Questions & Replies: Basic Education
2012-09-30
THIS FILE CAN CONTAIN UP TO 25 REPLIES.
SEARCH ON THE TOPIC/KEYWORD YOU ARE LOOKING FOR BY SELECTING CTRL + F ON YOUR KEYBOARD
Reply received: May 2012
QUESTION 997
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 26/04/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 10/2012)
Mrs A T Lovemore (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) Whether teachers are required to participate in extra-curricular activities without receiving additional payment; if not, why not; if so, (a) when was this non-voluntary system implemented and (b) what are the policy details;
(2) what measures has she put in place for the (a)(i) identification and (ii) utilisation of appropriate coaches or facilitators for extra-curricular activities and (b) payment of these coaches or facilitators;
(3) whether her department is involved in the Magnificent Wednesday Initiative with regard to coaches and facilitators; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW1178E
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Yes
(a) Educators are expected to participate in extra-curricular activities as the activities are part of the school programme.
(b) Employment of Educators Act requires educators to participate in Etra-Curricular activities.
2. (a) (i) schools identify educators according to their skills, experience and
interest.
(ii) plans are underway to train educators to at least level 1 coaches in their respective sporting codes.
(iii) There are no payments for coaches hence training is directed to educators.
Reply received: May 2012
QUESTION 996
Mrs A T Lovemore (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) Whether Umalusi is responsible for (a) curriculum development in existing qualifications, (b)(i) development and (ii) introduction of new qualifications and (c) development of the curricula for new qualifications; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what are the relevant details in each case;
(2) whether she has found that there is any uncertainty with regard to the overlapping statutory mandates of Umalusi and her department for qualification and curriculum development; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what (a) are the details of the uncertainty and (b) steps has she taken to resolve it;
(3) whether her department has mandated Umalusi to develop (a) the National Senior Certificate for Adults, (b) the National Independent Certificate and (c) the Certificate of Learner Achievement; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what are the relevant details, in each case? NW1177E
REPLY
(1) NO
In accordance with section 3(4)(l) of the National Education Policy Act, 1996 (No. 27 of 1996) the Minister of Basic Education is responsible for the determination of national education policy regarding curriculum frameworks, core syllabuses and education programmes, learning standards, examinations and the certification of qualifications.
Umalusi is the Quality Council for General and Further and Education and Training and must in terms of section 24 of theNational Qualifications Framework Act, 2008 (Act No. 67 of 2008), develop and manage the General and Further Education and Training sub-framework, and make recommendations thereon to the Minister of Basic Education.
Umalusi must ensure that the development of a qualification is necessary for the General and Further Education and Training sub-framework. The Department of Basic Education or any other accredited provider, can develop the qualification, which must be registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), and the curriculum. Once a qualification and its related programmes are registered on the sub-framework, Umalusi must develop and implement policy for quality assurance to ensure the integrity and credibility of the registered qualification and its related programmes
The legislative framework makes it clear that no education institution may quality assure its own education programme. Quality assurance must be performed by the Quality Council.
2) NO
The Minister of Basic Education's functions and responsibilities regarding the development of qualifications and curricula are determined:
(a) In terms of section 3(4)(l) of the National Education Policy Act, 1996 (No. 27 of 1996; which allows the Minister to determine national education policy regarding the curriculum; and
(b) In terms of section 6A of the South African Schools Act, 1996 (Act No. 84 of 1996) which forms the basis for the Minister of Basic Education to determine minimum outcomes and standards, as well as the processes and procedures for the assessment of learner achievement.
Umalusi's functions, namely to manage and quality assure the General and Further Education and Training sub-framework are clearly spelt out in the National Qualifications Framework Act, 2008. Umalusi must perform these functions subject to the said Act and the law by which it is established as a Quality Council. The Minister also has overall executive responsibility for the Quality Council for General and Further and Education and Training.
(3) NO
The development of the National Senior Certificate for Adults was initially under the auspices of the then Department of Education. With the split of the Department of Education into two separate departments, namely the Departments of Basic Education and Higher Education and Training, all out-of-school education was placed under the jurisdiction of the Department of Higher Education and Training.
In view of the fact that the Department of Higher Education and Training does not have the necessary curriculum development capacity, Umalusi was requested to assist them in this matter.
In terms of section 27(k)(iv) of the National Qualifications Framework Act, 2008 (Act No. 67 of 2008),Umalusi may perform any function consistent with the said Act that the Minister, in this case the Minister of Higher Education and Training, may determine.
The National Independent Certificate and the Certificate of Learner Achievement are supplementary qualifications to theNational Senior Certificate for Adults. These qualifications are developed with the assistance of an Advisory Committee, comprising members of relevant stakeholders, inter alia, the Departments of Basic Education and Higher Education and Training, established by the Minister of Higher Education and Training.
Reply received: July 2012
QUESTION 866
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 20/04/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 09/2012)
Mr DCSmiles (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) Whether, with regard to the National School Nutrition Programme* (NSNP), all schools and/or sites in allprovinces have been provided with cooking equipment; if not, (a)(i) which schools did not receive such equipment and (ii) in which provinces is eachspecified school located and (b) why did they not receive the equipment; if so, whatare the relevant details;
(2) Whether (a)her development provided guidelines to service providers on food safety and hygiene and (b) they have complied in this regard; if not, why no% in each case; if so, in each case, what are the relevant details;
(3) War number of XSNP monitors 1s allocated to each specified province?
NW1043E
RESPONSE
(1)(a)(i) Refer to Annexure A below
(1)(a)(ii) The provincial breakdown is provided in Annexure A
(1)(b) Historically, the National Treasury budget did not include an allocation for cooking equipment. A budget allocation for cooking equipment was provided for the first time in April 2009 specifically for Q1 secondary schools which were to start the programme in April 2009. A similar allocation was provided for Q2 and Q3 secondary schools in the 2009110 and 2010ill financial years, respectively. To address the historical backlogs in, quintile 1-3 primary schools, the Department has, since 201011 1, made provision to incrementally allocate a budget for equipment and utensils. For this reason the vast majority of quintile 2-3 primary schools would thus not have cooking equipment.
(2) (a) The Department has developed "The NSNP Safety Directory" which has been distributed to districts for distribution to schools. It provides guidelines on Gas Safety, Safe Food Transportation, Food Safety and Waste Management to provide quality meals and for use by service providers when supplying food. The Directory will continue to be used during training workshops with schools, districts and service providers.
(2) (b) Most service providers comply with health and safety standards. Where there is noncompliance, the provincial Departments apply penalties as per the service level agreements they have with providers.
(3) Table 1 below depicts the number of monitors per province
Table 1: Number of monitors per province
| Province | Number of monitors |
| Eastern Cape | 42 |
| Free State | 44 |
| Gauteng | 12 |
| KwaZulu Natal | 61 |
| Limpopo | 132 |
| Mpumalanga | 26 |
| Northern Cape | 22 |
| North West | 36 |
| Western Cape | 21 |
Annexure A
| Province | Schools that have not received cooking equipment |
| Eastern Cape | All quintile 3 primary schools and schools that have recently been converted from quintile 3 to quintile 4 |
| Free State | Quintile 1 – 3 Primary Schools |
| Gauteng | Quintile 1 – 3 Primary Schools |
| KwaZulu Natal | Quintile 2 – 3 Primary Schools |
| Limpopo | Quintile 1 – 3 Primary Schools |
| Mpumalanga | Quintile 1 – 3 Primary Schools |
| Northern Cape | Nil |
| North West | Nil |
| Western Cape | Nil |
| *List of schools attached **List of schools still awaited from provinces | |
Reply received: May 2012
QUESTION 852
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 20/04/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 09/2012)
Mrs A T Lovemore (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) How many teachers in each province (a) are required for teaching multi-grade classes and (b) are currently teaching multi-grade classes;
Response:
(1)(a) This information is currently not available the competency to recruit and appoint teachers rests with the provinces. This information will therefore have to be sourced from provinces.
(b) Schools that have six or less teachers are the schools that are highly likely to be practicing multi-grade teaching. The accompanying table indicates the number of teachers who teach in schools with six or less teachers:
| Province | Schools having between one and six educators | |
| NO. of schools | NO. of educators | |
| EASTERN CAPE | 2333 | 6051 |
| FREE STATE | 722 | 1328 |
| GAUTENG | 185 | 414 |
| KWAZULU-NATAL | 1131 | 4827 |
| LIMPOPO | 631 | 2985 |
| MPUMALANGA | 688 | 1156 |
| NORTHERN CAPE | 155 | 690 |
| NORTH-WEST | 417 | 1683 |
| WESTERN CAPE | 379 | 873 |
| TOTAL | 6641 | 20007 |
(2) whether multi-grade teaching is limited to Grade 7 and below; if not, what are the relevant details; if so, what grades are included in multi-grade teaching;
Response:
Most of the schools that practice multi-grade teaching are primary schools with grades limited to Grade 7 and below.
(3) what is the (a) average, (b) highest and (c) lowest number of grades in multi-grade classes in each specified province:
Response:
The number grades in multi-grade classes in all the nine provinces follow a similar pattern:
(a) The lowest number of grades in multi-grade classes in all the nine provinces is two.
(b) The average number of grades in multi-grade classes in all the nine provinces is three.
(c) The highest number of grades in multi-grade classes in all the nine provinces is four.
(4) whether teachers receive training in multi-grade education as part of their formal qualification; if not, what measures have been put in place in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details;
Response:
Teachers who are currently in the system who teach in multi-grade classes did not receive training in multi-grade education as part of their formal qualification, but a number of measures have been put in place to address the situation:
(i) The 2011 – 2025 Integrated Strategic Planning Framework for Teacher Education and Development in South Africa, has been developed to address the needs of teachers. In terms of this framework the training and professional development of teachers in multi-grade teaching is a priority.
(ii) The Department of Basic Education has contracted the Centre for Multi-Grade Education at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology to training teachers in multi-grade teaching. The first cohort of teachers was trained in 2010/11, the second in 2011/12 and the third cohort will be trained in 2012/13. The focus is on the professional development of multi-grade teachers currently teaching in multi-grade schools.
(iii)The orientation of district officials and teachers to the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) has included a special focus on the teaching and assessment of multi-grade classes.
(5) whether her department ensures that (a) specialist advice and assistance are available to multi-grade teachers and (b) that training in multi-grade teaching is available to all such teachers in all provinces; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what are the relevant details in each case? NW1029E
Response:
(a) The Department has put a number of measures to support multi-grade teachers:
(i) In each province a multi-grade specialist has been identified. These specialists ensures that multi-grade teachers receive the support that they need in multi-grade pedagogy and they are also responsible for the coordination of all initiatives aimed improving the quality of teachers in multi-grade teaching.
(ii) The training that is being rolled out by the Centre for Multi-Grade Education at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology also targets the training of district officials in multi-grade teaching so that they are equipped to offer support to multi-grade teachers in their districts.
(b) As indicated in question 4 above, the Department has contracted the Centre for Multi-Grade Education at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology to training teachers in multi-grade teaching in all the nine provinces.
The Department is committed to improving the quality of education in all schools and it will therefore continue to train more teachers, who teach in multi-grade classes, in multi-grade pedagogy as more funding becomes available.
Reply received: May 2012
QUESTION 851
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 20/04/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 09/2012)
Ms A T Lovemore (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) Whether any members of the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) have been tasked with the training of teachers in the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) in each province; if not, who has been made responsible; if so, (a) why and (b) who will hold these members accountable;
(2) what measures are in place to ensure that her department will effectively monitor the CAPS training in each province? NW1028E
Response:
(1)(a)(b):
The Department of Basic Education initiated a collaboration programme between DBE/PDE's and teacher unions to jointly develop programmes in terms of ACTION PLAN to 2014 and the Integrated Planning Framework and allocated funding accordingly. Five Teacher Unions are involved in this programme namely, NATU, NAPTOSA, PEU, SADTU and SAOU. During 2011/12, all five unions entered into an agreement to support KZN Department of Education and Mpumalanga Department of Education with CAPS orientation programmes. Members of the unions who are involved in these programmes are accountable to their union structures as well as to the national co-ordinating committee, which has representatives of all stakeholders.
(2):
Provincial Departments of Education monitor the sessions in their provinces and submit reports to the Department of Basic Education. In addition, the Department of Basic Education monitors training by conducting site visits during training sessions as per provincial schedules that are submitted to the Department of Basic Education.
Reply received: May 2012
QUESTION 842
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 20/04/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 09/2012)
Mr D C Smiles (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) (a) What is the demand for educators in each province in the field of (i) mathematics, (ii) physical science and (iii) African languages as referred to in the President's state of the nation address on 9 February 2012 and (b) which Africanlanguages are envisaged in this regard in each province;
(2) what are her department's plans, apart from the Dinaledi Schools Program, with regard to producing more educators for the mathematics and physical science field;
(3) whether any time frames have been identified to provide such educators in each of these categories; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details for each category;
(4) whether any agreements with the Department of Higher Education and Training are in place to execute plans in this regard; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW1019E
RESPONSE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF BASIC EDUCATION
1(a) (i) (ii)
In 2008, the Department of Education embarked on a special survey of all schools offering FET to gather data on the demand for Mathematics and Science teachers. School principals completed a survey indicating their need for qualified Mathematics and Physical Science teachers. Data from the survey was analysed within a teacher supply and demand framework (DoE, 2007). The report focused on three main issues: learner enrollment, demand and supply of qualified teachers and the adequacy of staff in Mathematics, Mathematical Literacy and Physical Science in schools. Data included educators in state posts, private and school governing body posts.
The school principals were asked on how many qualified teachers for Mathematics, Mathematical Literacy and Physical Science they would require, based on the number of qualified teachers and learner enrolment in the school. This was based on the premise that there would be 35 learners per class. The survey found, as indicated in Table 1, that on the demand side nationally 4 890 qualified Mathematics teachers are required and an average of two qualified teachers across provinces in each school. Qualified Physical Science teachers required nationally, are 4 551. On average, two qualified teachers would be needed in schools indicating that they want qualified additional teachers for Physical Science based on the qualified teachers and learner enrolment in their schools.
Table 1: Number of Mathematics, Mathematical Literacy and Physical Science teachers needed,
by Province:
| Mathematics | Mathematical Literacy | Physical Science | |||||||
| Number of schools that indicated the need for additional Mathematics Teachers | Number of teachers required per Province | Average number of teachers required per school | Number of schools that indicated the need for additional Mathematics Teachers | Numberof teachers required per school | Average number of teacher (S) required per school | Number of schools that indicated the need for additional Mathematics Teachers | Numberof teachers required per Province | Average number of teacher required per school | |
| EC | 532 | 784 | 1 | 486 | 687 | 1 | 454 | 696 | 2 |
| FS | 142 | 266 | 2 | 150 | 269 | 2 | 135 | 257 | 2 |
| GP | 248 | 737 | 3 | 272 | 710 | 3 | 265 | 716 | 3 |
| KZN | 561 | 862 | 2 | 557 | 802 | 1 | 508 | 790 | 2 |
| LP | 852 | 1 220 | 1 | 835 | 1 088 | 1 | 822 | 1 155 | 1 |
| MP | 133 | 234 | 2 | 167 | 239 | 1 | 122 | 218 | 2 |
| NC | 58 | 132 | 2 | 59 | 125 | 2 | 58 | 114 | 2 |
| NW | 204 | 328 | 2 | 224 | 308 | 1 | 156 | 301 | 2 |
| WC | 158 | 327 | 2 | 154 | 324 | 2 | 149 | 304 | 2 |
| National | 2 888 | 4 890 | 2 | 2 904 | 4 552 | 2 | 2 669 | 4 551 | 2 |
Source: Mathematics and Physical Science Survey, 2008
It is quite evident that, with the introduction of Mathematics and Mathematical Literacy as compulsory subjects in the new curriculum, the demand for the teachers in these subjects would escalate. The table above sums up the demand for qualified teachers in Mathematics, Mathematical Literacy and Physical Science.
The Department of Basic Education has since 2007 initiated the Funza Lushaka Bursary Scheme to provide educators in scarce skills across all learning areas and subjects. In order to evaluate the impact of this intervention in reducing the demand for Mathematics and Science teachers, as well as determining the current demand, another survey must be undertaken.
1(a) (iii)
Information on the demand for educators in the African languages is not available and will be included in the survey.
(2):
The Department of Basic Education through its Funza Lushaka bursary initiative, recruits B.Sc. graduates who specialise in Mathematics and Physical Science. These graduates are encouraged to do a one year Post Graduate Certificate in Education, which is a professional teaching qualification.
(3):
The recruitment of teachers is a long-term strategy of the department with regular reviews to monitor progress made in achieving goal 14 of the Action Plan to 2014 of "attracting in each year a new group of young, motivated and appropriately trained teachers into the teaching profession".
(4):
A series of bilateral meetings and workshops were held by the two departments and the nine provincial departments of education. The outcome of these gatherings among others was to:
· Put in place processes for conducting a labour market analysis to inform supply and demand of teachers;
· To develop strategies for targeted education and development of prospective teachers; and
· To develop a strategy for the retraining of excess educators.
Reply received: May 2012
QUESTION 824
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER:
(INTERNAL PAPER: 20 APRIL/PAPER 09)
Mr L S Ngonyama (Cope) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) Whether, with reference to her reply to question 74 on 7 March 2012, any interested party can establish a virtual high school at present (details furnished); if not, what constraints exist for persons who wish to establish virtual high schools; if so, what is the position with regard to registration of such virtual high schools
(2) Why has her department fallen behind other nations in this regard
(3) Whether her department has recognised the economic and other consequences of not offering virtual high schools to the South African public
REPLY
(1) No, virtual schools are not explicitly provided for in the South African Schools Act of 1996. A school may be established if it conforms to the definition of a school as defined in SASA and meet all requirements of a "school" and hence must adhere to the requirements of SASA.
(2) No, the Department of Basic Education cannot be said to have fallen behind in this regard. Although a virtual school is not explicitly provided for in legislation, all schools are encouraged to have an online presence in addition to the physical structure or environment and also provide online support to schools through the Thutong portal.The DBE is working on programmes that integrate ICT in the classroom.
(3) The issue is addressed in (1) above.
Reply received: May 2012
QUESTION 819
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 20/04/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 09/2012)
Ms D Carter (Cope) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
What criterion is used by public high schools to enrol learners? NW992E
RESPONSE:
Among the criteria used by public high schools to enrol learners are the following:
a)Place of residence and feeder Primary school
Children who reside in the same area as the school or who have been in a primary school within the same area as the high school receive preference, provided they apply in time.
b)First come first served basis
Admission is generally administered on the fist come first served basis depending on the capacity of the school and the available spaces per grade. The criterion in (a) will also be influenced by the availability of space in the school.
c) Curriculum offering of the schools
Learner subject choice would play a role in determining whether he or she can be admitted in a school as a school may not be offering such subject/s.
Reply received: May 2012
QUESTION 808
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 20/04/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 09/2012)
808. Mrs A T Lovemore (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) Whether, with regard to the Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ) III Report of 2010, targeted action has been taken aimed at improving the level of competency amongst teachers in the eight provinces which scored lower than the level 8 competency for Mathematics for Grade 6; if not, why not; if so, what (a) is the position in this regard and (b) are the further relevant details;
(2) whether targeted action has been taken aimed at improvement in respect of the three provinces in which the percentage of teachers reaching reading competency level 8 was lower than the national average of 77,8%; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details of this action;
(3) whether targeted action has been taken aimed at improvement in respect of the eight provinces in which the percentage of Grade 6 learners considered as non-numerate was higher than 20%; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(4) whether targeted action has been taken aimed at improvement in respect of the seven provinces in which the percentage of Grade 6 learners considered as non-readers was higher than 20%; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW886E
RESPONSE:
(1)(a)(b)
The DBE has engaged with the SACMEQ III Report. It confirms much of the information that underpins work that the DBE and PEDs have undertaken in the last two years with regard to targeted action to address secondary schools that have performed below 60% in the NSC examinations, and their feeder primary schools. This process involves targeted teacher development as indicated in the Integrated Strategic Planning Framework for Teacher Education and Development. The focus of the intervention is on the use of results of Annual National Assessments (ANA) to inform teacher development programmes, itinerant teachers, teacher support on the use of workbooks and curriculum implementation (CAPS).
(2)
The targeted action for these teachers is as for question 1 above i.e. the DBE and PEDs have undertaken targeted action to address all secondary schools that performed below 60% and their feeder primary schools. This involves targeted teacher development as indicated in the integrated strategic planning framework for teacher education and development.
(3)
Yes, the targeted action for these learners is as for question 2 above i.e. The Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) addresses the gaps identified in content in all subjects, provides exemplars of assessment tasks, makes suggestions for teaching approaches and methodology and provides structured teaching plans for teachers for each grade. All schools will implement CAPS against the national roll-out plan. Workbooks have been developed for learners to support the implementation of CAPS in all subjects and for Grades R to 6 and provide daily activities for learners to complete on all content contained in CAPS. The workbooks have been supplied to all schools offering Grade 1 to 6. Exemplar ANA assessment items have been made available to schools and on Thutong to provide drill-and-practice exercises for learners.
(4)
Yes, as per (3) above.
Reply received: May 2012
QUESTION 753
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 16/03/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 08/2012)
Mrs P C Duncan (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
How many employees of her department who work with children, including teachers, have been vetted in each province against the (a) Child Protection Register and the (b) Sexual Offences Register? NW921E
REPLY:
The process of vetting has not started in the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and as such only the names of educators who have been convicted in a Court of Law will appear on the Child Protection and Sexual Offences Registers. Taking into cognisance the provision of section 120(c) of the Children's Act (38 of 2005) that "a finding that a person is suitable to work with children may be made by any forum established or recognised by law in any disciplinary proceedings concerning the conduct of that person relating to a child", my Department will work closely with the South African Council of Educators (SACE) since it is responsible for dealing with cases of misconduct of educators.
Reply received: September 2012
QUESTION 747
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 16/03/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 08/2012)
Mr A C Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
Whether any officials from (a) her department and (b) any entities reporting to her were on an official visit to Bloemfontein in (i) December 2011 and (ii) January 2012; if so, in each case, what (aa) is the (aaa) name and (bbb) position of the specified official, (bb) was the (aaa) purpose and (bbb) date of such visit and (cc) was the cost of (aaa) transport, (bbb) accommodation and (ccc) other expenses? NW915E
REPLY
(a) Department of Basic Education
None of the officials from the Department of Basic Education were on an official visit to Bloemfontein in December 2011 and January 2012.
(b) Public Entities: Umalusi see attached table.
Reply received: May 2012
QUESTION 721
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 16/03/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 08/2012)
Mrs A T Lovemore (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) Whether she has been informed of the improvement in learner performance through in-service teacher training via the Cape Teaching and Leadership Institute; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what (a) is the position with regard to adopting this model for implementation in all provinces and (b) are the further relevant details;
(2) whether she intends recommending (a) the same model or (b) an alternative model for implementation in all provinces; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what are the relevant details in each case? NW885E
Replies
(1) The Minister of Basic Education is informed of the work being done in the Cape Teaching and Learning Institute as well as the contribution it makes to support teachers to improve learner performance.
(a)(b)
The Integrated Strategic Planning Framework for Teacher Education and Development released by the Ministers of Basic and Higher Education outlines the establishment of similar provincial teacher development institutes. To date the following provinces have established similar structures to support teacher professional development: The Mathew Goniwe Centre in Gauteng, the Maths, Science and Technology Centre in Limpopo province and the Ikhwezi Centre in Kwa-Zulu Natal.
(2)(a)(b)
As indicated in (1)(a)(b) above, the Minister's intentions regarding the establishment of provincial structures to support teacher professional development are expressed in the Integrated Strategic Planning Framework for Teacher Education and Development.
Reply received: October 2012
QUESTION 720
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 16/03/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 08/2012)
Mrs A T Lovemore (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) Whether, in light of the increase in qualified teachers that has been reported in the Priorities for Addressing South Africa's Education and Training Crisis (details furnished), she has investigated the reason why learner performance has not increased similarly; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details:
(2) whether she intends to investigate the effectiveness of the Accelerated Certificate of Education Programme with regard to learner and teacher performances; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details;
(3) whether she has been informed about the criticism of the Accelerated Certificate of Education by the Council on Higher Education; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what (a) plans have been put in place to improve the programme and (b) are the further relevant details? NW884E
Response:
Response to 1:
The Department of Basic Education has conducted analysis of learner performance through the Annual National Assessments (ANA) which provide detailed reports on strengths and weaknesses in the education system. Furthermore, from the analysis of Grade 12 learners' scripts a diagnostic subject report was released which revealed areas of concern on literacy and numeracy skills. These analyses indicate a need for teacher development initiatives directed at content management and pedagogical knowledge. The DBE completed teacher orientation sessions on CAPS with 90 000 Foundation Phase (grades 1 – 3) and Grade 10 teachers in 2011 on Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS). The Department will conduct further sessions with 190 000 Intermediate Phase (Grades 4-6) and Grade 11 teachers in 2012 to support teachers to implement the curriculum effectively in 2013. In addition learner workbooks have been distributed to all learners in Grades 1 to 9. Teacher guides have been developed to support teachers to use the workbooks. Teacher training programmes for these will be conducted.
Response to 2
The Department of Basic Education is not aware of the existence of a programme known as the Accelerated Certificate of Education.
The programme which is offered to teachers is the Advanced Certificate in Education (ACE). The ACE is a 120-NQF credit, level 6 qualification introduced in February 2000 as a replacement for the Further Diploma in Education.
The ACE was intended to develop further specialised subject learning area/discipline/phase competence, or to develop new subject specialisation competence. The ACE is intended to 'cap' an initial teaching qualification and does not qualify candidates as professional educators: an admission to the programme requires a professional qualification (CHE, 2006).
Response to 3
In 2006/07, the Higher Education Quality Committee of the Council on Higher Education
undertook a national review of professional and academic programmes in education which
focused on four different types of programmes over a three year period: M.Ed.; B.Ed.;
PGCE; and ACE.
In the case of ACE programme CHE reported that the programme offered in some institutions the programme offered was of a high quality and that other institutions were offering the programme even though they were not fully credited.
The ACE programme is currently being phased out. It will be replaced by the Advanced Diploma in Education (ADE) in line with the recommendations of the Higher Education Qualifications Framework (HEQF).
Reply received: July 2012
QUESTION 709
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 16/03/2012
[lNTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 08/2012]
Mrs S P Kopane (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education;
Whether any provinces have introduced substance abuse into their life orientation curriculum; if not why not; if so, (a)(i) which provinces and (ii) since what date in each case, (b) for which grades in each case, (c) how many learners have been reached in each province in each year since the topic has been included and (d) what is the cost of including substance abuse into the curriculum? NW873E
QUESTION
Whether any provinces have introduced substance abuse into their life orientation curriculum; if not why not; if so, (a)(i) which provinces and (ii) since what date in each use, b) for which grades in each case, (c) how many learners have been reached in each province in each year since the topic has been included and (d) what is the cost of including substance abuse into the curriculum? NW873E
REPLY
(a)(i) Substance Abuse is part of the Life Orientation curriculum across grades 8-12. All schools and provinces must adhere to this requirement as contained in the National Curriculum Statement.
(ii)Substance Abuse has been part of the National Curriculum Statement since 2008.
(iii) Grades 8-12
(iv) All learners in Grades 8-12
(v) it is not possible to cost one topic in a subject in each grade.
Reply received: May 2012
QUESTION 672
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 16/03/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 08/2012)
Adv A de W Alberts (FF Plus) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) Whether she has been informed about the (a)(i) racist, (ii) blasphemous and (iii) pungent language (details furnished) and (b) poor usage of Afrikaans (details furnished) in the text of a prescribed book used for teaching at Montana High School in Worcester (details furnished); if so, why was this book prescribed;
(2) (a) what educational value does this book hold for learners, (b) what is the educational principle underlying the prescription of this book, (c) what effect has she found the book to have on social cohesion and (d) on what grounds was the conclusion reached that this book will not impair white people's human dignity;
(3) whether she is planning steps to have this book removed as prescribed material; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(4) what steps she is planning to take in order to ensure the conformity of prescribed works to the legal principles as contained in the South African Schools Act, Act 84 of 1996, and the Constitution of South Africa, 1996? NW832E
REPLY:
(1) The Minister is aware of the claims made about the language in the drama, Krismis van Map Jacobs. The language usage in the drama is used within context by certain characters only.
The book was prescribed because it provides teachers with an opportunity to engage critically with a unique structure of drama.
(2) (a) The purpose of literature study gives learners the opportunity to critically analyse the different genres in order to develop their own life view and literary preferences.
(b) Learners will be exposed to different worlds and contexts.
(c) The drama is challenging and contains stimulating themes that develop critical understanding of values and appreciation of the importance of social cohesion.
(d) The drama profoundly celebrates the value of human dignity regardless of race and color. Adam Small, the author of the drama Krismis van Map Jacobs, is a renowned Hertzog prize winner, author, poet and philosopher and is known for his post graduate work on ethics and morality.
(3) No, as this drama meets all the requirements of the curriculum andhas been received positively by teachers and learners in all nine provinces.
(4) Criteria for literature screening and the selection of prescribed works will include indicators to ensure the conformity of prescribed works to the legal principles as contained in the South African Schools Act, Act 84 of 1996 and the Constitution of South Africa, 1996.
Reply received: July 2012
QUESTION 641
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL OUESTION PAPER: 16/03/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 08/2012)
641. Ms A C Mashishi (ANC) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) What teaching support is being provided for multigrade classes;
Response:
The teaching support that is provided to multi-grade classes ranges from support that is given to teachers and to the learners in the schools. The following is the support that is given to multi-grade schools:
a) Improving the skills and knowledge of teachers in dealing with multi-grade classes is of critical importance. The Department of Basic Education has contracted the Centre for Multi-Grade Education at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology to train teachers in multi-grade teaching. The first cohort of teachers were trained in 2010/11, the second 2011/12 and the third cohort will be trained in 2012/13.
b) The orientation of district officials and teachers to the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) has included a special focus on the teaching and assessment of multi-grade classes. These teachers and district officials will be better equipped to enhance the quality of teaching and learning in multi-grade classes.
c) The Annual National Assessment has been introduced to track and improve learner performance in all schools, including multi-grade schools.
d) The teaching support that is provided to multi-grade schools also include exemplar timetables, work schedules, and lesson plans which the schools can adapt to suit their circumstances in their respective schools.
e) All learners in schools including those in multi-grade schools are provided with textbooks and workbooks in all subjects in order to ensure that learners in those classes can engage in cooperative learning, pair and group work as well as independent studying.
f ) The schools are also provided with all the necessary curriculum documents which include the following:
Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) for each approved school subject as listed in the policy document and it constitutes the norms and standards of the National Curriculum;
National policy pertaining to the programme and promotion requirements (NPPPR) of the National Curriculum Statement Grades R - 12, which describes the number of subjects to be offered by learners in each grade and the promotion requirements to be obtained, and
National Protocol for Assessment (NPA) Grades R - 12 (January 2012) which standardises the recording and reporting processes for Grades R - 12 within the framework.
g) The teachers trained and those supported by subject advisors in multi-grade teaching are encouraged to establish learning corners in their classrooms such as the art comer, numeracy comer, reading corner and so forth. These comers are indispensable in enhancing the teaching and learning environments in multi-grade classes.
h) As reflected in the Action Plan to 2014: Towards the Realisation of Schooling 2025, e-Education plays a major role in our quest for quality education for all, including multi-grade teaching and learning. The following Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) initiatives are currently being implemented to support multi-grade schools whose teachers have already been trained:
a. Through our partnership with Telkom Foundation, 50 trained multi-grade schools in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu Natal, North West and Limpopo will receive each, a multimedia mobile ICT solution comprised of the following:
i. Three (3) laptop computers loaded with educational e-contents
ii. Three (3) 3G cards with 3 Giga bytes (GB) of data bundle for Internet connectivity.
iii. One (1) 54 inches LCD Television set.
iv. One (1) DVD player with number of educational DVD documentaries.
v. A mini library of eight hundred (800) books, including 100 books in the school's First additional language.
b. 50 other multi-grade schools in the Eastern Cape have been provided with IBM Kidsmarts ICT solution. This solution has been supplied by IBM.
c. 100 tablet computer solutions and 100 mobile ICT trolley solutions will be issued to 200 multi-grade schools in the Eastern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu Natal and Limpopo once the tender has been awarded.
(2) Whether she intends to end multi-grade classes; if not, why not; if so, what solution has she put in place in this regard? NW800E
Response:
The Department has not planned to end multi-grade classes because it currently provides:
a) An efficient means of providing basic education in farm and rural areas;
b) Learners are at least being offered the opportunity to go through formal schooling, and
c) The Department has put a number of measures to support multi-grade teachers:
(i) In each province a multi-grade specialist has been identified. These specialists ensures that multi-grade teachers receive the support that they need in mufti-grade pedagogy and they are also responsible for the coordination of all initiatives aimed improving the quality of teachers in multi-grade teaching.
(ii) The training that is being rolled out by the Centre for Multi-Grade Education at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology also targets the training of district officials in multi-grade teaching so that they are equipped to offer support to multi-grade teachers in their districts.
(iii) Through the programme Accelerated Infrastructure Development Initiative (ASIDI), the Department will improve the condition of infrastructure of schools with no proper buildings or dilapidated buildings.
(iv) Non-viable rural schools that offer multi-grade classes are either closed or merged with other viable schools. To facilitate this process the Department, jointly with Provincial Departments of education in July 2009, developed "The Guidelines for the Merger and Closure of Rural and Farm Schools". The guidelines describes the process for merger and closure at rural and farm schools and embraces the important contribution that larger, better resourced schools can play in development and poverty alleviation in rural areas
Reply received: May 2012
QUESTION 640
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 16/03/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 08/2012)
Mrs J M Maluleke (ANC) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) (a) Why do schools still exclude learners or refuse learners access on the basis that they are closed or full and (b) what (i) provisions and (ii) interventions has her department implemented to ensure that schools do not exclude learners who live nearby because they are closed or full;
(2) What interventions has her department made so that parents will not have to contribute to the salaries of educators because of its failure to employ enough educators (details furnished)? NW799E
Response
(1) (a) Schools refuse admission to learners on the basis that that they are full. The general practice is that schools over-enrol learners to ensure a better grading.
(b) (i) Provincial Education Departments and their District offices have an obligation to implement and enforce The National Education Policy Act, 1996 (Act No. 27 of 1996) (NEPA) and the South African Schools Act, 1996 (Act No. 84 of 1996) to ensure that the admission policy of a public school does not unfairly discriminate in any way against an applicant for admission.
(ii) the Department begins with admission processes as early as August each year in preparation for the following year. This allows schools to complete the admission process in time and the Department to monitor and intervene timeously where there is non-compliance with policy. Each Provincial Education Department has an Admission Task Team at both provincial and district level to manage all admission queries and irregularities of the province. The teams are responsible for resolving all admission queries in the District, including the placement of learners who may have been discriminated against.
(2) The Department allocates teaching posts according to the teacher-learner ratio of 1:40 in primary schools and 1:35 in secondary schools. Schools sometimes employ additional teachers to reduce the given teacher-learner ratio on their own and then request parents to pay for the additional teachers' salaries. It must be noted that the decision to charge additional fees to cover teacher salaries is taken by parents in a general parents' meeting where the school budget is presented and approved by the majority of the parents at that meeting.
Reply received: May 2012
QUESTION 632
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 16/03/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 08/2012)
Mrs A T Lovemore (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) Whether any comments have been received in response to the 2008 call for comments on the National Minimum Uniform Norms and Standards (NMUNS) for school infrastructure; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details;
(2) whether her department has completed an infrastructure development action plan as stipulated in its 2010-2013 Strategic Plan; if not, what are the reasons for the delay; if so, what are the relevant details;
(3) whether she intends to publish an (a) amended or (b) revised document on NMUNS in the Government Gazette; if not, why not; if so, what (i) time frames has her department set for all schools for conforming to the minimum norms and standards for infrastructure and (ii) are the further relevant details? NW759E
Response
(1) Comments were received in response to the 2008 call for comments and these were incorporated into the document. The amended document was then presented to HEDCOM and CEM and a decision was taken to convert the document into Guidelines Relating to Planning for Public School Infrastructure. The guidelines were approved by the Council of Education Ministers on the 05th November 2011 and have been approved and signed by the Minister of Basic Education.
(2) The infrastructure development action plan has been developed as part of the Action Plan to 2014; Towards the Realisation of Schooling 2025 and Goal 24 " Ensure that the physical infrastructure and environment of every school inspires learners to want to come to school and learn and teachers to teach", clearly spells out the desired outputs and milestones.
(3) (a) (b) The Council of Education Ministers resolved that the Norms for Infrastructure be published as Guidelines Relating to Planning for Public School Infrastructure as indicated in (1) above.
(i) (ii) In terms of the Action Plan to 2014; Towards the Realisation of Schooling 2025, the related milestones as articulated in Goal 24 is that:
· The focus for the 2010-2014 Strategic Plan period will be on all schools that do not meet the basic safety standards and those constructed from inappropriate material and are a danger to learners and educators. Those without basic services will be provided with water, sanitation, electricity and fencing. Where an entire school has been built from an inappropriate material especially mud, this school will be replaced with a school to Optimum Functionality. In the process, the drive to provide schools with critical learning spaces like libraries, laboratories, administration blocks etc will be intensified.
· The target during the 2015-2020 Strategic Plan period is to expand the provision of critical teaching and learning spaces that are essential to enhance teaching and learning outcomes (i.e. Libraries, laboratories, computer centres). Additional momentum will be given to the on-going roll-out strategy to build on developments in e-learning.
· The 2025 target is that all schools and their teaching and learning environments will be at optimal functionality level of provision.
Reply received: April 2012
QUESTION 605
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 08/03/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 07/2012
Mr D C Smiles (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
Whether her department monitors provincial departments to track admission of learners over the age of 18; if not, why not; if so, with regard to each specified province, (a) how many learners in this category were admitted (i) in the (aa) 2009-10 and (bb) 2010-1l financial years and (ii) since 1 April 2011 and (b) what is the average age of the learners in each case? NW771E
REPLY:
(a) (i), (aa), (ii), (bb) (ii), (b)
| National Assembly - Question 605 (see answer in Table 1 below) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Reply received: April 2012
QUESTION 592
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 08/03/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 07/2010)
Mrs A T Lovemore (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) Whether her department maintains a database which reflects absenteeism levels of teachers at public schools; if not, why not; if so, what (i) is the level of absenteeism in each province, expressed as a percentage, (ii) action has been taken in cases of absenteeism without a valid reason or permission and (iii) are the further relevant details;
(2) whether she has been informed of cases of absenteeism where the annual leave allowance was exceeded; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what (a) is the position in this regard, (b) action was taken as a result, (c) number of teachers in each province (i) exceeded their annual leave and (ii) continued to receive their full salary and (d) are the further relevant details? NW757E
REPLY
(1) Yes, information on the absence or leave is routinely collected and captured on the PERSAL system. However, over the years the Department has recognised that the school-based educator absence information on PERSAL is not entirely reliable due to under-recording as resulting from various challenges. It was therefore decided that while work is being undertaken to improve the administration of leave from school level through the system and the reliability of the PERSAL system, regular studies will be undertaken to supplement the PERSAL data in order to obtain more accurate statistics of educator absence.
This reply will therefore be based on the recent research on educator leave commissioned by the Department of Basic Education in 2009 (Report published in 2010). The study analysed recorded leave data on PERSAL and the data collected through visits to a sample of schools. As part of the analysis, the findings of the Khulisa Audit study conducted in 2008 were also used as a proxy measure. The study concluded that the absentee rate was estimated at about 8%. This rate covered all forms of absence which included leave taken in terms of the leave prescripts, attendance of official activities such as workshops and meetings, undertaking official duties away from schools excursions and sports trips. The 8% rate was reached after discounting 0.5% representing maternity leave after finding that schools were generally successful in finding replacement educators. This translates on average to 16 days of instructional time being lost by each educator per school calendar year.
(i)
| Province | Absence Rate |
| Eastern Cape | 10.5% |
| Free State | 7.2% |
| Gauteng | 9.4% |
| KZN | 10.3% |
| Limpopo | 8.8% |
| Mpumalanga | 8% |
| Northern Cape | 8.5% |
| North West | 8.9% |
| Western Cape | 8.2% |
Source: DBE 2010
(ii) In cases where an educator is absent without approval, the educator is given the opportunity to indicate why leave without pay should not be implemented. If the educator can't provide good reason, leave without pay for the period in question is implemented.
(iii) Cases as such are recorded in the leave file of the educator and on PERSAL.
(2) No, the Department has not been informed of absenteeism where the annual leave allowance was exceeded.
(a;b;c (i) (ii) and d)
Not applicable since the department has not been informed of any such cases.
Reply received: April 2012
QUESTION 565
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 08/03/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 07/2012)
Mr I M Ollis (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) Whether her department has an internal audit unit; if not, why not; if so, (a) how many staff members are employed in the unit and (b) what (i) is the structure and (ii) are the functions of the unit;
(2) whether the audit committee considers the internal audit reports; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(3) whether she holds meetings to discuss (a) the internal reports and (b) their findings with the audit unit; if not, why not, in each case; if so, (i) on what dates since 1 April 2010 has each specified meeting taken place and (ii) what are the further relevant details? NW730E
REPLY
1. Yes, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) has a fully established Internal Audit unit as per section 38(a) (ii) of PFMA.
(a) There are 8 staff members.
(b) (i) 1 x Director,
2 x Deputy Directors ( 1 for Regularity Audits and 1 for Forensic Assignments),
2 x Assistant Directors,
1x Senior Internal Auditor; and
2 x Internal Auditors.
The Director of Internal Audit reports administratively to the DG, and functionally to the Chair of the Audit Committee. The IA Directorate has two sub-directorates viz. Regularity Audit and Forensic Audit.
(b) (ii) The main objectives of the unit is to add value to the department by evaluating controls and mitigating risks that could have a negative impact on DBE not obtaining its strategic, operational and other objectives. Internal Audit helps an organization accomplish its objectives by bringing a systematic, disciplined approach to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of risk management, control, and governance processes:
Key functions include:
a. The development of a 3 year rolling plan.
b. The development and support by management of an Annual Audit plan (Risk based), both a and b are approved by the Audit Committee too.
c. An approporiate audit methodology (to ensure adherence to auditing standards and quality deliverables)
d. Robust reporting to the Audit Committee on audit work completed and progress to the annual audit plan.
e. Coaching and development of the audit team
f. Build key relationships with Management, AGSA and Audit Committee members.
2. Yes, the Audit Committee does consider the internal audit reports. It mainly focuses on summary audit reports presented by Internal Audit (IA). The Audit Committee looks at the approach followed by IA when conducting their audits, risks identified during the assignment, audit findings, recommendations, management action plans and timelines put forward. They further monitor the implementation of recommendations.
3. (a) and (b)
The findings of the Internal Audit Unit as well relevant matters emerging from the Audit Committee are reported to the Minister by the Director-General. (i) These reports are presented at the meetings between the Minister and Director-General, which take place on a regular basis and at a minimum of once per week. (ii) N/A
Reply received: May 2012
QUESTION 512
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 08/03/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 06/2012)
Mrs A T Lovemore (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) What (a) are the outcomes of the national campaign geared towards matriculants to encourage teaching as a career and (b)(i) is the rate, expressed as a percentage, of matriculants choosing teaching as a career and (ii) are the reasons for this rate;
(2) whether any plans are in place to improve the rate; if not, why not; if so, what plans? NW602E
Response: (1) (a), and (b) (i)
The outcomes of this recruitment campaign are reflected in the table below:
| Academic year | Number of Grade 12 learners who were recruited into teaching | Percentage of Grade 12 learners who choose teaching as a career |
| 2008 | 8946 | 8.3 |
| 2009 | 13719 | 12.5 |
| 2010 | 17165 | 13.6 |
| 2011 | 25799 | 21.4 |
Response: (ii)
From 2008 to 2011 there has been a gradual increase in the number of grade 12 learners who choose teaching as a career, which can be attributed to the recruitment strategies employed and the Funza Lushaka bursary programme which is managed by the Department of Basic Education.
Response: (2)
To further encourage and recruit good performing grade 12 learners to choose teaching as a career the Department of Basic Education has developed the following recruitment strategies:
· A teacher recruitment communication strategy – which is intended to target learners from schools within various Districts with the assumption that such learners will be eager to go back and offer their services to those Districts. There will be much focus on rural districts.
· Distribution of leaflets on teaching as a career – to make information on various teaching options (phase levels and priority areas), the various Higher Education Institutions offering them and the funding options readily available and accessible to grade 12 learners;
· Webpage for teacher recruitment – to provide (i) additional information on Initial Teacher Education to the general public and to grade 12 learners in particular, (ii) a podcast which will contain various sound advertisements on teaching as a career and provide interactive forum, and(iii) videos of practicing teachers' testimonies on the benefits of teaching as a career;
· Recruitment through the teaching assistant route – to get unemployed youths who passed grade 12 very well to be involved in schools as assistant teachers and, if they enjoy the experience, recruit them as well as fund them to follow teaching as a career.
Reply received: May 2012
QUESTION 478
DATE OF PUBLICATION OFINTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 02/03/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 06/2012)
Mrs S V Kalyan (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
Whether she met with the internal audit committee in the (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12 financial years; if not, why not; if so, (i) on which dates did they meet and (ii) what are the further relevant details? NW627E
Reply:
All relevant matters emerging from the Audit Committee are reported to the Minister by the Director General. (i) These reports are presented at the meetings between the Minister and Director General, which take place on a regular basis and at a minimum, once per week. (ii) N/A.
Reply received: April 2012
QUESTION 455
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 02/03/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 06/2012)
Mr D C Smiles(DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) Whether quality learning and teaching materials at the level of early childhood development (ECD) have been provided to all schools in all the provinces; if not, why not; if so, what (a) measures were used to validate the materials and (b) are the further relevant details;
Response
Yes
The Department has since 2010 been distributing the resource pack to registered grade Rclasses in all provinces. The Curriculum Assessment and Policy Statement (CAPS, Foundation Phase Grades R-3) documents were also distributed to schools in 2012 for implementation this year.
a) The Department conducted a survey of 40 schools in 8 provinces in November 2011 (except for Limpopo) to monitor the delivery and the use of the grade R resources to measure and validate the use of materials
b) The details of the schools supplied with the materials are available in the department.
(2) Whether any plans have been put in place to improve the quality of ECD teachers; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW603
Yes
a) The Department has put plans in place to improve the quality of grade R practitioners.
b) The relevant details
Goal 16 (of the Action Plan to 2014) plans to improve the professionalism, teaching skills and subject knowledge of all educators. The comprehensive teacher development programme has included the following two key activities:
· An audit of teacher qualification and specialization with relevance to the subject and phase specialization (Grade R-12)
· Accredited skills programmes and qualifications for identified teachers on the following national priorities awarded:
Reply received: May 2012
QUESTION 454
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 02/03/2012
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 06/2012
Mrs A T Lovemore (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
Whether she has found that her department exercises any level of quality assurance with regard to the content of programmes (a) developed and (b) aired by the SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) Education; if not in each case; if so, what are the relevant details of this quality assurance in each case? NW601E
Reply:
a) The South African Broadcasting Corporation established an internal education division in support of their education broadcasting initiatives. On request the Department of Basic Education quality assures the development and production of appropriate educational enrichment content.
b) The Department of Basic Education exercises quality assurance of those programmes aired by the SABC that relate directly to programmes offered by the department e.g. educational enrichment content broadcasted by the SABC in support of Grade 12 (MATRIC UPLOAD), ECD (TAKALANI SESAME) and some edutainment programmes. On request the Department of Basic Education quality assures broadcasted content by SABC.
Reply received: April 2012
QUESTION 453
DATE OF PUBLICATION OFINTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 02/03/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 06/2012)
453. Mrs A T Lovemore (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) Whether her department receives regular reports on the (a) implementation and (b) results emanating from the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS); if not, why not, in each case; if so, in each province, what are the (i) details of the results and (ii) further relevant details with regard to each province;
(2) whether she has found that each province is complying with the system; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(3) whether she has found that (a)(i) circuit and (ii) district managers and (b) provincial education departments in all provinces are carrying out moderation of scores as required; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what are the (aa) details of the implementation of this moderation process in each province and (bb) further relevant details;
(4) whether she has found that random monitoring of the implementation of IQMS is carried out by all provincial education departments; if not, why not; if so, (a) how many teachers have been found to be incompetent through the IQMS and (b) what are the further relevant details for each province;
(5) what problems with IQMS does her department intend to solve through the implementation of the Teacher Performance Appraisal system? NW600E
REPLY:
(1) Yes. The DBE receives weekly and quarterly reports on the (a) implementation and (b) results emanating from the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS). Individual school visit reports are submitted on a weekly basis by 74 external IQMS moderators who are currently deployed countrywide by the DBE to monitor the implementation of the IQMS in schools. Provincial IQMS coordinators also submit quarterly provincial reports to the DBE on a prescribed template.
(i) Durings school visits by external moderators during 2010-2011 it was found that 68% of educators had completed their Personal Growth Plans (PGPs) while School Improvement Plans (SIPs) were available at 73% of 6040 schools visited in all provinces.
Furthermore, there was evidence of properly constituted Staff Development Teams (SDTs) and Development Support Groups (DSGs) at 79% of the schools visited. In the majority of schools these structures only became functional during the last quarter of the year when summative scores were collated for submission to the district.
The quality of self-evaluation, however, was a challenge. In most instances, IQMS scores were recorded without relevant comments to justify the scores. In some instances sporadic comments were made on the evaluation instrument.
(ii) The findings also showed that more schools in Gauteng than the other provinces were complying with the implementation of the IQMS processes. The majority of schools with non-implementation of the IQMS were located inKwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.
Furthermore, many schools were unable to provide the necessary internal mentoring, support and development to educators. The reasons, amongst others, for the poor management of the IQMS processes in schools are that:
· There is an overload of paperwork in the IQMS process, and
· SDTs and SMTs were not adequately trained by districts to provide support to teachers in their respective schools.
It was also found that a number of principals were not evaluated by circuit managers, which impacted negatively on the accountability of teachers.
(2) Yes. All Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) are complying by ensuring that that the IQMS scores of educators are captured on PERSAL on an annual basis, in order to effect pay progression for educators who qualify.
The percentage of educators who were evaluated in terms of the IQMS in 2010 was 88.7%. There was 5.5% increase from the preceding year. The percentage of educators evaluated in the respective provinces over this period is presented in Table 2 below:
Table 2: Percentage of educators evaluated across provinces (2009-2010)
| Province | 2009 | 2010 |
| Western Cape | 96.6% | 98.1% |
| Northern Cape | 100% | 88.4% |
| Eastern Cape | 78.2% | 88.6% |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 80.4% | 90.0% |
| Mpumalanga | 86.9% | 86.7% |
| Limpopo | 67.1% | 69.0% |
| North West | 85.8% | 98.8% |
| Free State | 85.2% | 96.2% |
| Gauteng | 96.9% | 96.1% |
| National | 83.2% | 88.7% |
The above table shows that in all provinces, except Northern Cape, Mpumalanga and Gauteng, there has been an increase in the percentage of educators evaluated in terms of the IQMS from 2009 to 2010.
The visits to schools by external moderators found that some teachers as well as principals were given scores without proper evaluation processes. They were evaluated by their peers and not by their immediate supervisor. Principals in many cases were not evaluated by their circuit managers.
In order to address the non-evaluation of educators, provinces have taken up individual cases with principals and the district office. District officials have been requested to take the necessary progressive disciplinary steps in cases of non-compliance.
(3) (a)(i) Circuit managers and (ii) District directors do not moderate the IQMS scores.
The reason for the above situation is that the current IQMS Collective Agreement No. 8 of 2003 does not specify the process to be followed for the moderation of IQMS scores. The Collective Agreement requires that the Developmental Support Group (DSG) undertake the evaluation of each educator. The scores are then verified by the Staff Development Team (SDT). These structures are based within the school.
(aa) The provincial IQMS coordinators, however, provide support to the DSGs and SDTs so that scores allocated are fair, reliable and valid. In spite of the support provided, many educators are still given inflated scores by their DSGs during the appraisal process.
(bb) In view of the above, the proposed Teacher Performance Appraisal System (TPA) seeks to establish moderation committees at provincial and district level to ensure that teacher appraisals are conducted in an equitable and consistent manner across the department. The TPA will replace the IQMS once agreement is reached in the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC),
(4) Yes. Provincial IQMS coordinators as well as the external moderators deployed by the DBE monitor the implementation of the IQMS in schools.
(a) During 2010, a total of 3770 educators were found to be performing at unacceptable levels (i.e. they were rated with a score of 1 in terms of the IQMS by their DSGs). This figure represents 1% of the total number of educators in our schools.
Table 3 shows the distribution of underperforming educators across provinces:
Table 3: Number of educators performing at unacceptable levels across provinces
| Descriptors | Eastern Cape | Free State | Gauteng | KwaZulu -Natal | Limpopo | Mpumalanga | Northern Cape | North West | Western Cape | Total |
| Number of incompetent educators (2010) | 532 | 115 | 148 | 266 | 1947 | 497 | 16 | 139 | 110 | 3770 |
Table 3 shows that Limpopo, Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga recorded the highest number of educators performing at unacceptable levels in terms of the IQMS.
(b) In order to address the underperforming educators, provinces have taken up individual cases with the principals and the district office. District officials have been requested to take the necessary progressive disciplinary steps in cases of incompetence. Provincial IQMS coordinators are also providing the necessary support by addressing the developmental needs of these educators as identified in their Personal Growth Plans (PGPs) as well as the School Improvement Plan (SIP).
(5) A lack of proper implementation of the IQMS has led to a serious decline in ensuring that teachers and members of the School Management Teams (SMTs) are held accountable for the jobs that they are supposed to do.
The TPA, once concluded will ensure that teachers are no longer evaluated in terms of the IQMS. It will ensure that the principal is held directly accountable for the appraisal of teachers in the school. Furthermore, unlike the existing IQMS, the TPA instrument has been streamlined and simplified and will only be applicable to post level 1 and 2 educators, who have more teaching responsibilities than principals and deputy principals.
The TPA will provide a basis for the payment of salary progression and other incentives to teachers who perform well. The TPA will also provide a basis to support underperforming teachers. Perpetual underperformers will be dealt with in terms of the incapacity code as provided for in Schedule 1 of the Employment of Educators Act (EEA).
Moderation committees will be established at provincial and district level to ensure that teacher appraisals are conducted in an equitable and consistent manner across the department.
Reply received: May 2012
QUESTION 452
DATE OF PUBLICATION OFINTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 02/03/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 06/2012)
Mrs A T Lovemore (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
Whether any action will be taken to provide assistance to the schools that were identified in the 2011 Annual National Assessment as clearly struggling; if not, why not; if so, (a) what action, (b) by when and (c) what are the further relevant details? NW599E
Reply:
Yes.
(a) Schools have been supplied with a detailed qualitative report on what learners were able or not able to do in the tests as preliminary diagnosis of where interventions need to focus, guidelines on how to use assessment evidence to develop appropriate learning programmes, sets of relevant test exemplars to help teachers assess learners at the right levels and learner workbooks. The Department is also rolling out a literacy and numeracy strategy to address the challenges identified through the 2011 Annual National Assessment. Using these resources, district officials are currently running professional development sessions to support the teachers in the identified areas of need so that learners can be exposed to stimulating experiences in the classrooms.
(b) Interventions are already underway.
(c) We expect that the next cycle of assessment in September 2012 will show the positive impact that all our interventions are making.
Reply received: May 2012
QUESTION 408
DATE OF PUBLICATION OFINTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 02/03/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 06/2012)
Mrs M A A Njobe (Cope) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
Whether there are any secondary schools that offer feeding programmes for children that are funded by the Government; if not, why not; if so, (a) how many (i) offer feeding programmes and (ii) how many do not offer feeding programmes and (b) what budgetary allocation has her department prepared for such programmes to ensure that children do not go hungry? NW545E
Response:
Yes, the Department of Basic Education extended the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) to quintile 1, 2 and 3 secondary schools phasing it in from April 2009, April 2010 and April 2011 respectively.
a) (i) 4 837 Q1-3 secondary schools are part of the national school nutrition programme.
(ii) Only secondary schools from the poorest communities (quintile 1 – 3) are part of the
programme as per the NSNP Conditional Grant Framework and the budget allocation from National Treasury. A total of 1 338 quintile 4 and 5 secondary schools are not within the mandate and thus do not provide school meals.
b) National Treasury allocated a sum of R4.8 billion to the Department in the 2011/12
financial year to implement the programme in quintile 1 to 3 primary and secondary schools. Of this, R1.9 billion was allocated for quintile 1 to 3 secondary schools.
Reply received: April 2012
QUESTION 403
DATE OF PUBLICATION OFINTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 02/03/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 06/2012)
Mrs J M Maluleke(ANC) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
What (a) progress has her department made in respect of the undertaking to pay rural allowances to educators in rural areas and (b) plans does her department have in place to deal with overcrowding in classes at rural schools? NW530E
REPLY
(a) Given the financial pressures experienced in the last few years on compensation of employees in the provincial departments of education, the policy has not been implemented to the extent to which it was expected.
(b) Availability of classroom space and adequate number of teachers are two key elements that need to be considered when dealing with overcrowding at schools. Other factors include grade and subject composition. The composition of classes (group of learners) in a school is also related to the number of learners per grade or subject. The latter contributes more specifically to inconsistent class sizes within a school especially in Grades 10-12 where both grade and subject choice composition come into play.
The Department successfully bid for additional funding for the MTEF (2009/10-2011/12) to start to assist PEDs to address the issue of class sizes in affected schools. The funding would be utilised to fund more posts for schools that experienced large class sizes. Evidently only schools without class room space constraint will effectively benefit from additional posts.
Reply received: May 2012
QUESTION 400
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 02/03/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 06/2012)
Mr L S Ngonyama (Cope) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
Whether her department has implemented (a) plans and (b) systems to encourage educators to give attention to the variant meanings attached to words in languages that are taught at school in order to improve word recognition and comprehension; if not, why not; if so, what (i)(aa) plans and (bb) systems and (ii) are the further relevant details? NW524E
REPLY
Yes.
(a) The plans include the following:
The Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) in Languages support the teaching of language aspects and skills in all the official languages at Home Language, First Additional and Second Additional Language levels. The teaching plans in CAPS for Grades R to12 are explicit and help teachers to mediate the teaching of various language aspects such as variant meanings attached to words including word recognition and comprehension skills.
The teaching of language across the curriculumis the approach that is advocated in CAPS and will support teachers in strengthening learner's knowledge on how words can be used in different contexts to convey different meanings.
Language development programmes have been strengthened through the Workbook project for Grades R to 9 and the introduction of a National Catalogue of Language textbooks and Readers for Grades 1-12. Furthermore schools are encouraged to make a dictionary and a thesaurus available to learners from Grade 3 onwards.
The departmental publication;" Teaching Reading in the Early Grades "is an invaluable resource for the teaching of comprehensions and other language skills through reading.
(b) The systems in place at provincial level include the following:
Subject specialists have been capacitated to provide teacher training workshops on the effective teaching of languages from Grades R to 12 according to CAPS requirements.
In addition, provincial and district officials monitor and support educators at school level, particularly in areas that need attention.
Reply received: March 2012
QUESTION 356
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 24/02/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 04/2012
Mrs A T Lovemore (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) Whether her department maintains a database of the qualifications of teachers who are employed by all provinces; if not, (a) why not and (b) which specified provinces maintain such a database;
(2) what are the details of (a) unqualified and (b) underqualified teachers employed in public schools in each province for each (i) grade and (ii) subject;
(3) what measures have been put in place to ensure that all (a) unqualified and (b) underqualified teachers attain the requisite qualifications;
(4) what measures have been put in place to ensure quality learning by learners taught by unqualified or under-qualified teachers;
(5) whether her department has set a target date by which all teachers employed by the provincial departments must be appropriately qualified; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW442E
REPLY
(1) Yes, a database is maintained of the qualifications of teachers who are employed by all provinces. The qualification of each educator that is appointed in the system are evaluated and assigned a Relative Educational Qualification Value (REQV). This is critical both to determine the qualification level of the educators and the salary level at which the educator will be paid. REQV range from REQV10-17. In terms of general application REQV10 is regarded as unqualified (grade 12 only) and REQV 11-12 as under-qualified (grade 12 and 2 years) while REQV 13-17 is qualified (grade 12 plus 3 and more years). For an educator to be regarded as fully qualified they must at least have a three year qualification which includes some training as a teacher or professionally qualified and only such educators can be appointed on permanent bases. This information is captured on the PERSAL system. Therefore information on the overall qualification level of educators is captured and available as part of the operational information as it is also used for determining the salaries of educators for all the provinces.
(2) (a) The details of unqualified teachers in the system is reflected in the table below
(b) The details of under qualified teachers in the system is reflected in the table below
(i) The details on what grades the unqualified and under-qualified teachers are actually teaching is not routinely collected. This is partly due to the dynamic nature of how time-tabling and subject allocation is managed at school level including which can possibly change from term-to-term. The Department is currently looking at way to routinely collect information on what teachers are qualified to teach (phase, subject) and what they are actually teaching as part of attempt to manage and monitor utilization of educators at school level. This will also assist in monitoring other aspects such as teaching out of specialization.
(ii) The details above in (i) also apply to the subjects the unqualified and under- qualified teachers are teaching.
(1) Whether (a) her department or (b) her department in partnership with any other government department is currently publishing its own (i) textbooks and/or (ii) workbooks; if so, what are the relevant details, including the consultation with the public and relevant stakeholders; if not,
RESPONSE
1(a)(i) The DBE followed a process of developing, printing and distributing Grade 10-12 Mathematics and Physical Sciences supplementary textbooks in collaboration with the Shuttleworth Foundation under the Open Creative License
1(a)(ii) The DBE has developed workbooks for grades 1-9, in Languages, Mathematics and Life Skills. The workbooks include:
· Home Language workbooks for grades 1-6 in all official languages;
· Mathematics workbooks for Grades 1-9 in Language of Teaching and Learning (LoLT)
· Life Skills workbooks for grades 1-3 in LoLT; and
· First Additional Language (FAL) workbooks for grades 1-6 in English
The DBE has developed the workbooks for Grades 1-9 using an internal development process. Feedback from all stakeholders on a year on year basis informs further revision in the interest of improving quality.
(2) whether her department intends considering such an undertaking; if so, what are the relevant details, including the consultation with the public and relevant stakeholders? NW227E
RESPONSE
Refer to 1 above.
Reply received: April 2012
QUESTION 355
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 24/02/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 04/2012)
Mrs A T Lovemore (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) Whether the (a) printing and (b) delivery of Braille (i) textbooks and (ii) workbooks are undertaken nationally; if so, through which (aa) printing house and (bb) delivery service;
(2) What is the scheduled date and time for the delivery of all (a) textbooks and (b) workbooks in the current school year;
(3) Whether any delays in the supply of these textbooks to the relevant institutions have been experienced; if so, (a) why, (b) what measures are being taken to expedite the supply and (c) when can delivery be expected? NW441E
RESPONSE
1(a) Yes, the printing of Braille (i) textbooks and (ii) workbooks is undertaken nationally.
1(aa) The printing is done by Pioneer Printers in Worcester (Western Cape) and SA Braille Services in Johannesburg(Gauteng).
1(bb) The delivery services are provided by the two Braille Production Houses (Pioneer Printers and SA Braille Services).
2. Given the capacity constraints in Braille production in the country,
(a) Brailed textbooks, and
(b) workbooks are printed and distributed per grade, upon completion.
3(a) Yes, there are delays in this process because before any material can be Brailled it needs to be adapted, a process that takes time and requires the necessary expertise. Furthermore, the two Braille Production Houses provide the services to a wider community, nationally and internationally.
(b) The DBE is considering Braille Production services from outside of South Africa.
(c) Delivery has started and is progressing well.
QUESTION 271
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 24/02/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 04/2012)
Mr L B Gaehler (UDM) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) (a) How many of the 50 tenders for the schools building programme in the former Transkei area of the Eastern Cape that her department awarded through its implementation agency, the Development Bank of SA (DBSA), were awarded to emerging contractors as at the latest specified date for which information is available and (b) what was the rand value of the tenders in each case;
(2) whether the tenders were awarded in accordance with the policies of her department to invest in the development of emerging contractors; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details? NW303E
Response
1(a) The projects have been awarded to 16 contractors with CIDB grading levels 6GB to 9GB. Six (6) of appointed contractors out of the 16 have CIDB grading level of 6GB. This is therefore an endeavor by the DBE to give opportunities to emerging contractors.
The contractors will be employing local labour and have also undertaken to use local sub-contractors.
(b) The table below provides details of the rand value for each contract.
| Tender No. | Description | CIDB Grading | Contract Value (R mil) |
| RFP29/2011-A | Construction of a newMandlobe Primary School atLusikisiki, Eastern Cape | CIDB-6GB | 14.58 |
| RFP29/2011-B | Construction of a newKwenxura Primary School atMthatha, Eastern Cape | CIDB - 7GB | 15.09 |
| RFP29/2011-C | Construction of a newKwezilethu Primary Schoolat Mthatha, Eastern Cape | CIDB-6 GB | 15.09 |
|
| |||
| RFP29/2011-D | Construction of a newNobantu Primary School atMthatha, Eastern Cape | CIDB-6GB | 13.79 |
|
| |||
| RFP29/2011-E | Construction of a cluster of 12 schools in various locations in the, Eastern Cape Province | CIDB-9GB | 148.69 |
| RFP29/2011-F | Construction of a cluster of 12 schools in various locations in the, Eastern Cape Province | CIDB-8GB | 73.05 |
| CIDB-8GB | 88.5 | ||
| RFP31/2011-A | Construction of a newNogaya Primary School at Ntlaza | CIDB-6GB | 14.87 |
|
| |||
| RFP31/2011-B | Construction of a newDikiso Primary School at Kumadeni | CIDB - 7GB | 15.35 |
|
| |||
| RFP31/2011-C | Construction of a newTabata Primary School at Mdakeni | CIDB 7GB | 16.22 |
|
| |||
| RFP31/2011-D | Construction of a newDumakude Primary Schoolat Kundile | CIDB – 6GB | 18.02 |
|
| |||
| RFP31/2011-E | Construction of a newDakhile Primary School at Mfundusweni | CIDB – 6GB | 17.87 |
|
| |||
| RFP31/2011-F | Construction of a newVulindlela Primary School at Mqanduli | CIDB- 6GB | 18.09 |
|
| |||
| RFP31/2011-G | Construction of five new schools at Nyandeni District | CIDB- 9GB | 56.38 |
| RFP31/2011-H | Construction of a newMazama Primary School at Lusikisiki | CIDB - 9GB | 12.94 |
| RFP31/2011-I | Construction of a cluster of nine new schools at Nyandeni and KSD LMs | CIDB: 8GB | 136.73 |
| TOTAL CONTRACT VALUE | 675.26 | ||
Table above indicates the values of the contracts awarded to each entity in millions.
(2) The tenders were awarded in accordance with the policies of the DBSA, the implementing agent. The DBE has endeavoured to strike a balance between delivering the programme at an accelerated rate and yet using small enterprises.
Reply received: April 2012
QUESTION 251
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 22/02/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER):
Mr A Watson (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) Whether regular inspections of (a) primary and (b) secondary schools are conducted in the (i) Thembisile Hani Local Municipality and (ii) J S Moroka Municipality in Mpumalanga in (aa) 2009, (bb) 2010 and (cc) 2011; NE 273E.
REPLY
(1) Yes. The Nkangala District office in Mpumalanga is responsible for monitoring schools in the (i) Thembisile Hani LocalMunicipality and (ii) J S Moroka Municipality respectively. Support to the schools in the district is provided by circuit managers and curriculum implementers (subject advisors).
Furthermore, the DBE deployed six (6) external IQMS moderators to visit schools in the province since 2008 to monitor the implementation of the IQMS processes and procedures. The moderators also provide support to schools where necessary. A report with the moderators' findings as well as recommendations is left at each school. The DBE submits quarterly reports to the Provincial Education Department.
The number of schools visited by the external moderators in Nkangala district since 2009 is as follows: (aa) 2009 – 300 schools, (bb) 2010 – 173 schools and (cc) 2011 – 222 schools. Over a three year period 695 school visits were conducted by external moderators. These visits were inclusive of 273 follow-up visits. During the follow-up visits moderators verified whether schools were implementing the recommendations contained in the previous report. They also conducted classroom visits. The purpose of these classroom observations was to identify best practices, areas in need of improvement and provide support to teachers where necessary.
Reply received: April 2012
QUESTION 208
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 17/02/12
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 02/2012)
Mrs A T Lovemore (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) Whether her department's intervention in the Eastern Cape has resulted in (a) an allocation and appointment of teachers to all schools and classes, (b) restoring the National School Nutrition Programme to all learners who qualify, (c) the supply of textbooks and stationery to non-section 21 schools, (d) restoring learner transport to all deserving learners and (e) finalising plans to deal with unsafe and inappropriate school structures; if not, in each case, (i) why not and (ii) what are the details of the progress made in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details;
(2) whether her approach of being diagnostic for purposes of uncovering the underlying causes of the challenges has succeeded; if not, why not; if so, (a) what are the relevant details and (b) what plans are in place to solve these problems? NW226E
RESPONSE:
1(a) Allocation and appointment of teachers:
The report from the province indicates that schools which have substantive posts have received educators to fill the posts either in a permanent or temporary capacity.
1(b) National School Nutrition programme (NSNP):
The report from the province indicated that the Eastern Cape Provincial Executive Council (EXCO) had resolved to decentralise the National School Nutrition Programme to deserving schools, and that the NSNP must be implemented as per national policy in Quintile 1-3 schools only. This model involved the direct transfer of funds for the school feeding programme to schools, instead of continuing with the previous procurement model that was utilised.
Reports received from school governing bodies and officials show an improvement in the roll-out and coverage of the school nutrition programme. However, there is still some scepticism arising from the inaccurate and unreliable data in the province.
1(c) Supply of textbooks and stationery to non-section 21 schools:
The Eastern Cape report stated that because of budgetary constraints, the Eastern Cape Education Department was only able to procure and deliver textbooks for learners in the Foundation Phase (Grades 1-3) and Grade 10. This decision was motivated by the implementation of the first phase of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) in these four grades.
In addition, the Department of Basic Education is making available literacy and numeracy workbooks to all Grades R-9 as well as mathematics and science textbooks to all Grade 10-12 learners.
Reports indicate that stationery for non-section 21 schools had been procured in December 2011 and was in the process of being delivered to these schools. During school reopening in 2012 however, it was noted that some non-section 21 schools had not received their quota of stationery. More worrisome, was the revelation that some section 21 schools had not procured learning and teaching support materials, despite transfers to these schools.
1(d) Learner transport:
The Eastern Cape Provincial Executive Council had directed that scholar transport be transferred from the Eastern Cape Education Department to the Eastern Cape Department of Transport.
In the main the Eastern Cape Department of Transport is responsible for making safe, reliable and roadworthy transport available to deserving learners. The Eastern Cape Education Department on the other hand, is responsible for providing accurate learner numbers, accurate pick-up as well as drop-off points, and accurate routes. The school principals are responsible for signing off, including providing indications whether the transport arrived on time.
The norm and standard for learners to be eligible for the learner transport programme was set at a radius of 10 kilometres between schools and homes. Only learners in Grade 4-12 qualify. About 56 000 learners from 614 schools were eligible for learner transport.
1(e) Mud, unsafe and inappropriate school structures:
The conditional grant for the Accelerated School Infrastructure Development Initiative
(ASIDI) would focus on the eradication of mud, unsafe and inappropriate schools.
Approximately 428 inappropriate schools in the Eastern Cape are targeted for
eradication by end of 2013/14. The Department of Basic Education has appointed the
Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) as the Implementing Agent in 2011/12 to
eradicate 49 inappropriate school structures in the Lusikisiki (5), Libode (38) and
Umtata (6). Contractors have been appointed and all 49 school sites were handed over
to the contractors in January 2012 to start with construction.
2. Diagnostic situational analyses & scoping exercise to deal with the underlying challenges in the Eastern Cape Education Department:
It would have been practically impossible to embark on a section 100(1)(b) intervention in the Eastern Cape Education Department without first conducting diagnostic situational analyses on the challenges faced by that department.
The outcome of the diagnostic situational analyses was the Implementation Framework and the Memorandum of Understanding, which outlined the areas, the scope, the mandates, the methodology and the duration of the intervention to the extent necessary. The product of the scoping exercise on the other hand, was a comprehensive Implementation Plan with detailed and costed Operational Plans on the specific areas of the intervention and other line function areas that have a direct bearing on the successful implementation of the section 100(1)(b) intervention in the Eastern Cape Education Department.
It is important to state that, after the legal processes were observed (including notifying the National Council of Provinces in terms of section 100(2)(a) of the Constitution and in terms of the NCOP Rule 254), the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by the Minister of Basic Education (representing Cabinet) and the MEC for Education in the Eastern Cape (as mandated through a Premier's Minute). Annexed to the MoU were the Notice to the NCOP in terms of section 100(2)(a), the letter from the Secretariat of Cabinet mandating the Minister of Basic Education, the Eastern Cape Premier's Minute mandating the MEC for Education in the Eastern Cape, and the Implementation Framework on the areas and scope of the section 100(1)(b) intervention to the extent necessary.
The above important exercises therefore laid the foundation for the implementation of a sustainable section 100(1)(b) intervention in the Eastern Cape Education Department. Assisting the Department of Basic Education, are the National Treasury, the Department for Public Service and Administration, the Department of Higher Education and Training, as well as the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development. Senior officials from the Eastern Cape Education Department, the Office of the Premier of the Province of the Eastern Cape, and the Eastern Cape Provincial Treasury provide the necessary support to the intervention.
Reply received: July 2012
QUESTION 207
DATE OF PUBLICATION QF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 17/02/12
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 0212012)
The Minister of Basic Education, Mrs AM Motshekga, MP, received Parliamentary Questions from Mrs AT Lovemore (DA) as follows.
(1) (a) What is the purpose of the supplementary Physical Science and Mathematics books that her department is supplying to secondary schools and which were developed by the Shuttleworth Foundation, but not approved according to the recently compiled national catalogue and (b) what is the difference between a textbook and a supplementary textbook;
(2) Whether these books were subjected to the same process of selection and approval as other books; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details:
(3) Why were these books procured despite not being listed in the national catalogue? NW225E
RESPONSE
1.a) The provision of Maths and Physical Science supplementary textbooks by the DBE is intended to ensure that every learner tn Grades 10-12 has access to a textbook in these gateway subjects. These textbooks wereapproved through the formal processes of the 2012 national catalogue
1.b) Supplementary textbooks are resources provided in addition to the textbooks procured by schools. International research suggests that the availability of a variety of high quality texts is beneficial to both the [earner and teacher in the learning process. These supplementary textbooks also provide online support.
2.Yes, the Maths and Science textbooks were subjected to the same process of selection and approval of other books on the National Catalogue.
3 The textbooks were not listed on the National Catalogue as these areprovided free of charge to schools. The textbooks enable the department to ensure that every learner from Grade 10-12 has access to a Maths and Science textbook. Given the economies of scale benefits, the DEE was able to print and deliver the books directly to schools at a fraction of the cost (R3742) of textbooks on the catalogue.
Reply received: March 2012
QUESTION 185
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 17/02/12
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 02/2012)
Mr D C Smiles (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) Whether the service provider met all the requirements of tender number DBE016 to provide health screening for learners in Grade 1 as well as those repeating grades in the Eastern Cape,; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(2) whether her department requested the Department of Health to provide these services; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW203E
RESPONSE
1. The Department of Basic Education issued a call for bids to appoint a service provider to support the implementation of the School Health Screening Programme for Grade 1 learners in the Eastern Cape Province. A Bid Evaluation Committee meeting was held on 18 October 2011. However, none of the bids met the minimum required points on functionality and therefore no service provider was appointed.
2. Yes, the Department of Health was requested to provide these services because the Department of Basic Education is working in partnership with the Department of Health to implement the School Health Screening Programme for Grade 1 learners. The Department of Health, at national and provincial levels, is collaborating on the appointment of the service provider to support health screening in the Eastern Cape province.
However, a situation analysis of available school health personnel appointed by the Department of Health was undertaken in provinces.It revealed that only 26 school health nurses were available for the School Health Screening Programme in the Eastern Cape, making it impossible to reach the target of 145 102 learners. This was confirmed by the statistics of the School Health Week undertaken in March 2010. Only 8 125 learners were screened in the Eastern Cape. One of the recommendations of the report on School Health Week conducted in March 2010, as well as meetings of the joint task team, was that the Department needs to establish partnerships with private and non-governmental organizations to supplement the Department of Health's school health services programme.
Reply received: March 2012
QUESTION 184
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 17/02/12
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 02/2012)
Mr D C Smiles (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) Whether all the requirements have been met by a certain service provider (details furnished) who has been appointed to print, package and deliver Grade 1 to 9 workbooks for all (a) public schools and (b)(i) district and (ii) provincial offices for a period of 3 years; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(2) whether (a) district and (b) provincial offices will be required to deliver the workbooks to all public schools; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (i) who will bear the cost and (ii) what measures were put in place to ensure that these books will be delivered on time;
(3) whether subcontractors will be utilised to deliver these books; if not, why not; if so, what are the names of the subcontractors appointed by each (a) district and (b) province? NW202E
Reply:
1. The appointed service provider for the DBE 015 TENDER Is the Joint Venture between Paarl Media Group (Pty) Ltd and Lebone Litho Printers ( Pty) Ltd. In accordance with the regulations and the terms of reference the appointed service provider met all the requirements as were ed in the official Invitation to Bid Document as per the Government Procurement Institutional Framework.
Post a due process phase to short list for presentations publish the JV presented a total solution with minimal risk which included:
· The collective company histories of the JV Partners and the secondary JV participants UTi (Pty) Ltd and City Couriers (Pty) Ltd. For the direct distribution but not limited to DBE designated sites including Schools, Provincial Offices and District offices.
· Breakdown of unit cost
· National footprint for warehousing
· Systems, strategies and an understanding of Government Procedures to mitigate risks identified
· Reporting and Recording solutions with DBE access to progressive development of project on demand.
2. (a) Neither the District Offices nor (b) the Provincial Offices will be required to
deliver the workbooks to all Public Schools.
As a risk management directive from the DBE a safety stock consignment will be available at District offices for schools with additional needs due to migration or allocations based on outdated Data. In this case schools will access the consignment on regular administrative visits to the District Offices. In addition the Curriculum Coordinators will have safety stock on their scheduled visits to Schools or District Development Meetings.
(i) There are no cost implications for the Provinces or Districts.
(ii) The service provider declared in the submission in an exclusive agreement between UTI (Pty) Ltd and City Couriers (Pty) Ltd the distribution will be executed utilising their National fleet. The service delivery in relation to the condensed timeframe from the date of appointment has been recorded, monitored and evaluated against the delivery timeframes as per Data Base signed off and provided by provinces to inform delivery and as per remedial requests from schools.
3. The overall agreement also complied with the Preferential Procurement Act in promoting procurement to support SMME's, and the preferential procurement regulations 2001 the HDI status in terms of the owner driver programs. A number of SMMEs have been offered franchises to deliver as a subsidiary of the principal.
Reply received: March 2012
QUESTION 183
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 17/02/12
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 02/2012)
Mr D C Smiles (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) Whether her department has (a) approved and (b) monitored the tender with reference number RFI No GT/GDE/003/2012 relating to school buildings in Gauteng; if not, why not; if so, why are professions such as (i) architects, (ii) engineers and (iii) quantity surveyors not allowed to participate in the tender process;
(2) whether her department has the capacity to manage this project; if so, how is this conclusion reached;
(3) whether, with regard to job creation, her department is considering subcontracting professions such as (a) architects, (b) engineers and (c) quantity surveyors; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW201E
RESPONSES
1.
(a) The provision of education infrastructure falls within the competency of the provincial department of education, in particular the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Education. The tender referred to was advertised by the Gauteng Department of Finance in collaboration with the Gauteng Department of Education.
(b) Built Environment Professionals are not excluded from the process. In fact, their inclusion is an explicit requirement of the tender (See the following extract from the advertisement: " Only respondents who have suitably qualified multidisciplinary professional teams including architects and civil / structural engineers are eligible to have their submissions evaluated, preferably those with extensive experience, established office(s) and visible presence in the Gauteng Province."
2. The project will be managed in collaboration with the Gauteng Department of infrastructure Development (DID) and a dedicated Project Management Unit consisting of built environment professionals.
3. The project entails a turnkey solution and prospective bidders will have to include a number of professionals as per the tender advertisement (see response on number 1 above)
Reply received: March 2012
QUESTION 135
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 17/02/12
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 02/2012)
Ms D Carter (Cope) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
Whether her department has any policy in place for (a) inspecting government schools and (b) preventing schools from denying placement to some learners in a designated feeder area in order to attract and accommodate learners with better academic credentials from further afield (details furnished); if not, why not; if so, (i) which schools in each of the provinces had been found to have been doing so and (ii) what action has been taken in each instance? NW146E
RESPONSE
(a) The National Education Policy Act, 1996 (Act No. 27 of 1996) (NEPA) and the South African Schools Act, 1996 (Act No. 84 of 1996) deal with the management and governance of schools.
Furthermore, the Whole School Evaluation policy and the Integrated Quality Management System are mechanisms that allow the department to conduct school visits to establish the extent to which schools are performing at optimal levels that will ensure that quality teaching and learning takes place. Schools have a duty to make information available during these school monitoring visits and also provide such information about the school as is reasonably required by the department in terms of Section 59 of the South African Schools Act.
The department, through its districts has Circuit Managers as officials tasked with the responsibility to monitor compliance and support to schools.
(b) It is the same two Acts mentioned above which provide frameworks for the management and administration of admissions in all public schools. Their implementation and enforcement by provincial departments ensures that the admission policy of a public school and the administration of admissions by an education department do not unfairly discriminate in any way against an applicant for admission.
(i) and (ii) the department is not aware of specific cases where learners were denied placement in a designated feeder area in order to attract and accommodate learners with better academic credentials from further afield. Schools are expected to provide reasons for declining any application. It is not possible for districts to conclusively determine that a learner was excluded from a school on the basis of residential area or academic credential when districts follow up on learners who were refused admission. Schools are requested to provide the reasons why any learners have been excluded and this has to be in line with the admissions policy of the department. Any identified cases of refusal for admission are dealt with by the department and where schools have not complied with the policy; they are over ruled if the reasons for non admission are a violation of the learner rights and departmental policies. Any parent who feels that the child has been unreasonably refused admission may appeal to the provincial head of department who will then consider the merit of the appeal.