Questions and Replies

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

(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:

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:

The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) determines its educator post establishment in line with the norms provided for in terms of Gazette No. 1676 of 1998, published in Government Gazette No. 19627 of 18 December 1998 as amended by Gazette No. 1451 of 2002, published in Government Gazette No. 24077 of 15 November 2002. The GDE’s post establishment is also informed by ELRC Resolution 4 of 1995, which provides for learner to educator ratios of 40 and 35 for primary and secondary schools respectively.

 

Reply:

a) (a) Yes. A Performance Agreement was signed for the year 2015-16; and

    (b) Yes. A Performance Agreement was signed for the year 2016-17.

b) His performance did not qualify him for a performance bonus.

Reply:

The total remuneration was structured as follows:

1. Basic remuneration: R 997 331
2. Car allowance: R 415 557
3. Accommodation Allowance R 78 002
4. Credit card allowance R NIL
5. Cell phone Allowance R NIL

 

Reply:

1. (a) The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) is currently investigating the matter. The response will be forwarded as soon as the information is received from the GDE.

It must be noted that the payment of salaries of educators employed on a part-time basis are paid an hourly rate that is regulated in terms of the Personnel Administration Measures (GG No. 39684). The regulation determines the rate and the calculation of such rate which is adjusted annually in terms of the cost of living adjustment process.

(b) The teachers in question do not receive a regular monthly salary. They are paid on an hourly rate according to the hours they worked using the system of submitting claims. Claims are submitted at the end of the month and payment can only be made once claims have been submitted and processed. The date of payment may vary for individuals depending on the date on which they submitted their claims.

(2) The claims for salaries are processed and paid within 7(seven) days after they have been received from the claiming teacher. On average, the claims are paid within 10 working days after the end of the month.

Reply:

All the cases have been referred to the relevant Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) for the implementation of the recommendations of the Ministerial Task Team (MTT).

The Department has established a Special Task Team comprising of representatives from the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West and the Northern Cape to ensure that the recommendations are implemented and that progress reports are provided to the Minister. This team is assisted by two (2) representatives from the Department of Justice.

The progress reports from the Special Task Team will be presented at a meeting scheduled to take place in the last week of April 2017.

 

Reply:

a) There is no specific definition of the “decolonisation” of the curriculum that the Department uses in its policy documents. Decolonisation of the curriculum has been defined by different scholars and different sources. For example, Justice Mavhundla, in his presentation to the Executive Dean of Law at UNISA, on the occasion of reflecting on the project of the decolonization of education in South Africa, reminded those present that “in the year 1994, we did not throw through the window the contaminated water in the form of apartheid with the bowl…. What this means is that as we progress further into the future, we need then to have a deliberate and progressive transformation infused in our jurisprudence to accord with the modern dictates of the epoch we leave in”.

South African society as a whole including the Education System has been subject to much influence by Colonial powers that ruled our country and this needs to be addressed in current and future curriculum revision processes.

(b) The decolonisation of curriculum is a process that started as early as 1999. When CAPS was developed in 2011, some elements again aimed at the decolonisation of the curriculum were introduced.

Principles that buttress Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) are benchmarked on South African and African contexts and they are benchmarked to match international standards. They include:

• Social transformation: ensuring that the educational imbalances of the past are redressed, and that equal educational opportunities are provided for all sections of our population;
• Active and critical learning: encouraging an active and critical approach to learning, rather than rote and uncritical learning of given truths;
• High knowledge and high skills: the minimum standards of knowledge and skills to be achieved at each grade are specified and sets high, achievable standards in all subjects;
• Progression: content and context of each grade shows progression from simple to complex;
• Human rights, inclusivity, environmental and social justice: infusing the principles and practices of social and environmental justice and human rights as defined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. The National Curriculum Statement Grades 10 – 12 (General) is sensitive to issues of diversity such as poverty, inequality, race, gender, language, age, disability and other factors;
• Valuing indigenous knowledge systems: acknowledging the rich history and heritage of this country as important contributors to nurturing the values contained in the Constitution; and
• Credibility, quality and efficiency: providing an education that is comparable in quality, breadth and depth to those of other countries.

Therefore, tremendous progress has been made from 2000-2016 to decolonise the school curriculum, however there is still more that needs to be addressed.

Therefore, tremendous progress has been made from 2000-2016 to decolonise the school curriculum, however there still more that needs to be addressed.

(c) A fully decolonized curriculum will entail a fully transformed curriculum policy regime, content of subjects, one that produces learners that are fully immersed in the indigenous knowledge system, and that which imbues a sense of pride to be an African armed with knowledge, skills and values that are internationally intelligible, and therefore equally equipped to be a proud citizen of the world and meet the skills challenges of the 21st century.

Reply:

1.  The History Ministerial Task Team convened eight meetings between March and November 2016. The Task Team conducted international comparative research on India, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, China, Tanzania, Russia & Brazil to add to the international research that was presented at the History Round-Table of 4 December 2015. Furthermore, the team made proposals to strengthen the content of History in the General Education and Training (GET) and Further Education and Training (FET) bands. This work of strengthening the content is to be consolidated in April 2017. The MTT is also planning to conduct consultative meetings in various provinces to get inputs on the strengthened History curriculum to ensure that it is representative and inclusive.

2. The final report will be released to the Minister at the end November 2017.

Reply:

The Acting CEO was not appointed by the outgoing CEO. The SACE Council appointed the acting CEO.

Reply:

(1)       

	(1)(a) How many independent schools have been identified as operating illegally in each province	(1)(b) how many of the specified schools have been closed down since 1 January 2014,	(1)(c) what are the names of the schools	(1)(d) how many of the schools cater for learners with disabilities
EC	66	4	See Annexure A	0
FS	1	0	See Annexure A	The school indicated that it was assisting learners with disabilities but the owner did not want to follow the correct procedures for school registration.
GP	23	The 23 schools were served to cease operation	See Annexure A	5
KZN	The province has no such schools, they are not known	1	See Annexure A	0
LP	9	0; The nine have submitted applications for registration. Site visits have been conducted for all to verify compliance to the registration requirements. The schools will soon be informed of their registration status.	See Annexure A	1
MP	As soon as it is established that a school is operating without registration, the necessary action is taken to correct the situation.  In cases where the non-compliance areas are too many, the owner/applicant is requested to seize the operation with immediate effect.  Most of the time ‘illegally operating’ schools are guided and supported to become compliant.	0	See Annexure A	N/A
NC	4	0; These are all newly established. Necessary legal procedures will be followed before they are closed down. Where guidance and support is necessary, it will be rendered so that they comply with the policy prescripts	See Annexure A	0
NW	11	All 11 schools mentioned in (a) were served with letters to cease operation	See Annexure A	0
WC	31	11 schools were closed; 5 were registered, and some became tutor centres that tutored learners who were Home Schooled, others just disappeared	See Annexure A	1; Although the school has subsequently been registered

 

(2)

	2(a) how many independent schools received assistance from the relevant education department in each province to get legal registration since 1 January 2014	2(b) what are the names of the specified schools	2(c) how many of the schools cater for learners with disabilities
EC	1	See Annexure B	0
FS	5	See Annexure B	5;  They do not have special classes for learners with disabilities however; learners experiencing learning barriers are provided with remedial lessons.
GP	23	See Annexure B	5
KZN	0	See Annexure B	N/A
LP	21	See Annexure B	2
MP	10	See Annexure B	Provision for disability is a requirement for registration.  Sufficient proof must be given that learners with especially physical disabilities will be catered for.
NC	5	See Annexure B	All the schools cater for learners with disabilities in an integrated manner. They are not specializing nor discriminating.
NW	11	See Annexure B	0
WC	45	See Annexure B	1

(3)

What is the turnaround time to register an independent school in each province
EC	90 days, if all requirements for registration are met
FS	90 days, if all requirements for registration are met
GP	90 days, if all requirements for registration are met
KZN	90 days, if all requirements for registration are met
LP	9 Months
MP	90 days, if all requirements for registration are met
NC	30 days, if all requirements for registration are met
NW	90 days, if all requirements for registration are met
WC	90 days, if all requirements for registration are met

(4)

	(a) which provincial education departments have posted the list of names of all registered independent schools together with their registration numbers on the website of her department	(b) which provincial education departments have placed policy documents on the website that regulate the registration of independent schools
EC	Yes	Yes
FS	Yes	No. The documents were available on the website but they were not uploaded when the system was updated. Follow-ups with EMIS and IT to have the addressed.
GP	Yes	Yes
KZN	No	Yes
LP	Yes	Yes
MP	No	Yes
NC	No	No
NW	Yes	Yes
WC	No. The names of all registered independent schools were published in a Provincial Extraordinary Gazette	No. The matter will be addressed

Reply:

1. Ms V Hofmeester has never received the amount of R120 000.

a) N/A

b) N/A

c) N/A

d) N/A

2. (i) Mr Rej Brijraj is not aware of such a transaction.

(ii) Mr Cliff Nndwambi is not aware of such a transaction.

Reply:

The responses below are provided as per:

The total number of learners in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools who fell pregnant in each province during the (aa) 2014, (bb) 2015 and (cc) 2016 school years.

(a)(i)(ii)(aa)(bb)(cc)

Table 1: Number of learners who fell pregnant, by province, between 2014 and 2016

Year	Province	Grade 3	Grade 4	Grade 5	Grade 6	Grade 7	Grade 8	Grade 9	Grade 10	Grade 11	Grade 12	Other	Total
2014	EC	0	0	0	5	16	42	67	99	164	134	0	527
	FS	0	1	0	12	7	27	95	182	167	262	12	765
	GT	0	0	4	16	71	201	639	1 541	1 486	1 204	55	5 217
	KZ	7	7	12	27	49	146	338	731	852	862	8	3 039
	LP	0	1		6	6	37	105	197	161	148	2	663
	MP	3	9	83	105	169	357	490	723	670	593	8	3 438
	NC	1	1	3	11	39	69	152	379	278	187	0	1 119
	NW	0	0	0	1	10	203	282	196	106	59	95	953
	WC	0	0	5	25	49	166	498	671	709	740	1	2 864
	National	11	19	107	208	416	1 248	2 666	4 719	4 593	4 189	181	18 357
2015	EC	0	0	2	2	6	19	26	49	82	57	0	243
	FS	1	1	4	6	19	29	56	178	179	221	0	694
	GT	0	1	4	13	56	239	610	1 410	1 689	1 219	5	5 246
	KZ	2	2	4	6	18	87	235	553	729	673	99	2 408
	LP	0	0	0	4	9	34	148	308	216	189	1	909
	MP	4	0	6	22	172	409	489	607	561	378	122	2 770
	NW	0	0	0	4	3	23	54	71	73	46	0	274
	NC	0	0	0	3	4	4	4	18	16	20	0	69
	WC	0	0	7	18	45	165	443	668	799	746	0	2 891
	National	7	4	27	78	332	1 009	2 065	3 862	4 344	3 549	227	15 504
2016	EC				1	1	5	10	20	32	37	0	106
	FS	1		1	3	21	30	50	123	120	138	0	487
	GT	1	2	6	28	83	280	615	1 069	1 118	1 164	0	4 366
	LP				9	5	35	103	241	223	212	0	828
	NW		1			5	17	56	109	91	80	0	359
	WC		1	5	15	48	187	369	526	612	666	0	2 429
	NC					3	6	27	50	40	31	0	157
	National	2	4	12	56	166	560	1 230	2 138	2 236	2 328	0	8 732

Source 1: 2014-16 Annual School Survey

Source 2: PEDs submissions

Note 1: 2016 data for KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga are still not available.

Note 2: The ASS question on learner pregnancy asks the school principal for: “the number of learners (That they are aware of) who got pregnant the previous academic year”.

Note 3: The data, as received from the provinces, are preliminary and must be treated with caution, since it has not been published in this format.

(b) The Department is in no position to report on learners who returned to school after pregnancy.

(c) The following cases were reported to South African Police Services (SAPS) for reasons related to sexual offences in each year:

2013 /14 = 56 680

2014 /15 = 53 617

2015 /16 = 51 895

The South African Police Services collects data on a yearly basis on sexual offences. However, they not only concentrate on reported schools cases but to the entire public services. The referred data is from ‘Crime situation in South Africa’.

Reply:

The response below was sourced from Gauteng Department of Education

SCHOOL NAME	(a) Total exemption granted *	(b) Amount actually paid	(ii) & (iii) Districts
DUNVEGAN PRIMARY SCHOOL	R 1 425 000	R 59 882	EDENVALE
EASTLEIGH PRIMARY SCHOOL	R 3 564 204	R 84 457	EDENVALE
EDENGLEN HIGH SCHOOL	R 2 025 300	R 68 560	EDENVALE
EDENGLEN PRIMARY SCHOOL	R 1 488 553	R 40 951	EDENVALE
EDENVALE HIGH SCHOOL	R 1 134 600	R 10 348	EDENVALE
HOËRSKOOL EDENVALE	R 730 000	R 23 080	EDENVALE
HURLYVALE PRIMARY SCHOOL	R 1 335 840	R 33 209	EDENVALE
LAERSKOOL M W DE WET PRIMARY SCHOOL	R 1 839 200	R 53 495	EDENVALE
ARBOR PRIMARY SCHOOL	R 1 633 280	R 47 757	KEMPTON PARK
BIRCH ACRES PRIMARY SCHOOL	R 442 200	R 17 267	KEMPTON PARK
BONAERO PARK PRIMARY SCHOOL	R 942 480	R 46 931	KEMPTON PARK
CRESSLAWN PRIMARY SCHOOL	R 819 000	R 47 771	KEMPTON PARK
EDLEEN PRIMARY SCHOOL	R 273 000	R 39 518	KEMPTON PARK
HOËRSKOOL BIRCHLEIGH	R 4 158 000	R 162 072	KEMPTON PARK

 

 

SCHOOL NAME	(a) Amount requested	(b) Amount actually paid	(ii) & (iii) Districts
HOËRSKOOL JEUGLAND	R 3 324 420	R 89 324	KEMPTON PARK
HOËRSKOOL KEMPTON PARK	R 1 822 800	R 46 258	KEMPTON PARK
KEMPTON PARK PRIMARY SCHOOL	R 392 370	R 19 538	KEMPTON PARK
LAERSKOOL BIRCHLEIGH	R 1 377 000	R 52 681	KEMPTON PARK
LAERSKOOL BREDELL	R 989 175	R 35 896	KEMPTON PARK
LAERSKOOL EDLEEN	R 833 085	R 36 401	KEMPTON PARK
LAERSKOOL IMPALA	R 1 097 250	R 42 142	KEMPTON PARK
LAERSKOOL JEUGPARK PRIMARY SCHOOL	R 1 387 100	R 81 849	KEMPTON PARK
LAERSKOOL KEMPTON PARK	R 1 615 900	R 96 147	KEMPTON PARK
LAERSKOOL KREFT	R 1 062 600	R 68 840	KEMPTON PARK
LAERSKOOL KRUINSIG	R 772 200	R 31 139	KEMPTON PARK
LAERSKOOL MOOIFONTEIN PRIMARY SCHOOL	R 1 426 590	R 92 700	KEMPTON PARK
LAERSKOOL VAN RIEBEECKPARK	R 1 155 220	R 105 390	KEMPTON PARK
NORKEM PARK HIGH SCHOOL	R 3 108 400	R 190 533	KEMPTON PARK
RHODESFIELD TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL	R 1 203 300	R 50 963	KEMPTON PARK
SIR PIERRE VAN RYNEVELD HIGH SCHOOL	R 1 971 420	R 91 580	KEMPTON PARK
MASIQHAKAZE SECONDARY SCHOOL	R 61 000	R 169 885	TEMBISA
MASISEBENZE COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL	R 347 500	R 77 423	TEMBISA

Source: Gauteng Provincial Education Department

* Assuming that all learners were granted 100% fee exemption

Reply:

1. In terms of section 58B of the South African Schools Act (Act 84 of 1996), the Head of Department must, annually, identify any public school that is underperforming in relation to any matter referred to in subsection (2) (a), (b) or (c). Heads of Department have identified all underperforming schools, including the 38 schools. The list of the 38 schools that have performed below 40% is attached as Annexure A.

 

2. Heads of Department were provided with guidelines and a management plan for the management and support of all underperforming schools. Therefore, based on this, Heads of Department have taken the following steps to assist the identified schools to address their underperformance:

• Issuing of written notices to the principals of all underperforming schools (including independent schools as contemplated in paragraph 5.2 c), d) and g).
• As part of provincial consequence management strategies, issuing of written notices to all principals of the schools identified as serial underperforming schools requesting them to motivate and provide reasons as to why the Provincial Education Departments must not remove them from their positions as principals. For instance:
  • In Free State, in some areas principals of weak schools were removed to smaller schools and placed under strict supervision. The province has managed to eliminate most schools that performed below 50 per cent, and the number of these schools has been reduced to one school. The province is now working on reducing the number of schools that performed below 75% since 2014.
  • In KwaZulu-Natal, there are regular accountability sessions with teachers, heads of department, school principals, circuit managers and subject advisors on the performance of schools and subjects for which they are responsible.
• Requiring of District Directors to conduct a diagnostic analysis of the challenges that led to underperformance in the identified schools, for submission to HoDs.
• Requiring of school principals of the schools identified as underperforming to prepare and submit Academic Performance Improvement Plans to the Head of Department.
• Evaluating Academic Performance Improvement Plans from schools identified as underperforming and providing the necessary guidance and support.

To ensure that there is improvement in the performance of the schools identified as underperforming; Heads of Department must take all reasonable steps to assist schools identified in terms of subsection (1) of the South African Schools Act (Act 84 of 1996) in addressing the underperformance. For instance:

• In Gauteng, the Department is in the process of providing subject support packages which include the following: Curriculum policy; Lesson plans; Exam guidelines; SSIP material; SBA and PAT guidelines; Diagnostic Reports; analytical reports; weighted ATPs; and weighted weekly assessment items for each subject.
• In KwaZulu-Natal:
  • Circuit managers and subject advisors are monitoring curriculum coverage in all underperforming schools; ensuring that schools have curriculum delivery targets and that they receive well-prepared lesson plans, assessment exercises and memoranda.
  • The Just-In-Time (JIT) programme is being used to improve teachers’ knowledge of subject content and application of teaching methods. The focus of the programme is on Mathematics, Mathematical Literacy, Accounting, Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, Agricultural Sciences and Geography.
  • The province developed an ‘SMT Toolkit on Curriculum Management’, and has printed approximately 10 000 copies for heads of department, deputy principals, school principals and circuit managers as support material.

MECs for Education shall submit reports on the 31st March 2017 on the actions taken by their Heads of Department regarding support provided to underperforming schools, to assist the Minister in carrying out her duties referred to in section 8 of the National Education Policy Act.

3. The Department of Basic Education has provided guidance to this effect and provincial education departments are expected to submit comprehensive reports to the DBE.

Reply:

Paragraph 15 of the admission policy states the following: “When a parent applies for admission of a learner to an ordinary public school, the parent must present an official birth certificate of the learner to the principal of the public school. If the parent is unable to submit the birth certificate, the learner may be admitted conditionally until a copy of the birth certificate is obtained from the regional office of the Department of Home Affairs. The principal must advise parents that it is an offense to make a false statement about the age of a child (see Births and Deaths Registration Act, 1992 No 51 of 1992) The parent must ensure that the admission of the learner is finalised within three months of conditional admission.”

Section 39, (1) of the Immigration Act provides as follows:

“(1) No learning institution shall knowingly provide training or instruction to-

(a) an illegal foreigner;

(b) a foreigner whose status does not authorise him or her to receive such training

(c) a foreigner on terms or conditions or in a capacity different from those contemplated in such foreigner’s status

(2) If an illegal foreigner is found on any premises where instruction or training is provided, it shall be presumed that such foreigner was receiving instruction or training from, or allowed to receive instruction or training by, the person who has control over such premises unless prima facie evidence to the contrary is adduced.”

Section 42(I) Subject to this Act, and save for necessary humanitarian assistance, no person, shall aid, abet, assist, enable or in any manner help - (a)  an illegal foreigner; or (b) a, foreigner in respect of any matter, conduct or transaction which violates such foreigner’s status, when applicable, including but not limited to - (i) providing instruction or training to him or her…

Section 49(6) provides as follows:

Anyone failing to comply with one of the duties or obligations set out under sections 42 to 46 of this Act shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine or to imprisonment not exceeding 18 months.

In terms of the Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act, 2005 (Act No. 13 of 2005) the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) signed an Intergovernmental Protocol Agreement, to establish a formal channel of information sharing and collaboration. Emanating from this formal agreement, the DBE is able to ensure the Learner Unit Record Information and Tracking System (LURITS) interfaces with data from the National Population Register (NPR) of DHA, and triangulates the data to verify learner ID numbers and learner living status. This enables the DBE to determine the true authenticity of learners in the system and therefore eliminate ghost learners. Work is underway to automate data transfer between LURITS and the NPR to streamline data verification. The DBE is also currently modernising the South African School Administration and Management System (SA-SAMS) to include integration of data/systems with DHA, to enable verification of learner ID numbers as soon as the school comes to point of contact to an online facility.

Reply:

According to the records at Supply Chain Management, the Department has not procured any services or made any payments to (a) Mr Mzwanele Manyi, (b) the Progressive Professional Forum, (c) The Decolonisation Fund and/ or (d) the Black Business Council.

The Department has not procured any services from the service providers in question as there was no need for services from these service providers.

Reply:

In response to issues raised by the committee on decolonisation, clarification was given of how the Curriculum review process since Curriculum 2005 has included the need for transformation. Examples were provided from the current CAPS, such as the change in the History curriculum.

Mention was also made of the fact that in future curriculum review processes, a focus on decolonisation will continue to feature. The example provided was English Literature used in the schooling system, e.g. the need to review the genre of novels and drama prescribed for teaching and learning, which includes a possible review of the continued emphasis on the works of Shakespeare.

There is a need to move towards the greater inclusion of African and South African writings for novels/drama and poetry and this will be part of the long-term curriculum review process. Therefore, the consideration of the works of Shakespeare is an aspect of the overall literature review process targeted for 2020 and thus concrete work on this shall only begin in 2018.

Reply:

1(a) Currently the Department has recruited 74 interns. Placement of interns differs from one Directorate to the other. Some Directorates have one intern and some have more than one. The table below indicates the number of interns per Directorate:

Name of the Directorate	Number of Interns
ASIDI	2
Communication and Research	5
Curriculum Implementation and Monitoring	3
Curriculum Policy Support and Monitoring	1
Curriculum Policy, Development and Implementation	1
Curriculum Research	1
Curriculum, Implementation and Quality Improvement	1
District Co-Ordination Monitoring and Support	2
Donor Grant Management, Dinaledi/Technical Secondary Schools	1
Education HR Planning, Provisioning and Monitoring	1
Education Labour Relations and Conditions of Service	2
Educator Performance Management and Development and Whole School Evaluation	1
EMIS	4
Financial Planning, Economic Analysis and Provincial Budget Monitoring	5
Financial Services	8
Health Promotion	1
Initial Teacher Education	1
International Relations and Multilateral Affairs	1
Kha Ri Gude Literacy Project	1
LTSM Policy development and Innovation	2
Media Liaison &National & Provincial Communication	2
National Assessment and Public Examinations	1
NEEDU	1
Partnership	1
Physical Planning and Rural Schooling	3
Provincial Monitoring	1
Research Co-ordination, Monitoring and Evaluation	1
Safety in Education	3
School Nutrition	1
Social Cohesion and Equity in Education	3
Sport and Enrichment in Education	2
Strategic Planning, Research and Coordination	1
Teacher Development Implementation	2
Teacher Development Research	1
Training and Social Responsibility	3
UNESCO	4
Total	74

1(b)(i) Interns are paid in accordance with the Remuneration Schedule as outlined in the Determination of Interns in the Public Service issued by the DPSA. The Remuneration Schedule provides for the minimum stipend to be paid to interns in accordance with their qualification. As a result of that, a qualification that an intern has obtained determines the amount of stipend he or she should receive per month.

The Remuneration Schedule has three categories to be considered when determining the stipend for interns:

Category A1-3: consist of interns with NQF level 4 equivalent to Matric. Category B1-4: consist of interns with National Diploma, Degree, BTECH, Honours and Masters Certificate.

Category C1-C2: consist of interns with Masters and Doctoral Degrees.

The Qualifications of interns recruited in the Department in terms of the Determination have obtained NQF level 4 -10 qualifications.

Interns who have a National Diploma, BTECH or Degree are paid R4 035.06 per month. Interns who have Masters and Doctoral Degree are paid R4 981.63 per month.

1(b)(ii) Overtime calculations:

Normal hours

Notch X 7 X 1 X 1.5 X total hours

1 365 40

Sunday hours

Notch X 7 X 1 X 2 X total hours

1 365 40

1(c) Interns are appointed on contract for a duration of 24 months in terms of the DPSA revised Guidelines on Internship Programme. However, as part of the capacity building programme, the Department gives interns the opportunity to manage projects. Interns who are assigned projects have their Personal Development Plans (PDPs) aligned to the duration of the projects. As a result their internship contract may extend beyond 24 months until the end of the project. During that period the Department ensures that there is a skills transfer in order to address issues of scarce and critical skills. This process of engaging interns in projects assists the Department in building capacity and ensuring that interns acquire scarce and critical skills that are to the benefit of the public service as a whole. Furthermore interns are being assessed on a quarterly basis by their mentors or supervisors.

2

	2013/14	2014/15	2015/16
Number of Interns	14	5	22

Reply:

The Minister has not received the NEEDU 2014 National Report as it was finalised on 9 March 2017. Internal processes are being followed to ensure that the report reaches the Minister by the end of March 2017. Once the Minister has engaged with the report, it will be posted on the website of the Department of Basic Education.

 

Reply:

In response to the question, please see tabulated information below.

(i) Minister	(aa)(aaa) 2014/15	(aa)(bbb) 2015/16	(bb) Since 1 April 2016
a) Make	BMW	None	Mercedes Benz
b) Model	5 series sedan	None	GLE 500
c) Price	R 769 022.76	None	R 849 900.00
d) Date	25 August 2014	None	15 September 2016

(ii) Deputy Minister	(aa)(aaa) 2014/15	(aa)(bbb) 2015/16	(bb) Since 1 April 2016
a) Make	None	Audi	None
b) Model	None	Q7	None
c) Price	None	R 680 878.04	None
d) Date	None	8 September 2015	None

Reply:

a) The total cost of printing of manuals for the national training conducted by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) has been R160 000.

b)(i) The 60 specialist educators and subject advisors referred to in the presentation, were responsible for the development of the content of the training manuals. The cost of the workshop was R640 000.

b)(ii) The cost of training 1000 educators across all provinces is estimated at R2 million.

Reply:

a) i) A generic orientation manual was used for all workshop participants and no orientation manuals were specifically prepared for educators teaching in South African Sign Language (SASL) or

ii) Through the medium of Braille.

b) No audit was conducted of workshop participants having prior training in SASL or Braille because training that is linked to a medium of instruction either in (i) SASL or (ii) Braille is provided for as a separate process to the workshop on Technical Occupational subjects. However, as per the attendance register, three (3) teachers from schools for the Deaf attended the National Training Programme of 27 February to 3 March 2017 and these teachers had already received training in SASL.

c) It needs to be clarified that training for Braille and SASL processes, and training for the pilot of the Technical Occupational subjects, are two completely separate processes. Hence, there are no specific targets for (i) SASL and (ii) Braille, as reflected in the question.

Reply:

The Department of Basic Education, in collaboration with the Department of Transport, developed the National Policy on Learner Transport which was gazetted in October 2015. The two departments have a shared responsibility. For relevant details, follow the link below to access the policy document: http://www.gov.za/sites/www.gov.za/files/39314_gon997.pdf

Reply:

a) (i) A total of 1783 schools were connected to the internet in collaboration with Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services (DTPS) and Independent Communication Authority of South Africa (ICASA) through the USAO initiative in 2016.

The breakdown per province is as follows:

Provinces	Number of schools connected
Eastern Cape	354
1. Free State	78
2. Gauteng	109
3. KwaZulu-Natal	215
4. Limpopo	134
5. Mpumalanga	241
6. North West	147
7. Northern Cape	219
8. Western Cape	286
Total	1783

(ii) The number of schools allocated to each district that the Government connected to the Internet in 2016 academic year:

1. EASTERN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Districts/Circuits	Number of schools connected
Alfred Nzo	1
Butterworth District	18
Cofimvaba District	12
Cradock	8
Dutywa District	15
East London	11
Fort Beaufort	13
Francis Baard	1
Graaff-Reinet	7
Grahamstown	12
King Williams Town	40
Lady Frere District	14
Libode	13
Maluti	7
Mbizana	19
Mt Fletcher	9
Mthata District	20
Port Elizabeth	42
Qumbu District	4
Sterkspruit	14
Uitenhage	17
Lusiki	14
Mount Frere	10
Ngcobo	6
Queenstown	20
King Sebata Dalinyebo	7
Total	354

2. FREE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Districts/Circuits	Number of schools connected
Fezile Dabi	7
Lejweleputswa	13
Motheo	22
Thabo Mofutsanyana	8
Xhariep	5
Bloemfontein	3
Botshabelo	1
Mangaung	13
Mohokare	5
Vrede	1
Total	78

3. GAUTENG DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Districts/Circuits Districts	Number of schools connected
Tshwane West District (D15)	83
Tshwane District (105)	24
D15	1
D105	1
Total	109

4. KWAZULU NATAL DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Districts/Circuits	Number of schools connected
Amajuba	5
Ilembe	5
Pinetown	20
Sisonke	8
Ugu	4
Umgungundlovu	21
Umkhanyakude	17
Umlazi	29
Umzinyathi	8
Uthukela	6
Uthungulu	31
Zululand	22
Ixopo	1
Kwambonambi	1
Mahlabathibi	4
Nongoma	1
Thekwini	1
Umgugundlovu	21
Umkhanyakude	6
Umzimkhulu	4
Total	215

5. LIMPOPO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Districts/Circuits	Number of schools connected
Bochum	10
Bolobedu	11
Giyani	5
Greater Sekhukhune District	17
Letaba	2
Lulekani	1
Mankweng	4
Mokerong	2
Naphuno	4
Phalaborwa	1
Polokwane	1
Ritavi	2
Sekgosese	6
Seshego	16
Thabamoopo	4
Waterberg District	23
Capricorn	13
Mopani	1
Sekhukhune	5
Vhembe	6
Total	134

6. MPUMALANGA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Districts/Circuits	Number of schools connected
Bohlabela	40
Ehlanzeni	74
Gert Sibande	49
Nkangala	75
Middelburg	2
Mbombela	1
Total	241

7. NORTH WEST DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Districts/Circuits	Number of schools connected
Bojanala	30
Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati	32
Greater Delareyville	2
Greater Taung	10
Madibeng	4
Mahikeng	1
Maquassi Hills	2
Matlosana	9
Rustenburg	2
Taledi	2
Tlokwe	1
Christiana	1
Dr Kenneth Kaunda	26
Hartswater	1
Klerksdorp	5
Ngaka Modiri Molema	12
Vryburg	3
Litchenburg	1
Moretele	1
Moses Kotane East	1
Zeerust	1
Total	147

8. NORTHERN CAPE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Districts/Circuits	Number of schools connected
Frances Baard District	42
John Taolo Gaetsewa	71
Namakwa District	28
Pixley-Ka-Seme	31
Siyanda District	42
Kimberley	5
Total	219

9. WESTERN CAPE

Districts/Circuits	Number of schools connected
Cape Winelands	24
Eden And Central Karoo District	27
Metro Central	38
Metro East	55
Metro North	54
Metro South	44
Overberg District	19
West Coast District	16
Wynberg	1
Metro Coast	5
South East	3
Total	286

(b) The names of the schools are attached at Annexure A.

 

Reply:

a)  See table below.

Provincial Education Department	Number of schools built 2009/10	Number of schools built 2010/11	Number of schools built 2011/12	Number of schools built 2012/13	Number of schools built 2013/14	Number of schools built 2014/15	Number of schools built 2015/16	Number of schools built 2016/17	Total number of schools delivered
Eastern Cape	34	62	33	13	5	32	11	6	196
Free State	13	4	0	2	3	5	3	1	31
Gauteng	10	10	14	21	12	24	13	3	107
KwaZulu-Natal	6	19	10	2	17	12	11	4	81
Limpopo	34	4	14	7	7	13	17	2	98
Mpumalanga	4	1	4	11	7	19	14	4	64
Northern Cape	1	2	2	4	3	0	4	1	17
North West	3	0	7	7	8	2	4	2	33
Western Cape	6	9	19	5	4	14	23	1	81
Total number delivered	111	111	103	72	66	121	100	24	708

.

b) &(c) The requested information may be found on the link to the following webpage: http://www.education.gov.za/Newsroom/ParliamentaryQuestions/AnnexuretoNA290.aspx containing the Annexure with the names of schools.

(d)The information was sought from the Provincial Education Departments and will be provided as soon as it is consolidated.

(e) The information was sought from the Provincial Education Departments and will be provided as soon as it is consolidated.

Reply:

The table which was attached is an adaptation of the fee exemption table contained in the Regulations relating to the exemption of parents from payment of school fees in public schools (2006), and was produced by a specific school to assist its parents who apply for fee exemption. The school should update the table annually since it is linked to the level of their school fees which will presumably change each year. The fee exemption table contained in the Regulations relating to the exemption of parents from payment of school fees in public schools (2006) is not linked to a specific level of school fees or salaries and therefore need not be updated annually.

Reply:

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

Reply:

The information has been requested from the Gauteng Education Department.

Reply:

(a)(b)

There were 150 schools for learners with special needs in Gauteng in 2016. The majority of the schools (53), were situated in Johannesburg followed by Pretoria with 28 schools.

Table 1: Number of special Schools in Gauteng, by town, in 2016

Town/City	Total
ALBERTON	2
BENONI	7
BOKSBURG	3
BRAKPAN	3
BRONKHORSTSPRUIT	1
CARLETONVILLE	2
CULLINAN	1
EDENVALE	1
GERMISTON	7
HEIDELBERG	2
JOHANNESBURG	53
KEMPTON PARK	3
KRUGERSDORP	2
MAGALIESBURG	1
MEYERTON	3
MIDRAND	2
MOGALE CITY	2
PRETORIA	28
RANDBURG	4
ROODEPOORT	4
SEBOKENG	1
SOSHANGUVE	1
SOWETO	3
SPRINGS	5
VANDERBIJILPARK	1
VANDERBIJLPARK	4
VEREENIGING	4
Grand Total	150

Source: 2016 Snap survey for special schools

(c)(d)(e)

The Department has forwarded the question to the PED and is awaiting the response. The response will be forwarded as soon as the Department receives it.

Reply:

1. (a)(i)(ii), (b), (c) and (d) The requested information is not readily available at the DBE. It has been requested from the provinces and will be supplied as soon as it is obtained.

2. (a) and (b) This requested information is not readily available at the DBE, it has been requested from the provinces and will be supplied as soon as it is obtained.

3. (a), (b) (i) (ii). This requested information is not readily available at the DBE, it has been requested from the provinces and will be supplied as soon as it is obtained.

Reply:

(a) (i)-(iv) It is worth noting that different provinces employ different procurement models and therefore the delivery rate will vary from province to province. In terms of the South African Schools Act No. 84 of 1996, schools that are allocated a Section 21 function procure Learning Teaching Support Material (LTSM) utilising their allocated budget and the provinces procure for schools with a Section 20 function. According to provincial reports from 2012 – 2015, all orders placed were delivered and therefore makes the delivery rate to be 100% in all provinces. The percentage reflects a cycle that involves the initial orders, mop-ups, retention and retrieval as well as top-ups based of the retrieval report

It is further worth noting that the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) was incrementally implemented as follows:

• Grades 1 – 3 and 10 were implanted in 2012;
• Grades 4 – 6 and 11 were implanted in 2013;
• Grades 7 – 9 and 12 were implanted in 2014; and
• Grades 10 – 12 and Grade R were implemented in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

The implementation of CAPS necessitated that new textbooks be utilised hence the development of National Catalogues for provinces to procure these listed LTSMs. These National Catalogues were developed a year prior to implementation allowing provinces and schools to procure LTSM a year in advance. Therefore the universal coverage could only be fully monitored at the end of the cycle of the implementation of CAPS.

As a result, in the middle of 2014, the Department consolidated the figures to determine the universal coverage of textbooks in the country. Below is a table that indicates the Universal Coverage at the per province

Province	As at mid-2014	2015
Eastern Cape	100%	100%
Free State	100%	100%
Gauteng	93%	93%
KwaZulu-Natal	63%	85%
Limpopo	99%	99%
Mpumalanga	100%	100%
Northern Cape	98%	98%
North West	92%	92%
Western Cape	94%	95%
Average Universal access	93%	95.8%

b) (i-iv)

Province	2012	2013	2014	2015
	Stationery	Stationery	Stationery	Stationery
Eastern Cape	100%	100%	100%	100%
Free State	100%	100%	100%	100%
Gauteng	100%	100%	100%	100%
KwaZulu-Natal	100%	100%	100%	100%
Limpopo	100%	100%	100%	100%
Mpumalanga	100%	100%	100%	100%
Northern Cape	100%	100%	100%	100%
North West	100%	100%	100%	100%
Western Cape	100%	100%	100%	100%

Reply:

1. No, it was not costed. The appointment of the new service provider for the remainder of the campaign was not an ideal approach, considering that the new service provider would have to take over the campaign in the last part of its existence, the new service provider would have to provide systems to be used to administer the project; it would take time to test the new system, integrate it with the current system and thereafter hand over to the new service provider while the campaign was continuing.

(2) Response:

The disagreement was around the interpretation of the Terms of Reference, the evaluation criteria. (a) The Bid Evaluation Committee (BEC) evaluated all responsive bids on functionality and calculated the minimum required points. Site visits were conducted to bidders which scored the minimum points. This was because site visits would be conducted to verify the information that was stated in the bid documents. (b) The Office of the Auditor-General felt that site visits should have been conducted to all responsive bidders, and thus form part of the functionality score. The Department disagreed with this, however the Auditor-General ruled against the Department.

Reply:

a) Setting of examination question papers:

All National Examination papers are set at the Department of Basic Education (DBE) office in a secure environment. Each question paper is set by a panel comprising 3 to 4 subject experts of which one is the chief examiner. Setting takes place during scheduled writing sessions. The same panel is responsible for the setting of the March supplementary, June Senior Certificate (SC) and November National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations. These papers are set concurrently to ensure comparable standards. Each question paper is compiled based on a test blue print (analysis grid) which provides the framework for the question paper, specifying the content covered, mark allocation and cognitive levels. An accompanying marking guideline is developed concurrently during the development of the question paper.

b) Moderation of examination question papers:

On completion of the setting process, the question paper, marking guidelines and analysis grids are submitted to an internal moderator, appointed by the DBE. The internal moderator reviews and moderates the question papers following agreed criteria which include: content coverage, cognitive levels, mark allocation, accuracy of marking guidelines etc. Technical criteria such as format, font, clarity of diagrams, etc. are also considered. The internal moderators’ comments are discussed with the examining panel, in order for the examining panel to effect changes. The panel effects the internal moderator’s recommended changes. The paper is then again presented to the internal moderators. This process is only completed once the internal moderator/s is satisfied with the quality and standard of the papers. The internal moderator then approves the paper/s for external moderation.

The external moderators are appointed by Umalusi. They are invited through Umalusi to moderate the papers. External moderation also takes place within the secure environment of the DBE. Moderation is based on pre-determined criteria utilised for the moderation of all subjects. The external moderator reviews the question paper, marking guidelines and accompanying analysis grids and provides a detailed report with recommendations for improvement.

Once all the external moderation changes are effected and the external moderators are satisfied with the standard of the papers; the papers are approved and signed off.

Final editing and quality assurance is done by a team of expert editors appointed by the DBE to ensure that the question papers are error free. The papers are also translated, and adapted for the blind and deaf where required.

c) Evaluation of candidate performance:

The final score obtained by a candidate in a subject comprises various components such as School Based Assessment, Practical Assessment Tasks and Orals, where applicable, as well as Examination marks

Marking of the final NSC examination scripts is conducted across all 9 Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) at designated marking venues. Prior to marking, all Chief markers and internal moderators convene at the DBE where they participate in the standardisation of the marking guidelines and are trained on the implementation of the approved marking guidelines. The chief markers and internal moderators replicate the training received at the DBE at their various PEDs with their markers prior to marking. The marking process is monitored by the DBE which deploys onsite moderators to moderate the marking to ensure that all PEDs are adhering to the marking guidelines and marking within the agreed Tolerance Range. The Exam marks scores are thereafter captured unto the system.

d) Standardisation of marks attained by candidates:

Standardisation of marks is an Umalusi function. The DBE, however, provides Umalusi with reports from marking and other qualitative inputs on the standard and quality of the question paper for consideration during standardisation. This is in view of the fact that the fairness of the paper and the appropriateness of its standard can only be determined once it has been written.

Reply:

The response to question (a) (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) is reflected on the excel spreadsheets (data is disaggregated per province, per year, per school). SNAP Survey 2012 - 2016

The response to question (b) (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) is reflected on the excel spreadsheets (data is disaggregated per province, per year, per school) the source is the Exam Mainframe System housed by SITA

Reply:

The response below was provided by the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) of Gauteng Department of Education.

(1)

a) A total of 331 625 Grade 1 and 8 applications were received for the 2017 academic year.

b) In terms of the 10th day statistics, the Department had a total number of 355 420 Grade 1 and 8 learners enrolled in the schools in 2016. The Grade 7 learners in the combined schools are not accounted for in the 2017 applications as they were progressed in grade. These learners did not have to apply to Grade 8 as they were already registered in the combined schools. There is, however, sufficient space to accommodate all the 2016 applicants.

c) A total of 331 625 learners were placed as of 20 February 2017.

d) Please see Annexure A for the number of government-funded educator positions and the average learner to government-funded educator ratio for each of the specified schools in the Ekurhuleni district.

e) Please see Annexure B for the number of school governing body-funded educators employed in each of the specified schools in the Ekurhuleni district based on the 2016 data. Please note that the Department is still finalising the collection of 2017 data.

2. Please see Annexure A for the average learner to government-funded educator ratio for each of the specified schools in the Ekurhuleni district.

 

Reply:

(1)(a)(b)

Yes, provinces do have a database and/statistics on the number of learners with disabilities. The Department of Basic Education (DBE) together with Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) conduct three surveys that collects information on learners with disabilities annually, which are: Snap Survey and Annual Survey for Special schools (collect learner enrolment in special schools), and Annual Survey for ordinary schools (collects information on disabled learners in mainstream and full service). Each PED provide their individual databases to DBE, which, in turn, establishes a national database.

(2)(a)

The last survey on schools for learners with Special Needs was conducted on the 01 September 2016, which was the Annual Survey for Special schools.

(2)(b)(c)

Table 1 below indicates the number of special schools surveyed in 2016. It shows that there were 462 special schools in 2016 with 119 403 learners.

Table 1: Number of special schools and learners, by province, in 2016

Province	(b) Number of Special Schools	(c) Number of learners in Special schools
EC	43	9 463
FS	21	5 984
GP	149	47 769
KZ	65	14 986
LP	35	8 630
MP	20	3 778
NC	11	1 494
NW	32	7 395
WC	86	19 904
National	462	119 403

Source: 2016 SNE SNAP Survey

(3)(a)(b)

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

(4)

Table 2: Number of special schools converted into resource centres by province, in 2017/18 financial year

Prov.	No. SSRCs
EC	19
FS	5
GT	17
KZN	16
LP	5
MP	8
NC	5
NW	8
WC	25
Total	108

Source: PED’s submission

(5) (a) The information on the number of learners at each school for learners with special educational needs who have been erroneously placed in each financial year is not readily available in Provincial Education Departments (PEDs), given that the implementation to scale of the Policy on Screening, Identification, Assessment and Support (SIAS) at school level was preceded by training mainly during 2016/17 and effective implementation has only started in 2017.

(b) Measures in this regard will be put in place from 2018 onwards.

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:

1. (a) 14 343 Students were granted bursaries from the Funza Lushaka Bursary Scheme in the 2016 academic year;

(b) Placement of Funza Lushaka graduates is an ongoing process as it part of the processes of the filling of posts in schools. As at the middle of February 2017, the placement status in each province was as follows:

PED	Placed	Unplaced	Total Allocation
Eastern Cape	433	128	561
Free State	294	6	300
Gauteng	810	44	854
KwaZulu-Natal	996	45	1 041
Limpopo	377	10	387
Mpumalanga	375	5	380
North West	216	0	216
Northern Cape	137	6	143
Western Cape	430	219	649
Grand Total	4 068	463	4 531

 

(2) The determination of the educator post basket for each province is an annual process which is determined by balancing both the curriculum needs and the available budget or affordability. An affordable post basket is then allocated accordingly also taking into account factors such as prevailing allocation levels and targeted learners to educator ratios. All posts are distributed to schools using the post provisioning model and there is no specific allocation for new teachers. It is also important to note that the process of declaring posts is subject to consultation with the Teacher Unions and School Governing Bodies.

(3) The National Department does not routinely collect this operational data as it is not required to report on the indicators prioritised for monitoring at national level. The information will be requested from provinces and supplied accordingly once obtained.

(4) The standard practice for tax calculation is to calculate tax based on a monthly salary. This is to ensure income is placed in an appropriate tax bracket.