investigation is underway:

b) (i). An Administrator, Dr Ray Mkhatshwa, has been appointed and has made good progress in restoring normality at the school. An extension to his term of office was approved to June 2017, pending the finalisation of the investigation.

The School Governing Body that was removed by the school principal has been reinstated and trained to work with the Administrator.

(ii). Funds for National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) to the value of R110, 000.00 have already been deposited, in 2017, to the school’s account and feeding is running smoothly.

10% cash allowance is scheduled to be transferred into the school account in May 2017, once the budget for 2017/18 budget becomes accessible.

Other Norms and Standards for Funding allocations will be transferred to the school account once the school has submitted accountability reports.

Reply:

1. (a) Yes, (b) the department has made the list (National Catalogues) public, for any institution to develop and sell the material in collaboration with the copyright owner, in this case the publishers. (i) The catalogue is for both the Braille and (ii) large print material. (aa), (bb), (cc) and (dd) Since 2012/13, the National Catalogue for learners with Visual Impairment was developed for all grades, listing one title per subject per grade, and sent to provinces. This catalogues was developed in conjunction with the 22 Special schools for both the Large Print and Braille. These catalogues are still in use to date. Provinces were advised to facilitate the procurement of Braille as well as Large Print material listed in the national catalogues directly from Pioneer Printers who had already made Master copies available.

2. Provinces have been procuring these materials from Pioneer Printers since the development of the National Catalogues of Braille and Large print textbooks. However, due to the extended time period required for the adaptation of ordinary text and high costs of the Braille master copies, the full range of textbooks have not as yet been procured. Provinces have been gradually procuring the Master copies of these materials from Pioneer Printers.

The orders were placed by provinces and schools directly with Pioneer Printers and deliveries have taken place to (a) schools for the blind and (b) full-service schools that have notified the respective provincial department of visually impaired learners at the schools.

According to the provincial monitoring report some provinces have funds for procurement of Braille and some provinces do not have the funds.

In addition Grades R-9 Braille workbooks are annually printed and delivered to 22 special schools in the country. This process ensures access to quality education to children who experience barriers to learning.

All Braille workbooks developed are accompanied by Teachers’ Guides. The workbooks have been provided to mainstream schools at a request of such schools. Mathematics and languages workbooks are accompanied with toolkits.

It must be noted that the adaptation process takes a protracted time and has implications on time frames for printing and delivery of Braille workbooks to Special Schools. Provinces and schools have been advised on ICT solutions for Braille onto which textbooks are uploaded. Western Cape and Limpopo provinces have procured such equipment for their schools.

Reply:

13 official international trips were made in the past five (5) years.

a) Destinations:

2012/13 Benin and Dar Es Salaam;

2013/14 Kenya and Ghana;

2014/15 Ghana, Canada and Namibia;

2015/16 Namibia, Ontario Teaching Council (Canada), and Zambia; and

2016/17 Ireland and Lesotho.

 

b) Purpose of the trip:

2012/13 Africa Forum of Teaching Regulatory Authorities (AFTRA);

2013/14 AFTRA;

2014/15 AFTRA/ International Forum of Teaching Regulatory Authorities (IFTRA);

2015/16 AFTRA/IRTIR and Conference; and

2016/17 AFTRA/IFTRA.

 

c) Cost of flights

2012/13 Benin R32 840; and

Dar Es Salaam R6 457.

2013/14 Kenya R15 145.53;

Ghana R29 523;

2014/15 Ghana R15 371.20;

Canada R33 102; and

Namibia R6 060.06;

2015/16 Namibia R6 777.72;

Ontario Teaching Council (Canada) R32 506.72;

Zambia R6500.96; and

Ireland and Lesotho R10 087.72.

2016/17 Ireland R20 470.23; and

Lesotho R5 304.23.

 

d) Cost of accommodation

2012/13 Benin R3 609.65; and

Dar Es Salaam R22 126.46.

2013/14 Kenya R17 124.00;

Ghana R26 307.47; and

2014/15 Ghana R16 932.00;

Canada R57 308.95; and

Namibia R8 412.37.

2015/16 Namibia R10 910.35;

Ontario Teaching Council (Canada) R57 726.35.

Zambia R46 216.71; and

Ireland and Lesotho R9 168.49.

2016/17 Ireland R38 315.00; and

Lesotho R3 404.00.

 

e) Car rental none

 

f) Subsistence costs

2012/13 Benin €356; and

Dar Es Salaam $774.

2013/14 Kenya $452; and

Ghana $516.

2014/15 Ghana $903;

Canada $1 503; and

Namibia R3 800.

2015/16 Namibia R5 700;

Ontario Teaching Council (Canada) € 984;

Zambia $595; and

Ireland and Lesotho $357.

2016/17 Ireland €834; and

Lesotho R2 250.

Reply:

Domestic trips include any travel inside of the South African borders, where a hotel or flight was booked.

The number of domestic trips by the Chief Executive Officer of Umalusi for the past seven financial years are as follows:

	09/10	10/11	11/12	12/13	13/14	14/15	15/16
Number of official domestic trips	18	15	22	18	21	21	21

For the current financial year (2016/2017), the following domestic trips were undertaken:

1. 6 – 7 April 2016	Cape Town – Portfolio Presentation
(i) destination	Cape Town
(ii) purpose	Presentation to Portfolio Committee of Basic Education regarding the APP of 2016/2017.
(iii) cost of flights	R 5 602
(iv) cost of accommodation	R 1 447
(v) names of hotels in which the CEO stayed at	Protea Hotel Fire & Ice Cape Town
(vi) subsistence costs	R 108

2. 20 – 22 April 2016	Cape Town
(i) destination	Cape Town
(ii) purpose	21 – Executive Committee meeting of Umalusi Council 21 – Minister of Higher Education – Budget Vote 22 – Attending the funeral of Tim Dunne
(iii) cost of flights	R 5 835
(iv) cost of accommodation	R 2 973
(v) names of hotels in which the CEO stayed at	City Lodge Hotel Grandwest and Entertainment World
(vi) subsistence costs	R 324

3. 9 May 2016	Limpopo Department of Education
(i) destination	Polokwane
(ii) purpose	Presentation on 2015 NSC results at MEC’s workshop hosted by Department of Education in Limpopo
(iii) cost of flights	R 5 718
(iv) cost of accommodation	- (This was a day trip)
(v) names of hotels in which the CEO stayed at	-
(vi) subsistence costs	-

4. 10 – 11 May 2016	Cape Town
(i) destination	Cape Town
(ii) purpose	Budget vote- Department of Basic Education & Training
(iii) cost of flights	R 5 740
(iv) cost of accommodation	R 1 882
(v) names of hotels in which the CEO stayed at	Tsogo Sun Waterfront
(vi) subsistence costs	R 115

5. 17 – 20 May 2016	Cape Town
(i) destination	Cape Town
(ii) purpose	SAQA Conference
(iii) cost of flights	R 7 564
(iv) cost of accommodation	R 11 557
(v) names of hotels in which the CEO stayed at	Tsogo Sun Waterfront
(vi) subsistence costs	R 460

6. 13 June 2016	Cape Town – National Benchmark Test meeting
(i) destination	Cape Town
(ii) purpose	Meeting with National Benchmark Test at UCT
(iii) cost of flights	R 5 062
(iv) cost of accommodation	- (This was a day trip)
(v) names of hotels in which the CEO stayed at	-
(vi) subsistence costs	-

19 – 27 August 2016	Cape Town – IAEA Conference
(i) destination	Cape Town
(ii) purpose	IAEA International Conference – Hosted by Umalusi
(iii) cost of flights	R 5 733
(iv) cost of accommodation	R 15 500
(v) names of hotels in which the CEO stayed at	The Westin Hotel, Cape Town
(vi) subsistence costs	R 920

7. 30 – 31 August 2016	Cape Town – Portfolio Committee on Higher Education
(i) destination	Cape Town
(ii) purpose	Portfolio Committee on Higher Education
(iii) cost of flights	R 5, 697
(iv) cost of accommodation	R 1,537
(v) names of hotels in which the CEO stayed at	Tsogo Sun Waterfront
(vi) subsistence costs	R 115

8. 1 – 2 September 2016	National Research Foundation Awards
(i) destination	Polokwane
(ii) purpose	2016 National Research Foundation Awards
(iii) cost of flights	R 5 704
(iv) cost of accommodation	R 1 545
(v) names of hotels in which the CEO stayed at	Protea Hotel The Ranch
(vi) subsistence costs	R 115

9. 11 –12 October 2016	Cape Town – Portfolio Committee on Basic Education
(i) destination	Cape Town
(ii) purpose	Presentation to Portfolio Committee on Basic Education regarding Umalusi’s Annual Report
(iii) cost of flights	R 5 715
(iv) cost of accommodation	R 1 891
(v) names of hotels in which the CEO stayed at	Tsogo Sun Waterfront
(vi) subsistence costs	R 115

10. 8 December 2016	UFS Graduation Ceremony
(i) destination	Bloemfontein
(ii) purpose	Guest Speaker at UFS Graduation Ceremony – Master’s and Doctoral degrees
(iii) cost of flights	All costs paid by UFS
(iv) cost of accommodation	-
(v) names of hotels in which the CEO stayed at	-
(vi) subsistence costs	-

11. 11 – 12 January 2017	Western Cape Education Department NSC Awards Ceremony
(i) destination	Cape Town
(ii) purpose	Western Cape Education Department NSC Awards Ceremony
(iii) cost of flights	R3 977
(iv) cost of accommodation	R1 350
(v) names of hotels in which the CEO stayed at	City Lodge Cape Town
(vi) subsistence costs	R115

12. 24 – 25 January 2017	Meeting Prof G Ellis
(i) destination	Cape Town
(ii) purpose	Meeting to discuss the commissioning of a study on Standards - Prof G Ellis
(iii) cost of flights	R7 106
(iv) cost of accommodation	- (This was a day trip)
(v) names of hotels in which the CEO stayed at	-
(vi) subsistence costs	-

13. 16 – 17 February 2017	Cape Town
(i) destination	Cape Town
(ii) purpose	Workshop at Parliament on Standardisation
(iii) cost of flights	R7 105
(iv) cost of accommodation	R1 546
(v) names of hotels in which the CEO stayed at	Strand tower hotel, Cape Town
(vi) subsistence costs	R115

14. 7 March 2017	Appointment of ASC member
(i) destination	Durban
(ii) purpose	Appointment and induction of ASC member: Dr Naidoo
(iii) cost of flights	R 2116
(iv) cost of accommodation	-
(v) names of hotels in which the CEO stayed at	-
(vi) subsistence costs	-

15. 8 March 2017	Appointment of ASC member
(i) destination	Bloemfontein
(ii) purpose	Appointment and induction of ASC member: Dr Mosia
(iii) cost of flights	R 5 393
(iv) cost of accommodation	R 1 200
(v) names of hotels in which the CEO stayed at	Tsogo Sun Hotel
(vi) subsistence costs	-

Reply:

1. The Chief Executive Officer of Umalusi signed a performance agreement as follows for the years in question:

	09/10	10/11	11/12	12/13	13/14	14/15	15/16	16/17
(a) Signed performance agreement	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

(b) The Performance agreement for 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017, has the following Key Result Areas (KRAs) with a weighting of 80%:

Objective(KRA)	Output
1.Provide strategic direction and leadership	Umalusi’s strategic direction and priorities identified and proactively pursued.
2. Oversee continued development and improvement of a comprehensive quality assurance programme for the general and further education sector	Conceptual leadership in respect of the quality assurance mandate of Umalusi provided. Policy development directed.
3. Assume accountability for the overall performance of the organisation; and ensure effective and efficient governance.	Plans directed and performance monitored and reported on. Corporate governance ensured. Financial status and resources utilisation and development directed and accounted for.
4. Maintain and enhance the position and profile of Umalusi nationally and internationally	Relationships and networks in education and quality assurance are developed and maintained locally and internationally Umalusi’s positions are promoted through effective communication and PR strategies.

The Performance agreement has the following Core Management Criteria with a weighting of 20%:

Criteria	Description
1. Strategic capabilities and leadership	Provides a vision, sets the direction for the organisation and inspires others to deliver on the organisational mandate.
2. Financial Management	Ensures that the organisation complies with the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) and ensures the achievement of strategic organisational objectives.
3. Change management	Initiates, supports and champions organisational transformation and change in order to successfully implement new initiatives and deliver on service delivery commitments.
4. Problem solving and analysis	Systematically identifies, analyses and resolves existing and anticipated problems in order to reach optimum solutions in a timely manner.
5. People management and empowerment	Manages and encourages people, optimizes their outputs and effectively manages relationships in order to achieve organisational goals.

2. The Chief Executive Officer of Umalusi did receive a performance bonus for the 2015/2016 financial year. The bonus has been paid out in the 2016/2017 financial year. It will also reflect in the Annual Report.

The amount is R173 662.45

Reply:

International trips include any travel outside of South African borders. The international trips undertaken by the CEO of Umalusi are linked to Umalusi’s membership of the following three organisations:

• Southern Africa Association for Educational Assessment (SAAEA) – in which the CEO serves as an Executive Committee member.
• Association for Educational Assessment in Africa (AEAA).
• International Association for Educational Assessment (IAEA).

The number of international trips by the Chief Executive Officer of Umalusi for the past seven financial years are as follows:

	09/10	10/11	11/12	12/13	13/14	14/15	15/16
Number of official international trips	2	2	1	3	4	4	3

For the current financial year (2016/2017), the following international trips were undertaken:

1. 16 – 20 May 2016 – SAAEA	Southern Africa Association for Educational Assessment
(i) destination	Lusaka, Zambia
(ii) purpose	Attending the SAAEA Conference representing Umalusi.
(iii) cost of flights	R 7,563
(iv) cost of accommodation	R 12 190
(v) names of hotels in which the CEO stayed at	Taj Pamodzi Hotel
(vi) subsistence costs in each case	R4 614

2. 25 – 29 July2016 – AEAA	Association for Educational Assessment in Africa
(i) destination	Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
(ii) purpose	Attending the AEAA Conference representing Umalusi.
(iii) cost of flights	R 8,039
(iv) cost of accommodation	R14,218
(v) names of hotels in which the CEO stayed at	Elephant Hills Resort
(vi) subsistence costs in each case	R 3 066

3. 10 – 23 September 2016 – Benchmark Trip	Netherlands and UK.
(i) destination	Netherlands and UK.
(ii) purpose	Benchmarking exercise with Cito, Netherlands; Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual), England; Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted), England; Cambridge International Examinations (CIE), England & Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA)
(iii) cost of flights	R 77,288
(iv) cost of accommodation	R 89 810
(v) names of hotels in which the CEO stayed at	Global Accommodation CC
(vi) subsistence costs in each case	R30 351

4. 10 – 13 March 2017 – SAAEA EXCO	Southern Africa Association for Educational Assessment
(i) destination	Uganda
(ii) purpose	Executive Committee meeting of SAAEA
(iii) cost of flights	R 77,288
(iv) cost of accommodation	Paid by SAAEA
(v) names of hotels in which the CEO stayed at	Paid by SAAEA
(vi) subsistence costs in each case	R 3 066

Reply:

Remuneration packages at Umalusi are cost to company based on the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) scales, structured for pension and medical aid contributions, made by Umalusi and the employee.

The basic remuneration reported below is as per the Annual Reports of Umalusi.

CEO Remuneration package	09/10	10/11	11/12	12/13	13/14	14/15	15/16
	R'000	R'000	R'000	R'000	R'000	R'000	R'000
(i) basic remuneration	1,521	1,584	1,648	1,754	1,867	2,235	2,151

The cellphone invoice is covered fully as an expense by Umalusi. No additional allowances are paid for car, accommodation or credit card. Where an employee uses their own personal vehicle for travel, Umalusi reimburses the employee in line with the monthly rates set by the Department of Transport. A non-taxable daily subsistence allowance is paid to employees who are away from their normal residence for a period longer than 24 hours, based on the rates set by the Minister of Public Service and Administration.

CEO Remuneration package	16/17
	R'000
(i) basic remuneration	2,189
(ii) car allowance	-
(iii) accommodation allowance	-
(iv) credit card allowance	-
(v) cellphone allowance	27
	2,216

Reply:

a)  Subject mark adjustments and the proceedings of the annual standardisation meetings are classified as confidential because:

The data that Umalusi standardises during the standardisation process belongs to the assessment body not to Umalusi. Umalusi needs to adhere to what is stipulated in the General and Further Education and Training Act No. 58 of 2001, Section 18(a) under the heading the Functions of provider or assessment body with regard to external assessment, which states that:

“In respect of external assessment and subject policy determined in terms of section 3(4) of the National Policy Act No. 27 of 1996, an assessment body -

(a) must take adequate measures to combat irregularities at assessment and marking centres and must take adequate security measures to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of the assessments.”

To fulfil its duties as stated above the DBE Regulations Pertaining to the Conduct, Administration and Management of the National Senior Certificate Examination in chapter 8 under the heading Release of the results and confidentiality, Section 42 (5) states that:

“The examination results data of public schools and those independent schools that wrote the public National Senior Certificate examination will remain the property of the Department of Basic Education and is given solely for informing candidates of their achieved examination results.”

Furthermore, Section 42(6) states that:

“Researchers, individuals and non-governmental organisations may receive information regarding examination results, subject to the approval of the Director-General Basic Education.

a) Each recipient of examination result data must comply with the following:

1. Keeping of confidentiality of all information (written, electronic format and oral) regarding the content thereof,
2. Not disclosing without the Department of Basic Education’s written consent, any information in whole or in part to any person.”

Reply:

The suite of evidence includes:

1. All the qualitative input reports:

i) Intervention strategies/evidence-based presentation and reports from DBE,

ii) Cohort description and how it compares with previous cohorts,

iii) Intervention strategies put in place to improve learner performance,

iv) The post exam analysis –expert judgement of the standard of the paper,

v) Level of difficulty of the papers per subject and per question,

vi) Comparing the standard of the current paper with previous papers,

vii) The external moderators’ reports and presentations,

viii) The internal moderators and chief markers’ reports from the assessment bodies (DBE).

2. Statistical analysis per subject:

• Statistic tables,
• Pairs analysis,
• Raw mark distribution,
• Progressed learners mark distribution in comparison with the full cohort (both progressed and non-progressed),
• Pair wise analysis.

Reply:

Umalusi Council is a statutory body that is formed in accordance with the National Qualifications Framework Act No 67 of 2008 and the General and Further Education and Training Quality Assurance Act No 58 of 2001 and has jurisdiction over external moderators, therefore the question has been referred to Umalusi and the response will be forwarded as soon as it is received.

Reply:

It is accepted that the maintenance budget does appear very low, however, the following has to be taken into account when the information is evaluated:

1. Due to the current state of the infrastructure at the schools in the Province of Limpopo, the maintenance work planned at the schools becomes capital expenditure when buildings need to be demolished and rebuilt, as such, the expenditure is not reflected as maintenance in terms of reporting;
2. The repairs to Storm Damaged Classrooms (R 250 million for current programme of 45 schools) should be classified under unplanned maintenance and have been indicated as repairs and renovations; and
3. Repairs and renovations form a substantial portion of the Departmental budget (R 300 million).