Reply:

Question 1: The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has a number of programmes and/or workshops that intend to upskill and improve the professional development of teachers nationwide. Together with provinces, DBE developed a three-year plan which highlights all national priority programmes. These programmes and implemented by all provinces and monitored quarterly by the Department.  The success of these programmes is monitored by subject advisors as they regularly visit schools. Tracking of learner participation and performance in provinces through the NSLA has an indirect way of assessing teacher programmes.  The DBE has further just developed impact assessment tools which will used as from 2022 to determine the impact Teacher Development programmes.

Question 2: The Department has 133 District Teacher Development Centres and 9 Provincial Teacher Development Institutes which are used as hubs for Continuing Professional Teacher Development. The DBE also collaborates with Teacher Unions to deliver DBE priority programmes. The Department further works with the National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT) to delivery the Primary School Reading Programme to General Education and Training (GET) teachers. A number of partners such as Sasol Foundation for Coding and Robotics,  Siyavula for Maths and Sciences, Cisco, SchoolNet and Vodacom for ICT programmes and Higher Education Institutions such Wits and University of Johannesburg in ICTs and Maths programmes and UNISA for Coding and Robotics.

Question 3: As indicated in Question1, the Department will share the 3- year plan for Continuing Professional Teacher Development (CPTD). The Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) have a range of programmes covering a wide scope of subjects and grades. Some of the DBE initiated programmes are

* Support for Further Education and Training (FET) Accounting and Economics teachers

* Support for Senior Phase Mathematics and Natural Sciences

Reply:

(a) At the inception of Sanitation Appropriate for Education (SAFE) Initiative, Provincial Departments of Education identified schools dependent on basic pit toilets.

• A total of 3898 schools were identified at the time.
• Subsequent to that, some schools were closed as part of rationalisation and the sanitation at some schools were addressed under other programmes.
• At present, there are 2814 schoosl on the SAFE programme.
• Of these 2814 schools, the upgrading of sanitation has been completed at 1564 schools.
• The balance of the schools are scheduled for completion by the end of 2022/23..

(b)The Department of Basic Education is currently engaging with Provinces to establish whether such Provinces became aware of additional schools dependent on basic pit toilets.  Early indications are that there are some additional schools in Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo.

Reply:

The question has been referred to the KZN Department of Education and a response will be provided as soon as it is received. 

Reply:

The question has been referred to the Mpumalanga Department of Education and a response will be submitted as soon as it is received.

Reply:

(1)(a)(i)((ii), (b), (c),(d) and (2). The two sub-questions have been referred to the Limpopo Department of Education and the response will be forwarded as soon as information is received from the province. 

(3) The Minister does not have plans to conduct an oversight visit to Helen Franz Special School. However, the Minister will, after assessing the information provided by the Limpopo Department of Education, request the Member of Executive Council (MEC) and the Head of Department (HoD) to address any issues identified.

Reply:

1) The Department of Basic Education is committed to creating an enabling registration process to facilitate the registration of more ECD programmes. To this end, the Department of Basic Education has conducted the ECD Census to determine the number of unregistered ECD programmes, and to identify areas that may require additional registration support. The Department has also held a broad stakeholder engagement session on 30 November 2021 to better understand the challenges in the registration process. It is recognised that there is a multitude of challenges facing ECD programmes in the registration process, and the Department has been working alongside the Department of Social Development in the Second Children’s Amendment Bill to, among other things, address some of the challenges which arise from the legislation, regulations, norms and standards. Similarly, the Department is in the process of ensuring that an online registration capturing system is in place to streamline the back-end processes related to registration. Finally, the Department has also partnered with organisations in the sector on a research study to better understand the current barriers to registration emanating from the current norms and standards. This research will enable the Department to come up with a more developmentally appropriate approach to ECD registration.

2) The Government Handbook on Function Transfers clearly stipulates that the principle to be followed in a function shift is that resources follow function. That means that all resources (human, financial and capital) that are connected to a function, need to be transferred from the relinquishing department to the receiving department. As guided by the Department of Public Service & Administration and the National Treasury, the DBE and DSD have followed this principle closely. In the financial year following the function shift, the same resources that have been devoted to ECD by the DSD will be devoted to ECD in the DBE. That being said, the Department has had multiple meetings with the National Treasury to seek additional funding for ECD, where National Treasury has committed that they have included ECD as a top priority in subsequent years. The Department will be working very closely with the National Treasury in the 2022/23 financial year, to build a business case for additional funding. This business case will build on the evidence collected through the ECD Census, the Thrive by Five Index and the Public Expenditure and Institutional Review.

3) No additional budget was allocated to the ECD function shift during the 2021/22 financial year, given that the function shift is an administrative process. Projects aimed at future improvements to the ECD function were undertaken through partnerships with key donor organisations.

Reply:

The DBE has collated the information from the nine Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) in terms of the vacancies at both the provincial head office level and at the district level, together with the DBE, and the table below provides the summary:

Province	Head Office	District
Eastern Cape	36	67
Free State	5	10
Gauteng	43	5
KwaZulu Natal	72	174
Limpopo	8	10
Mpumalanga	13	14
Northern Cape	33	12
North West	15	3
Western Cape	44	2
DBE	11
Total	280	297

 These vacancies exist across the following functions:

(a) Printing, packing, distribution  and storage of question papers.

(b) Monitoring of the writing.

(c) Marking 

(d) Data Capture

(e) Certification

(f) School Based Assessment

(g) System Administration

(h) General administrative responsibilities

PEDs have appointed staff on contract basis and utilised staff from other Units to assist with the examination functions, so as to ensure that the examination functions are not compromised. 

Reply:

(a) The table below shows the vacancy rate for teachers (Post Level 1) in each province in terms of the latest available information which is at the end of December 2021.

PROVINCE	All PL1 Teachers	Number of PL1 vacancies	Vacancy rate
EASTERN CAPE	44 054	4 777	10.8%
FREE STATE	17 172	121	0.7%
GAUTENG	54 863	87	0.2%
KWAZULU/NATAL	72 037	2 237	3.1%
LIMPOPO PROVINCE	40 828	3 219	7.9%
MPUMALANGA	26 850	74	0.3%
NORTHERN CAPE	7 236	23	0.3%
NORTH WEST	21 786	89	0.4%
WESTERN CAPE	25 712	40	0.2%
Grand Total	310 538	10 667	3.4%

Source: Persal, December 2021

(b) There is currently no national policy/norms to create posts for teacher assistants. 

(c)The table below shows the vacancy rate for principals (Post Level 1) in each province in terms of the latest available information which is at the end of December 2021.

PROVINCE	Number of Principal Post	Number of Principal vacancies	Vacancy rate
EASTERN CAPE	5 190	1 032	20%
FREE STATE	1 069	55	5%
GAUTENG	2 215	355	16%
KWAZULU/NATAL	5 882	1 457	25%
LIMPOPO PROVINCE	3 732	850	23%
MPUMALANGA	1 676	325	19%
NORTHERN CAPE	556	108	19%
NORTH WEST	1 487	271	18%
WESTERN CAPE	1 525	334	22%
Grand Total	23 332	4 787	21%

Source: PERSAL December 2021 

Reply:

Educators Recruitment Database is one of several sources of supply for the recruitment of educators. The Department provides the database as a service to districts and schools to access as one of the sources of supply to widen the pool of potential recruits to a national level. The Department does not actively manage the database as a placement service and therefore does not keep record of recruitment and actual placement from the database.

Reply:

1) It needs to be understood that the application of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPI), Act 4 of 2013, in its current context, is new and there are no settled interpretations to some of the clauses in the Act.  The Department therefore, consulted extensively on this matter, specifically with regard to whether the examination numbers of candidates constitutes the personal information of the learner, before a decision could be made.  Besides the legal advice that was sought on this matter, the DBE also engaged the Information Regulator on this matter, both in writing and in meetings. 

The DBE was reminded by the Regulator that the Department could be penalised if found to be violating the prescripts of the POPI Act.  Therefore, the DBE adopted the cautious approach not to publish the results of the 2021 candidates in the media, and use this year to investigate this matter more thoroughly and extensively, to ensure a more considered and fully explored option is implemented for the Class of 2022.  This position was adopted in consideration that no candidate would be disadvantaged, given that the complete results of the candidates were available at the school, on the morning of the release under supervised conditions, and also the results were available on the DBE website.          

(2) There was certainly no embarrassment to the Department, given the fact that this matter was open to different legal interpretations.  We therefore, had no issue in complying with the order of the court.  In terms of future years, through the learner application forms, we will obtain from each Grade 12 learner and their parents, their individual consent with regard to the publication of their results in the media at the end of this year.     

Reply:

(a) 

(i) Department of Basic Education

(aa) 30 days,  - 5

(bb) 60 days, - 2

 (cc) 90 days - 0

 (dd) 120 days,- 5

 

 (b) what is the total amount outstanding in each case:

 

No.	Order No	Amount
1	OR-013041	R24 909,00
2	OR-013070	R15 715,90
3	OR-012896	R4 218,20
4	OR-012347	R5 043,90
5	OR-012537	R2 314,38
6	OR-012733	R3 769,65
7	OR-012996	R10 301,62
8	OR-012708	R12 105,27
9	OR-012668	R9 078,95
10	OR-012742	R18 157,91
11	OR-012725	R12 105,27
12	OR-012816	R583 239,30
13	OR-012925	R16 883,00

(c) by what date is it envisaged that the outstanding amounts will be settled?       

• 15 March 2022  

               

(ii) UMALUSI - See Annexure A Response received from UMALUSI 

 (aa) (bb) (cc) (dd), (b) and (c) 

 

SACE See Annexure B Response received from SACE 

  (aa) (bb) (cc) (dd), (b) and (c) 

Reply:

There are no new cars for Minister and her deputy purchased since 29 May 2019. However, below are details of their current cars:

(a) What is the (a) make:
    (i) Mrs. AM Motshekga, MP Minister
        1. BMW - Cape Town
        2. Mercedes Benz – Pretoria

    (ii) Dr MR Mhaule MP Deputy Minister
        1. BMW - Cape Town
        2. AUDI - Pretoria

(b) Model
    (i) Mrs. AM Motshekga, MP Minister
        1. 535i Sedan
        2. GLE 500
    (ii) Dr MR Mhaule MP Deputy Minister
        1. 530
        2. Q7 3.0 TDI Quatro

(c) Year of Manufacture
     (i) Mrs. AM Motshekga, MP Minister
        1. BMW - 2014
        2. Mercedes Benz - 2016
    (ii) Dr MR Mhaule MP Deputy Minister
        1. BMW - 2018
        2. AUDI - 2018

(d) Price
    (i) Mrs. AM Motshekga, MP Minister
        1. BMW - R769,022.76
        2. Mercedes Benz - R849,900.00
    (ii) Dr MR Mhaule MP Deputy Minister
        1. BMW - R833,488.41
        2. AUDI - R1,015,702.05

(e) Purchase Date of vehicle
    (i) Mrs. AM Motshekga, MP Minister
        1. BMW - 23 September 2014
        2. Mercedes Benz - 26 October 2016
    (ii) Dr MR Mhaule MP Deputy Minister
        1. BMW - 28 March 2018
        2. AUDI - 13 December 2018

Reply:

(1), (2) and (3). The Question has been referred to the Limpopo Department of Education and the response will be forwarded as soon as information is received from the province. 

Reply:

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has no jurisdiction in the appointment of interns by Provincial Education Departments. The matter should therefore be directed to the Eastern Cape Department of Education (EC DOE). In the interim, the DBE has directed the matter to the EC DOE.

Reply:

 

(1). There is a Policy on Home Education, which was promulgated in 2018.
(2). The department has developed a draft framework for the establishment of the online private and public schools. The purpose of the framework is to address the policy gap and provide guidance on the procedure for the establishment of the Online School. The framework has been shared with Provincial Education Departments for input and comments before it can be distributed to other stakeholders.

Reply:

 

Please find attached response as provided by the LP DoE

Reply:

 

Please see the attached table:

Reply:

 

1. The Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) content in Life Orientation (LO) covers fatherhood, responsibility and accountability when addressing issues of early and unintended pregnancies to indicate that pregnancy is not just a burden for girls, but a collective responsibility of both girls and boys when it occurs. The fatherhood work is extended outside the curriculum in the implementation plan of the prevention and management of learner pregnancy in schools.
2. In South Africa, the curriculum is implemented on the basis of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), which has been developed in the South African democratic and constitutional context. The CAPS has a very explicit Afrocentric focus.
3. The curriculum content is designed in a South African context, which promotes constitutional values and principles, and embraces multiculturalism and diversity in terms of religious practices and other identities.

Reply:

 

1. While dropping out is a matter that the Department of Basic Education monitors closely, it would be difficult to provide a response to question (a) for two reasons. Firstly, how the Department has monitored dropping out over the years, has changed as methodologies and data have improved; meaning that there is no comparable number for each of twenty years which can simply be added together. It should be pointed out that dropping out is seldom, if ever monitored in the manner implied by the question. Secondly, even if an attempt were to be made to standardise values over time, this would have to be in response to a question that defines clearly who is a dropout. There is no universally accepted definition of this. Young people, who leave school before obtaining the ‘Matric’ to find work, or to further studies somewhere else, are not easily identified or defined.

It should be clarified that the Department takes the matter of dropping out very seriously, and reports transparently and frequently on this. The annual report on the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations, available on the Department’s website, provides comprehensive analysis of who obtains and who does not obtain the National Senior Certificate (NSC). For example, the report for the 2020 examinations indicates that ‘the percentage of youths successfully completing Grade 12, has increased from about 45% in 2005, to around 57% in 2019’. The 57% implies that around 420 000 in one youth age cohort, do not obtain the NSC. Statistics South Africa data indicate that a further 3%, do not obtain the NSC; but do obtain some other national qualification outside the schooling system, for instance at a college. (This is explained in, for instance, the Department’s Action Plan to 2024.)

The 2020 NSC examinations report, moreover makes the important point that successful completion of twelve years of education in South Africa is roughly to similar to that found in other middle income countries. The key point is that the situation is improving in South Africa. A growing percentage of young South Africans, have been obtaining the NSC, and the NSC with a Bachelors-level pass in particular.

1. Most dropping out, occurs between Grade 10 and Grade 11, and between Grade 11 and Grade 12. Figures in this regard appear in the 2020 NSC report.

1. Dropping out is caused mostly by learners not coping academically. By far the most important interventions implicitly aimed at combatting dropping out, focus on improving the quality of learning and teaching. Such interventions include upgrading the skills of teachers at the secondary level, and initiatives aimed at ensuring that learners have all the textbooks they need, as well as the support / remedial programmes they require. Important longer-term interventions, include improving the way reading, writing and numeracy are taught in the earliest grades. Details appear in the Department’s Annual Performance Plan and other documents on the Department’s website.

In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic poses immense threats to educational quality. In this regard, the Department has focussed strongly on returning learners to regular daily attendance, for instance by insisting on the prioritisation of teachers in the national vaccination programme.

Reply:

 

Response: (a)

Please note that the department does not have comparison of learners without IDs between 2020 and 2021. However, the number of learners uploaded on LURITS were verified with the Department of Home Affairs. This analysis is not specific for the last 12 months. About 91.3% of learners with ID’s were verified with the Department of Home Affairs.

Table 1: Number of South African learners with verified ID numbers on LURITS, in 2021

Province	Total number of learners of learners uploaded to LURITS	Number of learners with verified ID's on NPR
Eastern Cape	1,688,327	1,612,153
Free State	738,304	695,056
Gauteng	1,899,470	1,607,654
KwaZulu- Natal	2,251,344	2,122,383
Limpopo	1,780,306	1,712,546
Mpumalanga	1,128,591	1,052,018
Northern Cape	304,675	297,210
North West	862,259	816,303
Western Cape	1,252,233	958,568
Total	11,905,509	10,873,891

Source: 2021 LURITS

(b)(i)(ii)

Table 2 indicates that there were 465 826 South African learners without ID numbers captured in the School Administration System in 2021. The majority of these learners are in Gauteng, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 144 218 and 92 572, respectively.

Table 2: Number of South African learners without ID numbers submitted on LURITS, in 2021

Province	Total Number
Eastern Cape	55,537
Free State	30,546
Gauteng	144,218
KwaZulu-Natal	92,572
Limpopo	46,455
Mpumalanga	56,689
Northern Cape	4,978
North West	26,922
Western Cape	7, 909
Total	465 826

Source: 2021 LURITS

c) Engagements between the Department of Basic Education and the Department of Home Affairs have been enhanced and formalised under the leadership of Deputy Ministers of both Departments. Officials have also established teams not to only focus on South African learners, but all undocumented learners in all schools. The teams are led by the Deputy Directors-General of the two departments, and these teams include Chief Directors and Directors. Through the collaboration, the Department of Home Affairs has access to schools; and both departments exchange information of undocumented learners with the aim of facilitating their registration.

Reply:

 

1. The finalisation of the report on the National Investigation Task Team, was delayed by the outstanding forensic investigation report that was carried out on the cell phones that were voluntarily submitted by candidates. The final Report has since been submitted to the Portfolio Committee.
2. The investigation relating to the Government Printing Works as well as the other components of the investigation are part of the criminal investigation that is conducted and managed by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI). All information relating to the criminal investigation will only be made available to the Department of Basic Education, after the investigation is concluded and the courts have ruled on the matter.

Reply:

 

1. The Department of Basic Education (DBE) is committed to creating an enabling registration process to facilitate the registration of more ECD programmes. To this end, the DBE has conducted the ECD Census to determine the number of unregistered ECD programmes and to identify areas that may require additional registration support. The Department has also held a broad stakeholder engagement session on 30 November 2021 to better understand the challenges in the registration process. It is recognised that there is a multitude of challenges facing ECD programmes in the registration process and the Department has been working alongside the Department of Social Development in the Second Children’s Amendment Bill to, among other things, address some of the challenges which arise from the legislation, regulations, norms and standards. Similarly, the Department is in the process of ensuring that an online registration capturing system is in place, come 01 April 2022, to streamline the back-end processes related to registration.
2. The Department has been very clear in all communication to the sector that the function shift will not be resulting in additional resources to the sector. Supported by the National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT), the Department has held a series of stakeholder dialogues aimed at, among others, communicating facts about the function shift. Furthermore, the communication teams from both Departments, are working on a communication plan to ensure that this message is consistently communicated across all the provinces.
3. The Department has had multiple meetings with the National Treasury to seek any additional funding for ECD. National Treasury has been clear that there will be no additional funding for the 2021/22 financial year, but that they have included ECD as a top priority in subsequent years. The Department will be working very closely with the National Treasury in the 2022/23 financial year to build a business case for additional funding. This business case will build on the evidence collected through the ECD Census (advocating for expanding access) and the Thrive by Five Index (proving the impact of the funding currently being spent). Integrating ECD into the Education Management Information System (EMIS) will further help with building credibility regarding the recipients of the subsidy.

Reply:

 

1. What is the breakdown in each province of the (a) total number learners who were directly affected by the underspending of the budget? (b) grants which were affected (c) total amount that was not spent in each grant?

Response:

1 (a) No learners were directly affected by the under-expenditure as services continued to be rendered despite the under-expenditure.

1 (b) and (c): There was no under-expenditure on other grants.

What total amount was underspent for learners with severe disabilities in the 2019-20 financial year?

Response:

R10.7 Million (See attach expenditure report for details).

Reply:

 

1(a) (i)(ii) and 1(b)(1). The table below shows the information on the staff component of all non-teaching posts including professional staff (Therapists, Social Workers and Nurses)

School Name	Number of posts-1 (a)(i)(ii)	Vacant -1(b) (I)
Helene Franz Special School	78	32
Tshilidzini Special School	109	50

1(b) (ii) The vacancies reported have accumulated since 2015, which was the last time posts were filled at both schools.

1(b)(iii) 36 posts for special schools targeted for learners with Severe to Profound Intellectual Disability have been advertised for filling with effect from 01/04/2022. Some of the posts, once filled, will offer services to the two schools. Furthermore, 228 additional posts (professional and non-professional) to be distributed to all special schools in the province have been submitted to the Provincial Treasury for approval to be filled during the 2022/23 financial year.

1. There is currently one (1) Therapist post filled at Tshilidzini Special School with 11 vacant, and none at Helene Franz Special School with two (2) vacant. Both schools are currently receiving therapeutic support provided by Therapists appointed through the Learners with Severe and Profound Intellectual Disability grant.

1. There are no recorded oversight visits to the specific schools at national level.

Reply:

 

Learner admission, is a provincial competency. The Department of Basic Education (DBE) developed Business Processes that all provinces should implement in the management of the admission process. The DBE has ensured that all provinces have:

1. developed Circulars to guide the admission process in the admissions in line with the Business Process;
2. used various media platforms to conduct advocacy to inform parents and stakeholders about important dates and procedures for admissions;
3. established admission committees at provincial and District level to manage admissions in the province;
4. established a team to manage and respond to appeals;
5. established centres to deal with late registration and the distribution of learners from over-subscribed to where there is still available space.

Reply:

 

The question has been referred to the North West Department of Education and a response will be submitted as soon as it is received.

Reply:

Please find attached response as provided by KZN DoE

Reply:

(a) and (b) The Department signed a Partnership Protocol Agreement with the South African Police Service (SAPS) to support its efforts in combatting violence and crime in schools. This Protocol, sets out the framework for close inter-departmental co-ordination in order to create Safe, Caring and Child Friendly Schools, in which quality learning and teaching can take place. The aims of this protocol are to:

1. Strengthen Safe School Committees to curb crime and violence in schools;
2. Encourage all role players at school and in communities to play an active role as members of Safe School Committees;
3. Link all schools to local Police Stations;
4. Establish reporting systems at schools;
5. Raise awareness amongst learners regarding crime and violence and its impact on individuals, families and education;
6. Establish a school-based crime prevention service and interventions, which will deter potential offenders and empower potential victims and past victims;
7. Extend  crime  prevention  programmes  to  Early  Childhood  Development Centres in order to raise awareness amongst young children on how to keep themselves safe;
8. Mobilise communities to take ownership of schools; and
9. Promote the image of the South African Police Service, and to build positive relationships between schools, police stations, children and school communities.

The abduction of learners outside school premises is a worrisome development for the Basic Education Sector and the school communities in general. Due to the complexity of this threat to the Sector, a broader national collaboration is being marshalled by the department with other relevant departments, especially those in the Security Cluster.

The Minister of Basic Education collaborates and works effectively with the SAPS through the National Joint Operations and Intelligence Structures (Natjoints) which coordinates all security and law enforcement throughout the country to source intelligence regarding incidences of violence in schools.

The Department also utilises the Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign (QLTC) to work with school communities to ensure the safety of school communities. The QLTC constantly reaches out to communities, including the traditional leaders, in promoting the participation of  parents and the broader society to make our schools safe places of teaching and learning.

Reply:

Please find response as provided by Mpumalanga Department of Education 

Reply:

1.  The writing of Grade 12 examinations is reaching its conclusion and as at 31 November 2021, there are four more days to the end of the writing of the examination. In terms of the writing of the examination, the impact of load shedding has been minimal, as observed during the monitoring process. In subjects like Computer Applications Technology (CAT) and Information Technology (IT), where computers are used, and where learners may have been affected, the DBE, will offer to these candidates an opportunity to rewrite the examination on 7 December 2021. The other subject that required electricity, is South African Sign Language (SASL). But given the very small numbers, these candidates were not adversely affected, as the schools could put in place alternative mechanisms. However, there is still the impact of load shedding on the final preparations for the examination, undertaken by learners during the examination period. This impact, if any, will only be established after the marking has been completed and the results are analysed.

 

2. In terms of addressing the possible disadvantage that may have been suffered by learners in terms of their final preparations for the examinations, this together with other factors that may have negatively impacted on learner performance, these will be addressed during the standardisation of results. The standardisation of results is a process, undertaken by the Quality Assurance Council, Umalusi, to mitigate, factors other than learners knowledge, ability and aptitude, that may impact on learner performance.     

Reply:

The Department has the Disciplinary Code and Procedures for Educators which are provided in Schedule 2 of the Employment of Educators Act (EEA), 1997 (Act No. 76 of 1998). The Code is aimed at, amongst others, promoting acceptable conduct. It is therefore, the responsibility of the employer, who in terms of section 3(1)(b) of the EEA, is the Head of the Provincial Education Department, to implement and enforce the Code.

Reply:

The Department has requested the Province to investigate and provide a report on the matter.  A response will be furnished upon receipt of the requested report. 

Reply:

a) (i) There are four (4) districts that do not have special schools; (ii) The ECD function does not reside with the Department of Basic Education; 

b) (iii) Amathole West (EC), Chris Hani West (EC), ZF Mgcawu (NC) and Pixley Ka Seme (NC) (iv) There are no other details.

Reply:

With regards to the question on learner pregnancy, it is necessary to note the difficulties in reporting accurate information on the number of learners that are pregnant at schools.  The school Principal or school Administrator captures the information on the South African School Administration and Management System (SA-SAMS), provided that the learners declare their pregnancy.  There are many instances where the Principal might not be aware of a learner being pregnant, as it is not declared; and therefore, it cannot be recorded.  Furthermore, societal norms regarding teenage pregnancy may prohibit learners from reporting that they are pregnant; hence, there is under-reporting of teenage pregnancy on SA-SAMS.  The Department uses the General Household Survey (GHS), which provides the best information on learner pregnancy statistics.  Given that the GHS survey is sample-based, and that the proportion of learners that report pregnancy is very low, the actual number of pregnancies should be interpreted with extreme caution.

Reply:

With regards to the question on learner pregnancy, it is necessary to note the difficulties in reporting accurate information on the number of learners that are pregnant at schools.  The school Principal or school Administrator captures the information on the South African School Administration and Management System (SA-SAMS), provided that the learners declare their pregnancy. There are many instances where the Principal might not be aware of a learner being pregnant, as it is not declared; and therefore, it cannot be recorded.  Furthermore, societal norms regarding teenage pregnancy, may prohibit learners from reporting that they are pregnant; hence there is under-reporting of teenage pregnancy on SA-SAMS.  The Department uses the General Household Survey (GHS), which provides the best information on learner pregnancy statistics.  Given that the GHS survey is sample-based, and that the proportion of learners that report pregnancy is very low, the actual number of pregnancies should be interpreted with extreme caution.

Reply:

The question has been referred to provincial education departments for detailed information. The response will be forwarded as soon as all responses have been received and collated.

Reply:

The North West Provincial Head of Examinations made contact with the Principal of Hebron Technical and Commercial High school and the principal confirmed that all learners that wrote the full examination at the school in November 2019 and November 2020  have been resulted.

However, there are seventeen candidates who have incomplete results in the November 2019 examination, due to them being absent for one or more subjects during the November 2019 examination. However, there is no record that these candidates with incomplete results, registered to write the examination in the subjects for which they were absent, in November 2020. 

It will therefore be appreciated, if the names and identity numbers of candidates that claim to have written the examination and not resulted, could be forwarded to the Department of Basic Education, so that these specific candidates can be investigated.   

Reply:

In respect of Question(s): (a)(i) and (ii); (b); (c); (d); (e); (f) and (g)(i):

Sexual misconduct cases are reported to the employer, who in terms of section 3(1)(b) of the Employment of Educators Act, 76 of 1998, is the Head of the Provincial Education Department entrusted with the responsibility to enforce the disciplinary code and procedures against all employees employed at the provincial level.

Therefore, the question is more relevant to the provincial administration, since it is the responsibility of the employer. 

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

Consequently, the Department has a zero-tolerance against any educator who has committed sexual misconduct towards any learner. 

In respect of Question (g)(ii):

The provision of section 54 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 32 of 2007, (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) and section 110 of the Children’s Act, 38 of 2005, put an obligation on any person who becomes aware of any abuse or incident, involving a child, to report such incident to the South African Police Service (SAPS) or Department of Social Development (DSD);

Section 26 of the Employment of Educators Act and section 26 of the SACE Act, also put an obligation on the employer to report to SACE every case, where disciplinary steps were taken against an educator, resulting in a sanction other than caution or reprimand.

Besides the above legislative provisions, the Department of Basic Education has developed two (2) Protocols, namely, Standard Operating Procedures for the Employers of Educators and Protocol for Reporting and Management of Sexual Abuse and Harassment in schools.  These protocols outline the responsibilities of the PEDs (schools, Circuits and Districts officials), ELRC, SACE, SGBs, including the Department of Social Development and Department of Justice and Constitutional Development on reporting and handling misconduct cases committed by educators, learners and other PEDs employees.

The latest amendment to the Regulations of the Employment of Educators Act, Government Gazette No 44433, dated 09 April 2021, provides that an educator found guilty of sexual misconduct towards a learner, is indefinitely prevented from re-employment in education. 

There is also the ELRC Collective Agreement 3 of 2018 "Providing for Compulsory Inquiries by Arbitrators in Cases of Disciplinary Action Against Educators Charged with Sexual Misconduct in Respect of Learners" which provides for an expedited, independent disciplinary process against an educator for alleged sexual misconduct committed towards any learner.

Reply:

The procedures in relation to the appointment of foreign nationals in South Africa are regulated in terms of the Immigration Act, 2002 (Act No.13 of 2002, as amended), and the Immigration Regulations  2014 (as amended); with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) as the custodians.  Therefore, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) established a procedure for the appointment of foreign educators in State-paid posts at public schools.  The procedure is aligned with the provisions of the Immigration Act and its Regulations.  Thus, (a) the procedure in relation to the appointment of foreign educators will differ in that it is subjected to the provisions as stipulated in the Immigration Act and Regulations; and (b) In principle, foreign educators are considered as a last resort, and currently are considered in subjects identified as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).  A guideline document on the employment of foreign educators, which is aligned with the provisions of both the Immigration Act and Immigration Regulations, has since been adopted, and is implemented when foreign educators are appointed.  A working relationship between the DBE, DHA and the Department of Labour has also been established.          

Reply:

The question has been referred to provincial departments of education for detailed information. The response will be provided as soon as all the responses have been received and collated

Reply:

1.  The SAFE (Sanitation Appropriate For Education) programme was launched to eradicate BASIC PIT toilets.  Countrywide, there are currently 2 913 schools on this programme.  1 159 of these 2 913 schools, appropriate toilets have already been constructed.  In Limpopo, there are 455 schools that form part of the SAFE programme.  Of these 455, 170 projects have already progressed to Practical Completion. 

2.  There are 2 initiatives related to BASIC PIT toilets to ensure the safety of children.  The first is to build appropriate toilets at schools (see progress reported above).  The second is to demolish the old BASIC PIT toilet structures.  This second initiative is driven by the Provincial Departments of Education.  For example, in Limpopo there are 239 schools that have appropriate toilets, but the old BASIC PIT structures were still on site.  At 86 of these 239, contractors have been appointed and the old BASIC PIT toilets have been demolished.

3.  The eradication of BASIC PIT toilets has already commenced with progress as indicated above 

Reply:

Independent schools are registered in line with terms and conditions laid down by the Department and Provincial Regulations. The Department monitors compliance to the conditions set out during registration through Circuit Managers for support and intervention purposes. This is followed by the deregistration of the independent school should the provided support and intervention fail.

The Provincial Education Department in North West is finalising its investigation at Naledi Christian School. Recommendations will be forwarded to the Head of Department and the Administrator for their final decision on the future of the school, which is still operating with a provisional registration certificate that will be due for review.

Reply:

(1) (a) (b) The Department of Basic Education has put in place a three year Recovery Annual Teaching Plan for each subject in each grade, to help guide teachers focus on key concepts, content and skills to be taught per subject over the next three year period. The curriculum statement for each grade and subject was evaluated by a panel of curriculum content experts and the content was reduced so as to ensure that only the core concepts, knowledge and skills are taught for each subject and grade. It is anticipated that over the next three years, learners would have covered the core content in the subject and the curriculum statement, post the three year period, would be reviewed to take learners forward in their learning process. The three year recovery period, is tentative at this stage and may be extended if necessary based on the findings from the continuous research, monitoring and support provided by the DBE and PEDs to schools

The DBE has developed guidelines for teachers on fundamental content that must be prioritised and the guidelines will be used on an annual basis, as they are aligned to the curriculum. In terms of this strategy, and given the variation in teaching time across the schools, there is now a higher dependence on the teachers professional judgment. Teachers are provided with a Planner and Tracker, which lists the reduced content to be covered in the week, and teachers must record coverage so as to ensure that every teacher has a record of curriculum coverage, per grade, which will be transferred to the next teacher. This will ensure continuity from one grade to the next. The new strategy also moves the focus to Assessment for Learning (formative assessment) as a teaching strategy.  This implies that the teacher not only assesses at the end of the learning process to make judgment on the learning gains but assess the learner on a continuous basis during the learning process to support the learning process. Assessment weightings in Grades 4-11 have also been adjusted to ensure that optimal time is used for teaching and learning.

The key tenet of the strategy is to reduce the curriculum to focus on key concepts, skills and knowledge that are essential for deeper learning and the development of cognitive skills that will promote creative thinking, problem solving and effective communication. 

(2) The DBE has learnt that plans that are put in place to reduce the impact of future disruptions must be agile and must take into consideration the various school contexts. In accommodating the various school contexts, much is left to the teacher's professional judgment and expertise. Hence, teacher development, training and support is now more crucial in capacitating the teacher to manage his/her classroom context. The DBE has also learnt  that the continuous monitoring of teaching and learning in the classroom is important as the data gathered from such monitoring will help adjust the intervention strategy and the long term plan to recover the teaching losses. The ongoing monitoring will inform the additional support programmes , such as TV and Radio broadcast lessons, that are aligned to the Annual Teaching Plans. Collaboration with stakeholders such as Teacher Unions, School Governing body Associations, Professional Bodies and research institutions is vital as to ensure buy-in, support and input on latest developments as the situation unfolds.

Reply:

The question has been referred to all provincial departments of education for detailed information. The response will be provided as soon as all provinces have submitted and the responses collated.

Reply:

(a) Provinces are verifying data on the drop-out rate, since learners returned to school in the third term.  The verification process has to be carefully executed for a number of reasons, so that learners are not counted as drop-outs, when that is not the case.  Some schools follow a weekly rotation timetabling; learner attendance is marked when it is a learner's turn to come to school.  In some cases, learners are absent for an extended period of time, and this may erroneously be interpreted as a drop-out.  Some learners are physically at school, but are either learning virtually from home or are participating in home education programmes.  As provinces are verifying learner drop-out statistics, they need to consider these issues, which may be construed as drop-out.

(b) Strategies to get all learners back to school include schools supported by districts; and following-up on learners who have not returned to schools.  This includes engaging with parents or caregivers to address the issues that result in learners not going to school.  To minimise learner drop-out, at the national level, the Quality of Learning and Teaching Campaign (QLTC) is the most effective instrument that is being used, to engage with all relevant stakeholders, including but not limited to parents, schools and local authorities. 

Reply:

(a) (i) (ii) 144 schools, 8 education district offices and 3 education centres in Kwa Zulu Natal and 54 schools in Gauteng.

(b)  In the majority of the burglaries, the damages to infrastructure were minimal, and learner and teaching equipment was stolen together, especially ICT equipment.  The  most common target areas in schools, were administration blocks - for information and communication technology (ICT) equipment; and nutrition centres - for food items.  Out of 144 schools in KZN, three (3) schools had serious damages, resulting from the burning of infrastructure.  The schools are: In Pinetown district - SIPHOSETHU PRIMARY, which suffered a loss of  3 classrooms; In UMgungundlovu district - SIKHULULIWE, which suffered a loss of 8 classrooms; and at  ILembe district - RADHA ROOPSINGH, which suffered a loss of 7 classrooms.

(c) The damages did not affect teaching and learning; and at the 3 schools, where some classrooms were burnt, mobile classrooms have been provided by the provincial department.

Reply:

(1)       Whether her department has investigated the fact that overcrowding in schools is one of the factors contributing to the increasing number of COVID-19 infections; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; 

RESPONSE:

The closeness of learners to each other in the classroom, and overcrowding, are clearly factors that can increase the risk of COVID-19 infection. This is clear from the World Health Organization (WHO) guidance and the guidance provided by South African experts, which is captured in the various guides and directives produced by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and aimed at schools. There is no clear scientific evidence from anywhere in the world on the exact effects of the proximity of learners to each other in the classroom on transmission of the virus. Thus, rules and guidelines around classroom distancing strategies and optimal distances between learners are based on expert opinion, and differ from place to place. For instance, the WHO has advocated a distance of one metre in classrooms, while South African experts have in the past advocated one and a half metres. The reason there is no clear evidence is that the required experiments would be unethical. They would require, for instance, imposing a one metre rule in some classes, and a one and a half metre rule in other classes, in the same schooling system, and then seeing the extent to which transmission differed across the two groups. The reason one cannot make simple comparisons across different schooling systems, is that the epidemiology in each schooling system is influenced by a great variety of factors, and not just one factor such as the stipulated distance.

(2)       whether her department has made similar findings; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details; 

RESPONSE:

As explained in the response to the previous question, this type of research has not been conducted in South Africa for ethical reasons. What the Department is currently working on is analysis of Department of Health microdata on reported cases since the start of the pandemic, to detect whether correlations between schools being open and cases point to any clear benefits to either closures or re-openings. It should be kept in mind that learners are exposed to infection both inside and outside school, and that it is possible that learners may be safer in the more controlled environment of the school than outside the school. Initial findings from the DBE’s work does not point strongly in either direction, meaning whether schools have been open or closed has not made any significant difference to transmission patterns among children or the population as a whole.

(3)       whether her department is conducting the required research on ventilation and health protocols in schools in line with the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention’s building recommendations in both (a) private and (b) public schools; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? 

RESPONSE:

The DBE has gone to great lengths to gather expert opinion, from South Africa and abroad, on optimal ventilation and other strategies in classrooms, and this informs government’s policy on these matters. Again, neither in the United States nor in South Africa are scientific experiments that directly assess the relationship between ventilation and transmission levels possible, for ethical reasons.     

Reply:

As at 31 July 2021, The South African Council for Educators still had a total of 826 cases that still remain unresolved and are still being processed.

More resources are being deployed to deal effectively with the existing backlog that is a direct result of the negative effect of Covid 19 that has, to a large extent, made it extremely difficult to get access to victims and witnesses. Quite often this applies to learners who are restrained by their parents to participate on misconduct cases which are linked to educators. Such a development often leads to delayed resolution and finalisation of cases.

In addition, the fear by teachers and Presiding officers to travel during this pandemic, witness tampering and intimidation of complainants by accused educators has impacted negatively on SACE’s ability to clear cases as planned. These challenges are being addressed by seeking cooperation, implementing awareness programmes and encouraging the community to help in enforcing the code of professional ethics.

Reply:

The Department of Basic Education does not have access to the SACE Register of educators but rely on the information provided by SACE and as such, the question has been referred to SACE and response will be provided once received.

Reply:

1. (a) What are the reasons that the Kretzenhoop PS in Blanco, George, is categorized as a quintile 4 school, and

The South African Schools Act (SASA), 1996 (Act 84 of 1996), as amended, and the National Norms and Standards for School Funding (NNSSF) (Government Gazette 29178, dated 31 August 2006) were amended to allow for the re-ranking of schools in terms of poverty. All schools of the WCED were re-ranked in terms of paragraph 101 of the NNSSF.

In terms of the amended NNSSF, the Western Cape (WC) schools are ranked within national quintiles (NQs) based on the poverty index of the community surrounding the school.

As from 2007, Kretzenhoop PS was classified as a NQ4 school in accordance with the amended NNSSF.  The school’s allocated poverty score was ranked 87th out of 357 schools within its Quintile, ranking the school within the top 24% of least poor schools in the Quintile.

(b) On what grounds was the application of the specified school to be re-categorized as a quintile 2 school rejected?

Kretzenhoop PS submitted an appeal in 2019 through the relevant District Office, to challenge the quintile classification as per the requirements stipulated in Circular 0027/2019.

The school cited the following reasons, inter alia, in support of the national quintile change:

1. The school is central to a rural setting,
2. The community has high levels of unemployment,
3. A large proportion of learners are from single-headed households, and
4. Most of the learners’ families are recipients of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) and are unable to support fundraising functions.

           In terms of the SASA and the amended NNSSF, the National Minister declared all NQ 1-3 to be no fee schools. Furthermore, all departments may also offer no-fee status to Quintile 4 and 5 schools subject to available funding and after taking all no-fee related programmes into consideration. 

During October 2013 approval was granted to invite schools on a voluntary basis to apply for no-fee status due to the current economic situation in the country, and taking into consideration the high unemployment rate within the Western  Cape. Kretzenhoop PS accepted the invitation to be declared voluntary no-fee as from 1 January 2014. In terms of the NNSSF, any school may appeal against its quintile or fee status, and the school first exercised this right in 2017. The  WCED appeal process was enhanced to ensure all factors of schools are considered (see below description of the appeal process followed) and the application was considered in 2019 using the WCED appeal process indicators to ensure a balanced view was presented for consideration. The school’s application to change the quintile was however declined in January 2020 by the provincial Member of the Executive Council (MEC) of Education based on the following reasons:

1. Financially, the school will not benefit from a quintile change as it already receives the maximum benefit from the department by way of Norms and Standards; 
2. The request to move from NQ4 to NQ2 is not feasible as the current provincial quota for NQ2 is fully subscribed; and
3. The school is currently ranked within the top 24% in the poverty rating within its quintile. There are poorer schools within NQ4 that would have to be considered ahead of Kretzenhoop PS, should a change in quintile be considered.

(2) Whether she has been informed that the parents of the majority of the learners at the school occupy low income positions at the affluent Fancourt Golf Estate, if not, what is the position in this regard: if so what are the relevant details;

No mention was made of the affluent Fancourt Golf Estate in the application received from the school. This factor was also not a consideration and therefore did not affect the decision one way or the other.

The following reasons were cited by the school in the appeal submitted:

1. The school is situated in a rural community.
2. Most parents are from a low-income group.
3. Most of the learner’s families are recipients of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) grants and are unable to support fundraising functions.
4. The community has high levels of unemployment.
5. A percentage of parents work as domestic workers and farmworkers.
6. Poor socio-economic situation of community.

(3) Whether her department has put any plans in place to review the categorization of the school as a quintile 4 school. 

In terms of the NNSSF all Provincial Education Departments (PED’s) must have a fair process in place to deal with disputes regarding Quintile classification or Fee status. The Western Cape Education Department’s (WCED) appeal process allows for all schools to participate in this process. All appeal applications are dealt with on an individual basis when received. There is currently no appeal application in process for Kretzenhoop PS in particular, other than the application concluded in January 2020. 

The WCED has the following processes in place for quintile and fee-status allocations:

(a) Resource Targeting list

The resource targeting list as per the NNSSF is reviewed every year and forms the basis of the pro-poor distribution of the school allocation budget and informs the quintile classification of each school. 

                (b) Voluntary reclassification of certain Quintile 4 and 5 schools as no fee

In terms of section 39(7) of the SASA, the National Minister of Basic Education determined that all learners in Quintiles 1 to 3 (60% of the public ordinary school learners nationally) are to be in no fee schools. The WC is still regarded as one of the least poor provinces, resulting in the WC poverty distribution providing for the allocation of 40.3% of its learners to Quintiles 1-3, compared to the 60% target for public ordinary school learners nationally. Currently the provincial % for Quintile 1-3 is 40.2%, 0.1% less than the national target. 

The pro-poor policy has partially addressed the pressure with the voluntary declaration of no-fee schools in quintiles 4 and 5, allowing for better alignment between the WCED school classification and the national indicator of 60% of learners to be treated as poor learners.

The table below illustrates the current fee-status for all Western Cape public schools:

WCED Pro-poor policy	No-fee (Q1-5)	Fees
	60%	40%

            (c) Appeal process against quintile/fee status classification

Any school may apply for a deviation to the MEC if the school believes that it warrants special consideration, such as poor socio-economic situations, unemployment rate, financial position of the school, declining school fee collection, high number of social grants recipients, increasing poverty changes, learners from impoverished communities attending the school, etc.  The MEC considers each case on its merits and provides a formal response. Furthermore, it should be noted that schools are not limited to the number of applications they may submit as it is acknowledged that any school’s situation remains fluid and could warrant a new consideration subsequent to one appeal having been processed. All appeals processes are subject to the availability of funding.