ATC141028: Budgetary Review and Recommendation Report of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education on the performance of the Department of Basic Education for the 2013/14 financial year, dated 22 October 2014

Basic Education

logo The Budgetary Review and Recommendation Report of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education on the performance of the Department of Basic Education for the 2013/14 financial year, dated 22 October 2014

The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education, having considered the performance of the Department of Basic Education, reports as follows:

1. Introduction

1.1. The role and mandate of the Portfolio Committee

The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education is mandated by sections 55 and 92 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (Act 108 of 1996) and the Rules of Parliament to oversee the activities and performance of the Department of Basic Education and its three statutory bodies. In this context, the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education focuses its work within the five constitutional mandates of Parliament, which are to process and approve legislation, conduct oversight, ensure public participation, process international agreements and facilitate co-operative governance. In addition to performing these constitutional mandates, the Committee e ngages in various activities and programmes focussing on the development and delivery of quality public education to all South Africans. The Committee also d eals with matters referred to it by the Speaker or the National Assembly.

1.2 Core functions of the Department of Basic Education

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) derives its mandate firstly from the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996), which requires education to be transformed and democratised in accordance with the values of human dignity, equality, human rights and freedom, non-racism and non-sexism. The Constitution guarantees access to basic education for all, including adult basic education. Secondly, the National Education Policy Act, 1996 Act 27 of 1996 (NEPA), inscribes into law the policies for the national system of education, the legislative and monitoring responsibilities of the Minister of Education, as well as the formal relations between national and provincial authorities. In terms of NEPA, DBE’s statutory role is to formulate national policy, norms and standards as well as to monitor and evaluate policy implementation and impact.

In line with its mandate, the Department has a vision of a South Africa in which all people will have access to lifelong learning, education and training opportunities, which will, in turn, contribute towards improving the quality of life and building a peaceful, prosperous and democratic South Africa.

In fulfilling its mandate over the next five years, the Department is guided by the Medium Term Strategic Framework (MSTF) designed to reflect the actions outlined in the National Development Plan.

1.3. Purpose of the BRRR

In terms of Section 5 of the Money Bills Amendment Procedures and Related Matters Act, No. 9 of 2009 the National Assembly, through its Committees, must annually compile Budgetary Review and Recommendation reports (BRRR) that assess service delivery and financial performance of departments and may make recommendations on forward use of resources. The BRRR is also a source document for the Committees on Appropriations when considering and making recommendations on the Medium Term.

1.4 Processes followed by the Portfolio Committee in arriving at this report

In compiling this BRRR, the Portfolio Committee assessed the performance of the Department of Basic Education with reference to the following:

· The strategic priorities and measurable objectives as set out in the strategic plan.

· Expenditure trends drawn from the reports of the National Treasury; the 2014 State of the Nation Address priorities; the reports of the Auditor-General of South Africa and the reports on the 2014 Budget Vote.

· The financial statements and annual report briefings, in terms of Section 65 of the Public Finance Management Act No. 1 of 1999, which requires the Ministers to table the Annual Reports and financial statements for the Department and public entities before Parliament.

· Findings of the Portfolio Committee’s oversight visits, including quarterly briefings.

· External sources assessing the performance of the Department.

· The National Development Plan.

The briefings on the annual performance and financial statements of the Department and its statutory bodies took place on 14 – 17 October 2014 in Parliament. The Portfolio Committee also met with the Auditor General on the audit outcomes on 14 October 2014 .

2. Overview of the key relevant policy focus areas

2.1 Strategic Priorities of the Department

The essence of the vision of the Department of Basic Education is captured in the Delivery Agreement on Outcome 1: Improving Basic Education, of which the Minister is the principal signatory. The objective of Outcome 1 is to improve the quality of basic education.

The DBE sector plan, called the Action Plan to 2014: Towards the Realisation of Schooling 2025 , provides a comprehensive approach to address the Outcome of improving Basic Education. In this sector plan, the Department has set itself 27 goals in order to give expression to its strategic mandate. Goals 14 to 27 are input goals used in achieving the 13 output goals. The 13 goals are given expression through service delivery targets as deliverables for 2014. The 13 goals and their delivery targets relate specifically to issues that form the foundation of basic education. These include, amongst others, increasing access of children to quality early childhood development (ECD) programmes; improving the access of children to quality early childhood development (ECD) below Grade 1; increasing the number of learners who master the minimum language and Mathematics competencies in Grades 3, 6 and 9; increasing the number of Grade 12 learners who become eligible for a Bachelors programme at a university; increasing the number of Grade 12 learners who pass M athematics and Physical Science; ensuring that all children remain effectively enrolled in school up to the year in which they turn 15 as articulated in the South African Schools Act 84 of 1996; improving grade promotion of learners through the Grades 1 to 9 phases of school; and, improving the access of youth to Further Education and Training (FET) beyond Grade 9.

The sector plan is acknowledged as a useful point of departure in the sector-specific priorities in the National Development Plan (NDP) 2030. During the 2014/15 financial year, the Department would align its sector targets from 2025 to the NDP horizon of 2030, with no substantial changes to priorities articulated in the sector.

Following the National Development Plan and building on key sector plans, critical activities are focussed on the following outputs for the next five years:

• Improved quality of teaching and learning through the development, supply and effective utilisation of teachers;

• Improved quality of teaching and learning through the provision of adequate, quality infrastructure and Learning and Teaching Support Materials (LTSM);

• Improving assessment for learning to ensure quality and efficiency in academic achievement;

• Expanded access to Early Childhood Development and the improvement of the quality of Grade R, with support for pre-Grade R provision;

• Strengthening, accountability and improving management at the school, community and district level; and

• Partnerships for education reform and improved quality.

2.2 O verview of the revised Strategic Plan and Annual Performance Plans - any key changes from 2013/14 and 2014/15)

The DBE remains focused on the provision of quality basic education with a focus on the following strategic priorities in 2014:

  • Curriculum: Focussing on monitoring the maximum utilisation of teaching time; curriculum planning, management, oversight ,coverage and delivery by teachers; responding to content gaps; continuing with teacher development initiatives based on identified gaps in the Annual National Assessment(ANA) and National Senior Certificate (NSC); and monitoring training on curriculum differentiation to ensure inclusivity.

  • Assessments: Further consolidation of the assessment systems; s trengthening quality assurance processes of the National Senior Certificate (NSC) through Umalusi; and i nternational benchmarking of critical question papers in order to improve their credibility.

  • Learning and Teacher Support Materials: The Department aims to monitor access to textbooks and workbooks by learners; working with districts to monitor the extent to which resources were are at classroom level; and continuing the provision of high quality workbooks and other supplementary resources.

  • Infrastructure: continuing to monitor provincial spending on infrastructure ; replacing of mud and unsafe school structures through the Accelerated School Infrastructure Development Initiative (ASIDI); and ensuring that targets for provision of water, electricity and sanitation facilities were met as per the National Norms and Standards.

  • Accountability: The Department continues to emphasise teacher time-on-task, teachers’ attendance and content knowledge; improving the frequency and quality of monitoring and support services provided by district offices; analysing teacher time-on-task, teachers’ attendance and content knowledge; analysing District Improvement Plans (DIPs) and providing feedback as part of the Department monitoring and oversight function; developing and mediating the South African Standards for the appointment of principals, circuit managers and subject advisors; focusing on a comprehensive plan to improve conditions of services for Grade R practitioners; and preparing for the 2015 School Governing Bodies (SGB) elections.

2.3 Key Development Indicators and International Conventions

In order to further advance the transformation agenda in education, South Africa has ratified a number of international conventions that directly and/or indirectly speak to the protection of the right to basic education, for instance, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the World Declaration on Education for All: Meeting Basic Learning Needs, the Convention against Discrimination in Education and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The DBE has made considerable strides in the realisation of the Millennium Development Goals related to basic education. South Africa has reached near universal primary education (UPE) (MDG 2), with findings showing that 98.8 percent of 7 to 15 year olds are attending educational institutions. However, South Africa still faces a massive backlog of skills, and the quality of education provided by some schools still holds back the South African dream towards the full achievement of MDG 2 by 2015 .

2.4 Overview of the service delivery environment and context

The service delivery environment in the education sector comprises the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the nine provincial education departments (PEDs), including district offices and schools, working collaboratively to achieve Outcome 1 of government’s Programme of Action. For the period under review, based on the 2013 School Realities which reflects the 10 th school day statistics, the education sector comprised 12 489 648 learners, 425 023 educators and 25 720 schools. The education sector is guided in its work by Action Plan to 2014: Towards the realisation of Schooling 2025 .

During the period under review, the DBE continued to focus on addressing issues of q uality education through interventions in the priority areas of improving access to Basic Education; expansion of Early Childhood Development; Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS); the Annual National Assessments; Learner Teacher Support Materials (LTSM); National Senior Certificate results; the competence, professionalism and status of teachers; school infrastructure development; learner well-being; and Section 100 (1) (b) interventions in the Eastern Cape and Limpopo.

Further factors influencing the plans and activities of the DBE included data and information challenges which needed to be addressed, as well as provincial budget pressures which needed to be addressed through the DBE oversight and responsibility to provinces.

Major achievements for the 2013/14 financial year reported in the Annual Report were as follows:

· Recording a total of 16 212 Early Childhood Development (ECD) practitioners in public Grade R, with 9 035 practitioner qualifications verified;

· Delivering 97 percent of Learner Teacher Support Material (LTSM) ordered;

· Reaching a peak Matric pass percentage of 80.2 percent;

· A total of 566 051 learners completing the Kha Ri Gude mass literacy campaign;

· Awarding 14 515 Funza Lushaka bursaries;

· Appointing 6 762 qualified educators who were aged 30 and below;

· Ensuring that over 8 827 293 learners were fed with nutritious meals on every school day; and

· A total of 614 767 learners in Quintile 1-3 schools having received primary health care services.

Sectoral challenges and constraints remain as follows:

  • District capacity & effectiveness were variable in respect of the full range of critical functions required to support teaching and learning , further contributing to inequity across schools;
  • Infrastructure under-spending;
  • Learner performance in Mathematics and Science;
  • Delays in finalising the Quality Management System (QMS) in the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC);
  • Provincial budget pressures; and
  • Concerns about teacher competence.

2.5 A Summary of previous key Performance Recommendations of the Portfolio Committee

2.5.1 Budgetary Review and Recommendation Report 2013

a ) Responses of the Department of Basic Education

In the 2013 BRRR, the Portfolio Committee recommended that the Department address audit shortcomings highlighted by the Auditor General in order to avoid their recurrence in the future. These shortcomings were around predetermined objectives; supply chain management; and, compliance in respect of expenditure management, financial and performance management.

Further key service delivery recommendations related to a remedial programme to effect improvement on the gaps identified by the Management Performance Assessment Tool (MPAT) conducted by the Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation; solutions to the disbursement of the Funza Lushaka bursaries timeously to institutions and students; reporting on important sectoral data relating to teacher supply, utilisation and demand that capture factors such as subjects they teach, school phases and geographical areas; provision of adequate supply of teachers continued improvement of Inclusive Education and increased access to Special Schools; Improved service delivery and spending on infrastructure; accelerated implementation of e-Education; and strengthening the communication strategy of the Department.

Some improvements in respect of these recommendations had been noted as follows:

· Action plans to address audit findings : The Department reported a number of strategies put in place to improve the usefulness and reliability of information in respect of predetermined objectives. These include Branches checking and verifying reported information in terms of source documentation on a quarterly basis, as well as conducting Branch reviews on a quarterly basis. Challenges remain, however, with record-keeping and verification processes. The Department also acknowledged that although Branch reviews were held, this was not to the extent that was required. It is envisaged that going forward, these reviews will be chaired by Deputy Director Generals (DDGs). Further strategies introduced to improve the management of performance information are as follows:

Strategy

Progress

Development of a Strategy on the management of performance information to be renewed annually

Achieved

Development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all indicators to be renewed annually

This is reportedly achieved for the 2013/14 Annual Performance Plan (APP). Indicators for 2014/15 have been submitted for approval.

Capacity building of managers on planning and reporting

The Department reports that capacity building was achieved with most managers who write reports and plans

Approvals of the available supporting documents by the DDGs

The Department reports that although this was achieved in 2013/14 there are some delays

Involvement of the Research, Coordination, Monitoring and Evaluation (RCME) in verifying the reliability of data on Quarterly Performance Reports

This was not achieved.

· Remedial programme to effect improvement in response to the Management Performance Assessment Tool (MPAT) : The Department reported that an Improvement Plan was developed and circulated to all affected managers. The plan was reportedly monitored on an ongoing basis in 2014.

· Progress with ensuring the timeous disbursement of Funza Lushaka bursaries : The Department reported that measures were introduced to ensure the timeous disbursement of Funza Lushaka bursaries in 2014, including revising the Funza Lushaka Implementation Protocol, with clear roles and responsibilities having been allocated to stakeholders and instituting quarterly inter-provincial meetings to strengthen the management of the Funza Lushaka bursary programme. Inter-provincial meetings were held in January and April 2014. The Department further briefed the university Education Deans Forum and the Provincial Teacher Education and Development Committees on the Funza Lushaka bursary programme. In addition, regular meetings were held with the National Students Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) to address challenges with the disbursement of the bursaries.

The Department reported that the timeous disbursement of Funza Lushaka bursaries was affected by the disjuncture between the academic year and the financial year. The Department was working with NSFAS to make arrangements for using part of the accumulated unused funds on a revolving basis to fund students from January to March of each academic year.

To improve the management and administration of the bursary programme at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), the Department was exploring ways in which to provide additional human resource capacity to HEIs for administrative purposes.

Given that the majority of students funded by the Funza Lushaka bursary programme are returning students, the Department would make arrangements to have the lists of returning students approved and sent to NSFAS by 31 January of each year to enable NSFAS to immediately process claims for these students. The Departments further reported that the selection of new applicants, which normally depends on the closing dates of the HEIs, would be completed by 31 March of each year and the approved lists would be sent to NSFAS by 30 April of each year for the processing of claims.

An implementation evaluation of the Funza Lushaka bursary programme, since its inception in 2007, was being undertaken in 2014. A report on the evaluation would be made available before the end of the 2014/15 financial year. It is envisaged that the recommendations of the evaluation would further strengthen the management and administration of the bursary programme, including the timeous disbursement of Funza Lushaka bursaries.

· Progress on Teacher Supply, Utilisation and Demand : Currently the sector data on supply, utilisation and demand that capture factors such as subjects they teach, school phases and geographical areas was captured on EMIS and PERSAL systems. However the Department acknowledged that the quality of such data was such that it was of little use both for planning and operational management. To address this challenge, the Department has started a teacher profiling project to verify and capture data in the PERSAL. The Department aimed to complete teacher profiling by 30 November 2014. The Department reported to the Portfolio Committee during a workshop in Pretoria that teacher profiling had been completed in five provinces.

In terms of teacher deployment and recruitment, in April 2013 a Strategy was approved, designed, inter alia, to:

o ensure stability in staffing by allowing schools maintaining minimal learner enrolment fluctuation levels to retain the same staffing level over a period of three years by 2014;

o ensure that the post provisioning is aligned with the Medium Term Expenditure budgetary processes beginning in the 2014/15 financial year and in the 2014 academic year;

o To streamline the recruitment and placement processes in order to achieve efficiency and effectiveness by 2014; and

o To introduce a structured and systemic way of filling post level one educator posts by 2014.

The Department reported that as part of supporting the implementation of the above Strategy in the provinces, nine provincial workshops were conducted by the Department in August/September 2013 and one national workshop in February 2014. The provincial workshops reportedly focussed on unique implications for each PED and the national workshop consolidated elements of good practice gathered in provincial workshops. The Department would monitor the implementation of the Strategy in the PEDs and report on the progress and brief the Portfolio Committee accordingly.

Notwithstanding the above efforts of the Department to improve teacher deployment and recruitment, it must be noted that post provisioning challenges in the Eastern Cape have taken too long to resolve and require special attention.

· Progress with the placement of Funza Lushaka Bursary Scheme beneficiaries : A report by the Department showed that as at the end of December 2013, 82 per cent of graduates had been placed in Provincial Education Departments (PEDs). Only the Western Cape and Eastern Cape PEDs had a placement rate lower than 88 per cent. The Department indicated that new graduates who either wrote supplementary examinations or completed their studies in mid-year or had registered for placement were added to the placement database, hence revision of the placement rates being necessary. It was reported that placements in the Eastern Cape were affected by the post provisioning challenges in the province.

· Progress on Inclusive Education : The Department noted progress related to the development of a concept document on the development of Staffing Norms for an Inclusive System; the completion of a draft on the Funding Norms for an Inclusive System which was ready for a consultation process for finalisation; processes culminating in the gazetting of the Screening, Identification, Assessment and Support (SIAS) for public comment in May 2014; the approval of the South African Sign Language (SASL) CAPS for Grades R-12 in July 2014; the orientation of almost 10 000 subject advisors for Intermediate, Senior and FET phases on Curriculum Differentiation; and the training of teachers from schools for the Blind on Adaptation of Curriculum and Assessment, as well as the training of officials and teachers from Schools for the Deaf in Sign Language. The DBE would prepare the system for the implementation of the curriculum which would start at Foundation Phase and Grade 9 in 2015.

· Improving Spending on Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Development Initiative (ASIDI) : Although the Department regrettably continued the trend of underspending on ASIDI since its inception in 2011/12, due mainly to service delivery challenges, a noticeable improvement of spending was reported on the programme which was projected at 78 per cent of the 2013/14 allocated budget as at the end of March 2014.

· Accelerating access to E-Education : Findings of the audit of education initiatives conducted in 2013 by the Department reveal, amongst others, that the integration of Information and communications technology (ICT) in education is becoming a reality with more schools (and teacher centres) being connected, though not at a desired pace. Public-Private partnership with regard to the integration of ICT in education is gaining momentum, though there is a need for improved coordination to avoid duplications. Although more schools are being connected through different initiatives, including initiatives funded by the private sector, schools’ connectivity remains a challenge. In the light of these challenges, the Department reported that a draft E-Education policy was developed, to integrate ICT into all levels of the education and training system and to outline outputs, as well as set up activities to be undertaken by all relevant stakeholders. Further progress reported to date include schools being provided with ICT devices and E-content resources, as well as teacher training and professional development in ICT.

b) Responses of the National Treasury

The National Treasury responded to the Portfolio Committee’s concern regarding the Department’s abilities to handle the Accelerated Infrastructure Delivery Initiative (ASIDI), considering that 49 schools earmarked for 2011/12 were only handed over in 2013. The National Treasury expressed the same concern though noted that the process of handing over new schools to communities had accelerated in 2013/14. The National Treasury committed to continue to closely monitor progress, provide guidance and assist where possible as had been the case through the Infrastructure Delivery Improvement Programme.

The National Treasury further responded to the Committee’s concern with the slow progress in the implementation of the Continuing Professional Teacher Development (CPTD) Programme. The National Treasury indicated that they were concerned by the initial delay in filling posts when the CTPD was established in 2013/14. However, it appeared that most of the vacancies had been filled. The National Treasury also initiated an expenditure and performance review of in-service training to understand how Continuing Professional Teacher Development was being implemented, and to identify the elements of the plan that should be prioritised within current budgets to maximise its impact.

3. Overview and Assessment of Financial Performance

3.1 Overview of Vote 15: Basic Education for 2013/14

Table 1: Allocation vs. Expenditure per Programme, 2012/13 and 2013/14

2013/14

2012/13

Programme

Allocation

(Final Appropriation)

Actual Expenditure

Deviation/ Variance

% Spent

Allocation

Actual Expenditure

Deviation/ Variance

% Spent

R’ 000

Administration

366 914

366 500

414

99.9

322 885

317 328

5 557

98.3

Curriculum Policy, Support and Monitoring

1 471 088

1 469 592

1 496

99.9

1 417 748

1 398 906

18 842

98.7

Teachers, Education Human Resources Development and Institutional Development

1 011 592

1 010 829

763

99.9

863 619

820 577

43 042

95.0

Planning, Information and Assessment

8 995 880

8 435 609

560 271

93.8

8 126 538

6 897 873

1 228 665

84.9

Education Enrichment Services

5 773 781

5 728 564

45 217

99.2

5 473 204

5 451 200

22 004

99.6

Total

17 619 255

17 011 094

608 161

96.5

16 203 994

14 885 884

1 318 110

91.9

3.1.1 Allocation

The main appropriation for the Basic Education Vote increased from R16.2 billion in the 2012/13 financial year to R17.6 billion in 2013/14. The majority of the budget (R13.4 billion) consisted of transfer payments to Conditional Grants (R12.4 billion), Public Entities (R1 billion) and Other Transfers (R16.967 million).

The remainder of the budget (R4.2 billion) consisted of Compensation of Employees (R282.1 million), Examiners and Moderators (R14.7 million), Earmarked Funds (R1.6 billion), Office Accommodation (R149.1 million), Specifically and Exclusively Appropriated funds(R1.96 billion), Departmental Operations ( R149.8 million) and Departmental Projects (R102.1 million).

3.1.2 Virements and shifts

Virements amounting to R106.120 million were made as follows:

· The Department shifted funds from Curriculum Policy Support and Monitoring to other programmes such as Administration (R16.330 million); Teachers, Education Human Resources and Institutional Development (R31.050 million); and Planning Information and Assessment (9 000).

· Shifts were also made from Educational Enrichment Services to other programmes such as Administration (R7.195 Million and R238 000); Curriculum Policy Support and Monitoring (R3.320 million); and Teachers Education Human Resources and Institutional Development (R787 000).

3.2 Spending trends during 2013/14

Overall, the Department spent 96.5 percent of its allocated budget in 2013/14 compared to 91.9 percent in 2012/13. The unspent balance of R608.2 million at the end of 2013/14 is less than in 2012/13, when R1.32 billion was unspent. Table 1 shows that the main contributor to the under-spending is Programme 4 that has consistently under spent in the previous three financial years. With regard to the conditional grants, under-expenditure was reported with respect to the HIV and AIDS and the Technical Secondary Schools Recapitalisation conditional grants which spent 95.4 per cent and 85.1 per cent respectively.

Reasons for deviation in the 2013/14 expenditure were reported as follows:

· Programme 4: Planning, Information and Assessment – The School Infrastructure Backlog indirect grant under-spent the allocated budget as a consequence of the liquidation of contractors which took place in the 2012/13 financial year, resulting in lengthy procurement processes of replacement contractors. Some contracts were terminated due to poor performance.

· Programme 5: Educational Enrichment Services - The under-expenditure was due to transfers withheld for HIV and AIDS conditional grants amounting to R9, 727 million to KwaZulu-Natal province and the Technical Secondary Schools Recapitalisation conditional grant to the Eastern Cape and Limpopo provinces amounting to R34, 607 million due to low spending.

· Compensation of Employees (CoE): Under-expenditure was as a result of vacancies within the Department that were filled later in the financial year.

· Goods and Services: Overspending was due to the number of question papers that were set, they increased from 76 in 2007 to 260 for the National Senior Certificate for each examination cycle, which includes the November and the March supplementary examinations, and an additional 171 question papers for the Senior Certificate May/June examination. Furthermore, given that CAPs is being implemented for the first time in Grade 12 in 2014, exemplar question paper and examination papers guidelines had to be developed for all subjects.

· School Based Assessment (SBA): In strengthening SBA, which was raised in the Annual Quality Assurance Reports of Umalusi for the past 3 years, as a serious risk to the credibility of the NSC, National moderation of SBA was conducted across all nine Provincial Education Departments in seven key subjects.

3.3 Report of the Auditor-General (A-G)

The Department received an unqualified audit opinion for 2013/14 as in previous years. Emphasis of matters raised by the Auditor-General (A-G) included:

· Restatement of corresponding figures: Corresponding figures reported at 31 March 2013 had been restated as a result of an error discovered during the year ending 31 March 2014, and for the year ending, 31 March 2013.

· Material under-spending of the budget: The budget of Programme 4 was materially under-spent by R560 million. The under-spending was in respect of the School Infrastructure Backlog Grant – ASIDI.

The A-G also drew attention to additional matters including the following:

· Reliability of reported performance information in respect of Programmes 2, 3, 4 and 5: – Regarding Programmes 2 and 4, the A-G found that the Department could not provide sufficient appropriate evidence in support of the information presented. The reported performance information for Programmes 3 and 5 were materially misstated due to the cumulative effect of numerous immaterial uncorrected misstatements in the targets relevant to these Programmes. The A-G found that this was because the validity of reported achievements against source documentation was not adequately reviewed during the quarterly evaluation of the performance report submitted to the Monitoring and Evaluation Unit.

· Material non-compliance with legislation was reported as follows:

o Strategic planning and performance management: The Accounting officer did not ensure that the Department upheld and maintained an effective, efficient and transparent system of internal control regarding performance management, as required by the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA).

o Annual financial statements: The financial statements submitted for auditing were not prepared in accordance with the requirements of the PFMA. Areas identified by the auditors in the financial statements submitted were subsequently corrected and the supporting records provided. However, uncorrected material misstatements and supporting records that could not be provided resulted in material findings on the annual performance report.

o Expenditure management: The accounting officer did not take effective steps to prevent irregular expenditure which amounted to R913.6 million, as required by section 38(1) (c) (ii) of the PFMA. This mainly related to the infrastructure programme.

o Transfer payments: The Department did not ensure that transfers and subsidies to the National Student Financial Scheme were applied for their intended purposes, in line with treasury regulations.

o Procurement and contract management: Invitations for competitive bidding were not always advertised for the required minimum period of 21 days, as required by treasury regulations. Quotations were accepted from bidders who did not declare as to whether they were employed by the state or connected to persons employed by the state, as required by treasury regulations.

o Human resource management: The A-G found that employees were appointed without following due process to verify the claims made in their applications, contrary to public service regulations.

o Governance: The accounting officer did not ensure that the internal audit unit was adequately resourced, particularly with regard to the necessary technical skills required to perform an audit of the infrastructure programme.

· A-G’s recommendations

The A-G highlighted the following recommended actions for the Department and its entities:

· The Implementation of Action Plans prepared to address internal and external audit findings should be enforced to prevent a re-occurrence of matters previously reported.

· Each staff member in the Department should be held accountable to deliver on their roles and responsibilities through the performance management system. There should be a process of consequence management for poor / non-performers. This should be incorporated into the 2014/15 performance reviews.

· The Department should ensure that for all reported achievements for the financial year, these could be easily linked the relevant documentation. Where the department relies on information from provincial departments of education (PDEs) for the achievements reported on, the department their monitoring and evaluation unit and responsible Branches should carry out verification checks to ensure that the information supplied by the relevant PDEs is a true reflection. Improvement in controls due to poor record-keeping by directorates to maintain adequate supporting documentation in respect of their performance measures must be implemented. The monitoring and evaluation directorate must also review the current resources available against what is required to accurately review the documentation.

· Leadership oversight during all phases of the infrastructure delivery process should be strengthened. This will need to be performed by suitably skilled officials to ensure compliance with the requirements of the signed Memoranda of Agreements with Implementing Agents. The extent of resources required to fulfil these oversight responsibilities should be carefully considered.

· Improvements in the project management of internal audits planned to ensure the timing and extent of resources required should be allocated to prioritise significant risks impacting the department (e.g. infrastructure, pre-determined objectives, compliance reviews, etc.).

The DBE previously reported to the Portfolio Committee the following key initiatives to prevent a repeat of under- spending on the part of ASIDI:

· Additional Implementing Agents had been awarded and contracts tightened to include penalties for non-performance by Implementing Agents (IAs).

· The number of projects awarded to a single service provider had been limited to a maximum of five to a contractor and 10 to PSP in order to mitigate the risks associated with termination and/or poor performance.

· The DBE had recruited additional internal capacity to ensure efficient management of the programme.

· The DBE was focusing on putting more controls in place to ensure yet another unqualified audit in future years.

4. Financial Performance for the First Quarter 2014/15, DBE

4.1 Analysis of the First Quarter Expenditure Report for 2014/15 Financial Year

The allocation against the Actual Expenditure per programme for the 2014/15 Financial Year was as follows :

PROGRAMMES

2013/14

Expenditure as % of Adjusted Appropriation

FINAL APROPRIATION

ACTUAL EXPENDITURE

VARIANCE

R’000

R’000

R’000

Administration

335 580

87 275

248 305

26.0%

Curriculum Policy, Support and Monitoring

1 523 621

40 964

1 482 657

2.7%

Teachers, Education Human Resources Development and Institutional Development

984 697

934 115

50 582

94.9%

Planning, Information and Assessment

8 988 995

2 092 732

6 896 263

23.3%

Educational Enrichment Services

5 759 012

1 837 445

3 921 567

31.9%

Total

17 591 905

4 992 531

12 599 374

28.4%

The allocation against the Actual Expenditure per item for the 2013/14 Financial Year was as follows :

ECONOMIC CLASSIFICATION

2013/14

Expenditure as % of Adjusted Appropriation

FINAL APPROPRIATION

ACTUAL EXPENDITURE

VARIANCE

R’000

R’000

R’000

Compensation of Employees

389 366

88 136

301 230

22.7%

Goods and Services

1 880 379

128 061

1 752 318

6.8%

Transfers and Subsidies

13 372 051

4 625 227

8 746 824

34.6%

Payment for Capital Assets

1 950 109

151 107

1 799 002

7.8%

Total

17 591 905

4 992 531

12 599 374

28.4%

4.2 Expenditure Trends

The total Final Appropriation budget of the Department for the 2014/15 financial year amounts to R19 680.146 million which represented a nominal increase of R2.1 billion, or 11.7 percent, from 2013/14. The majority of the budget (R14 267.387 million) consisted of transfer payments as follows:

· Conditional Grants: R13 169.549 million;

· Transfers to Public Entities: R1 054 853 million; and

· Other Transfers: R42.985 million.

The remainder of the budget (R5 413.759 million) consisted of the following:

  • Compensation of Employees: R292.253 million;
  • Examiners and Moderators: R19.546 million;
  • Earmarked Funds: R1 781.946 million;
  • Office Accommodation: R158.813 million;
  • Specifically and Exclusively Appropriated: R2 938.503 million;
  • Departmental Operations: R127.299 million; and
  • Departmental Projects: R71.092 million

The total actual expenditure of the Department for the 2014/15 financial year first quarter amounted to R6 011.267 million or 30.5 percent of the available budget. With the exception of Programme 2, expenditure was largely on track.

4.2.1 Programme One: Administration (25.6 percent) - Expenditure on Programme One was R88.8 million or 25.6 percent compared to spending of R87.3 million, when compared to the same period in 2012/13. The increase was primarily due to additional spending on goods and services.

4.2.2 Programme Two: Curriculum Policy, Support and Monitoring (7.9 percent) - The spending on this Programme at the end of the first quarter was R154.3 million or 7.9 percent, the majority of which was spent on goods and services and compensation of employees. The low spending in this Programme was attributed mainly to the delays in the start of the Kha Ri Gude Mass Literacy programme due to procurements processes which could not be finalized on time. The under-expenditure was also attributed to the earmarked fund for Workbooks. Campaign and Workbooks. The Department explained that the spending on these earmarked funds normally takes place in the second and third quarter of the financial year.

4.2.3 Programme Three: Teachers, Education Human Resources and Institutional Development (80.4 percent) – Expenditure under this Programme to the end of the first quarter was R1.02 billion, the bulk of which was spent on compensation of employees and goods and services. T he high spending in this Programme was in respect of the once off transfer to NSFAS for Funza Lushaka Bursaries, which was made in April 2014.

4.2.4 Programme Four: Planning, Information and Assessment (27.7 percent) - With regard to Programme Four, the bulk of the allocation was in respect of payment of the ASIDI project. Expenditure at the end of the first quarter was at 27.7 percent compared to 23.3 per cent in the previous financial year.

4.2.5 Programme Five: Educational Enrichment Services (32.7 percent) - Expenditure in this Programme was 32.7 percent of the available budget at the end of the first quarter, the majority of which was spent on compensation of employees.

Overall, except for Programme Two which is significantly under spent, expenditure of the Department per Programme at the end of the first quarter was on track. However, the School Infrastructure Backlog Indirect Grant in Programme 4 experienced slow spending in respect of payments for the ASIDI project. This is attributed to the slow submission of invoices by implementing agencies. The problem in relation to the ASIDI project has persisted since project inception in 2011/12.

The Department reported that its administrative and financial systems were in place. Furthermore expenditure was monitored on a monthly basis and responsibility managers were requested to provide reasons if the progress on projects was not satisfactory.

4.3 Overview and Assessment of Service Delivery Performance

4.3.1 Service delivery performance for 2013/14

The Annual Performance Plan summarises the priorities of the DBE as aligned to the Delivery Agreement of OUTCOME 1 : Improving the quality of Basic Education and the Action Plan to 2014: Towards the Realisation of Schooling 2025 . The total number of targets for all DBE programmes was 57, consisting of 52 annual targets (91 percent), two quarterly targets (4 percent), and three bi-annual targets (5 percent).

a) Programme One: Administration - The Administration Programme is responsible for the management of the Department and the provision of strategic and administrative support services.

Programme One Targeted Outputs vs. Actual Output for 2013/14

Within this programme, targets were achieved or exceeded in all seven performance indicators, compared to targets met in all six performance indicators in 2013/14:

· Of a targeted 300 officials (out of 758) participating in staff development activities, a total of 359 officials attended staff development activities. A positive variance of 59 had been achieved.

· Of a targeted 60 internships implemented for unemployed graduates for the financial year, the Department achieved 63 internships for the financial year.

· All Senior Management Service (SMS) members signed financial disclosure statement forms within the stipulated time, as targeted.

· The target of finalising and submitting timeously to the DPME, self-assessments through the Management Performance Assessment Tool (MPAT) for the 2013/14 cycle was also met.

· In addition, the Department was able to meet the target of compiling two reports highlighting South Africa’s role and participation in multilateral bodies and international affairs in educational activities.

· A performance information capacity management strategy was developed.

b) Programme Two: Curriculum Policy, Support and Monitoring - The purpose of Programme Two is to develop curriculum and assessment policies and to monitor and support their implementation.

Programme Two Targeted Outputs vs. Actual Output for 2013/14

Within this programme, targets were reportedly fully achieved in 16 of 21 of the performance indicators, while in five indicators the Department reported that 50 per cent or more of the target had been realized, supported by credible evidence. Targets that were fully achieved include the following:

· The Department targeted the completion of the audit of E-education, which was completed.

· The Department aimed to orientate 3 000 subject advisors and other teaching professionals in the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS). A total of 4 073 teaching professionals were oriented in the CAPS, giving a positive variance of 1 073 achieved.

· The Department aimed to train 200 district officials and teachers in multi-grade teaching in all provinces in 2013 (through a nationally funded intervention). In this regard, the Department exceeded its target and trained 331 district officials and teachers.

· The Department exceeded its set target of 74 per cent of learners who obtain a National Senior Certificate (NSC) by obtaining 78.2 per cent in the January results and 80.2 per cent after supplementary examinations.

· The Department reported meeting the set target of 97 to 100 per cent of the distribution to schools of ordered workbooks for Grades 3, 6 and 9.

· The Department aimed to develop different exemplars and other tools to support ANA and NSC preparations for 2013 and has met its targets.

· The target for the number of Braille workbooks distributed to learners with visual impairments was 5 000. The Department reported that 10 430 were distributed.

· The Department aimed to conduct an audit of special schools to determine the utilization of assistive devices, which was conducted in all schools for the blind.

· The Department also met the target for the number of qualified ECD practitioners in public Grade R classes.

The five targets that were not fully achieved related to the introduction of Mind the Gap titles to be introduced for Grade 12 learning resource supplements in 2013; the distribution of Grade 12 Siyavula Mathematics and Physical textbooks; and, the number of learners enrolled in the Kha Ri Gude programme.

c) Programme 3: Teachers

Programme Three Targeted Outputs vs. Actual Output for 2013/14

This programme achieved targets in seven of the 10 performance indicators as follows:

· The Department set a target to develop a user-friendly guide to available professional development programmes to be available on its website with 250 offerings. The Department was able to achieve 314 offerings covering 33 fields of study.

· The target for the n umber of qualified teachers aged 30 and below entering the Public Service as teachers for the first time during the past year was set at 7 400. The Department only achieved 6 762 teachers.

· The Department was able to award 14 513 bursaries to students enrolled for initial teacher education during the past year against a target of 14 500.

· The percentage of ordinary public schools where the SGB met the minimum criteria in terms of effectiveness as determined through a school monitoring sample survey was set at 52 percent. A total of 2 119 schools were surveyed to determine the effectiveness of SGBs. At least 85 percent of schools met the minimum criteria in terms of effectiveness.

· The Department set a target for the number of public ordinary schools moderated through school-based IQMS evaluations per year at 8000. The Department was able to achieve 9 330.

· The Department had a 50 percent target for principals in ordinary public schools rating the support services of districts as being satisfactory as determined in a sample survey. The target was exceeded and 87 percent was reached.

d) Programme Four Targeted Outputs vs. Actual Output for 2013/14

Within this programme, targets were achieved or exceeded in 13 of the 14 performance indicators in 2013/14:

· In respect of the provision of valid and reliable data on learner performance in the ANA to improve the quality of basic education, the Department was able to distribute the national report on ANA 2013 results to the nine provinces and 81 districts. The report was officially released by the Minister to the general public and the PEDs on 5 December 2013.

· Regarding the provision of valid and reliable data on learner performance in the NSC examinations that would support the improvement of the quality of basic education, the Department set a target of four national exam reports on learner performance in Grade 12 be released: Technical Report; detailed Schools Statistics Report; Diagnostic Report in selected subjects; and Report on School Statistics indicating three years’ performance in selected subjects. All four reports were produced in December 2013 and released in January 2014.

· In respect of the number of exemplars developed in key subjects for the implementation of CAPS, the Department was able to set exemplars nine selected subjects and released to PEDs for printing and distribution to all schools. It was envisaged that these exemplars would assist teachers with the implementation of CAPS-related assessments.

· The Department conducted a pilot study in selected districts where ANA results were analysed to inform support and improvement programmes for schools. The pilot study report had been compiled and was available.

· The target for the number of schools built and completed under the ASIDI project was 140 and was not met. The Department completed 36 schools in 2013/14. Cumulatively 53 schools had been completed to date.

· The target for the percentage of 7 to 15-year-olds attending education institutions was 98.7 percent. The Department achieved 98.8 percent.

· The target for the percentage of children who turned 9 in the previous year who were currently enrolled in Grade 4 (or a higher grade) was 64 percent. The Department was able to achieve 82.8 percent.

· The target set for the percentage of children who turned 12 in the previous year who were currently enrolled in Grade 7 (or a higher grade) was 51 percent. The Department was able to achieve 70.1 percent.

· The target for the percentage of Grade 1 learners who received formal Grade R according to a school monitoring sample survey was set at 87 percent. The Department achieved a total of 93.9 percent.

· The target for the number of schools benefitting from the Adopt-a-School programme linked to the Nedlac Accord on Basic Education (under the auspices of the QLTC) was set at 375. The Department reached a total of 387 schools

· In respect of the release of the NEEDU Report, the Minister released the NEEDU National Report on the State of Literacy Teaching and Learning in the Foundation Phase on 2 May 2013.

e) Programme Five Targeted Outputs vs. Actual Output for 2013/14

In this programme, three of the five set targets were fully met.

· Regarding the number of learners benefitting from the ISHP, the Department had a quarter two target of 375 000 and a quarter four target of 375 000. Data received from the Department of Health showed a total of 614 767 for quarters one to three.

· The Department set a target in respect of the Number of learners that were provided with meals in the NSNP at 8 700 000 and achieved a total of 8 827 419 in Quintile 1 – 3 only.

· The Department developed a system for capturing information on choral and sport participation in the DBE. This target was reached and being implemented.

· The number of learners participating in DBE-organised activities on citizenship, rights and responsibilities and constitutional values was set at 2 000 and the Department was able to reach a total of 1 963 learners.

· The Department set a target for the number of public ordinary schools participating in Spelling Bees to support reading initiatives at 250 and was able to achieve a total of 259 schools.

The achievement of the planned targets as outlined above should be considered in the context of the material findings on the reliability of the reported performance information highlighted in the A-G’s report.

5. Consideration of other service delivery performance findings

5.1 A summary of key service delivery issues from oversight visit reports

5.1.1 Oversight visit to the Eastern Cape

The fourth Parliament Portfolio Committee conducted oversight visits to underperforming districts in the Eastern Cape from 28 – 31 January 2014. The purpose of the oversight was to assess the state of school readiness for 2014 in these districts. The framework for the visits was guided by key interventions and priorities set out in major government plans to ensure that enabling conditions for quality teaching and learning are established. In this regard, the Portfolio Committee focused on critical areas such as the state of the school environment; the supply and training of teachers; readiness to implement the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) with emphasis on the Intermediate Phase; the state of admission and registration of learners; the delivery of textbooks, workbooks and stationery; the functionality of school governance and management bodies; and, the availability of learner transport and school nutrition to qualifying learners. The following section summarises critical findings that emerged:

a) Improvement in the delivery of LTSM – Despite considerable strides the province was making in the delivery of LTSM, several schools visited experienced shortages and in some cases oversupply of textbooks, mainly due to changes in learner enrolment. Encouragingly, the Department reported that it was doing mop up operations to identify and deliver outstanding textbooks. The retrieval of textbooks was at a low level in several schools.

b) Post-provisioning challenges - As in 2013, p ost-provisioning remained a major challenge. A number of schools visited experienced shortages of teachers or lacked qualified teachers in gateway subjects, despite the availability of Funza Lushaka bursars, which raised the province’s capacity to manage the policy of Post-Provisioning Norms (PPN). Further challenges in post provisioning related to the movement of teachers additional to the post establishment and temporary teachers being made permanent. The Committee recommended that the Eastern Cape Department of Education deal with the issue of vacancies as a matter of urgency.

While the Department conducted workshops with Provinces on the implementation of the Strategy designed to streamline the recruitment and placement processes of teachers to

achieve efficiency and effectiveness, as reported elsewhere in this report, to date the Eastern

Cape still faces post provisioning challenges. It could thus be recommended that the DBE

should intensify its support to the Eastern Province to ensure that post provisioning challenges

in the province are resolved.

c) Learner transport : The Committee also found that not all deserving learners were benefiting from learner transport. The Committee’s oversight visit to other provinces suggests that this is a common challenge that requires attention.

d) Data credibility : Another challenge facing the Provincial Department was that of accurate records of numbers. There was an urgent need to address the inefficiencies in the system as data could not be verified.

e) Infrastructure : Some schools experienced infrastructure backlog which included the poor

state of the school buildings, inadequate basic facilities such as the water supply, sanitation, security fencing and electricity as well as a shortage of classrooms, laboratories and libraries. There was also a shortage of furniture for learners, particularly chairs, a matter which needed to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

f) Support to schools : In respect of strategies to improve learner performance, it was found that several schools were not utilising their ANA results as a diagnostic tool to improve their performance. In a few cases, schools did not have a record of their ANA results.

In terms of the realignment and rationalisation of schools that was underway in Qumbu District, it seemed that the Province was not prepared since there seemed to be no effective planning in place. From the engagement with schools, circuit and district officials in both districts, it became evident that there was a need for more targeted support to schools.

g) The Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign (QLTC) : The Committee also found that although the Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign (QLTC) was established in several schools, it was ineffective, which compromised efforts to address the challenges of learner discipline and parental involvement.

5.2 Findings of the Management Performance Assessment Tool (MPAT) conducted by the Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME)

The Management Performance Assessment Tool (MPAT) of 2013 assessed the performance of departments in respect of Strategic Management, Governance and Accountability, Human Resource Management and Financial Management. Findings of the MPAT revealed both strengths and weaknesses in the performance of the Department of Basic Education.

5.3 Concluding comments on service delivery

There were notable achievements during the 2013/14 period towards improving the quality of basic education. Important gains made included the improvement of NSC results. The Department’s oversight role became more prominent in improving learner performance, through a number of interventions. Challenges remain with regard to the quality of learner performance. Further notable challenges include teacher development and competence, infrastructure backlogs and imbalances in the supply and demand of competent educators. For the most part of the period under review, challenges were identified in implementing the crucial ASIDI programme that affected the achievement of targets.

Whereas, good progress has been made by the DBE in alignment with targets articulated in the NDP, there is a need for a review of targets, refinement of strategies and institutionalisation of interventions introduced to improve district support and performance, teacher development and performance, learner performance and quality in ECD to ensure increasing meaningful compliance with the NDP implications for the sector.

6. Statutory Bodies

6.1 Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training (Umalusi)

Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training (Umalusi) for 2013/14

Umalusi set and maintained educational standards and assured quality through a combination of processes and interventions. The 2012/2013 quality assurance regime included the following:

§ Evaluation and benchmarking of existing qualifications and curricula (Intended curriculum) and issuing authentic certificates; development of new qualifications and curricula; and

§ Ensuring through external moderation processes that assessments at exit points are of an acceptable standard and that examinations are conducted in a credible manner through verifying the national and provincial monitoring systems (Examined curriculum).

Umalusi ensured that standardisation processes were reliable, consistent and that standardisation decisions were upheld during resulting. The Council also accredited private institutions (schools, FET colleges and Adult Centres) to offer the qualifications Umalusi certified (enacted curriculum). Further, Umalusi accredited private assessment bodies to offer/assess the qualifications Umalusi certified and monitoring of public assessment bodies.

The Portfolio Committee was briefed on aspects of the following Units with role, functions and current status of performance areas from April 2013 – March 2014 as follows:

6.1.1 Qualifications, Curriculum and Certification Unit (QCC) – The GFETQSF was gazetted by SAQA in August 2013. The National Senior Certificate for Adults (NASCA) was registered on the NQF in December 2013. Umalusi provided guidance in terms of NASCA curriculum development. The General Education and Training Certificate (GETCA) was published for public comment to replace GETC: ABET. Policies regarding the management of qualifications, curricula and certifications was also reviewed by Umalusi. Further, the Department of Basic Education was implementing the CAPS and Umalusi was currently analyzing the changes made to the curricula and the standard of assessment. In respect of the curriculum evaluation and benchmarking, Umalusi was undertaking a longitudinal study across the four phases of schooling on CAPS as per plan. The FET CAPS project prioritized with 15 subjects analyzed and benchmarked. Reports were being finalized for publication and dissemination.

In respect of certification, Umalusi developed and enhanced the system. The certification for all qualifications was undertaken as data was submitted. Verification was undertaken as per service level agreements.

6.1.2 Quality Assurance of Assessment Unit (QAA) – The exterior moderation of question papers were completed as per plan. Reports were submitted to the Ministers of Basic Education and Higher Education and Training on all 2013 exams. Umalusi also completed the moderation of marking as planned with reports to both Ministers on all 2013 exams. All internal assessments were moderated and the verification monitoring conduct of exams were monitored as planned. All monitoring of marking exams and standardisation was completed as planned.

6.1.3 Evaluation and Accreditation Unit (E&A) – All new accreditation processes were opened for Independent Schools, FET Colleges and AET Centres and completed as planned. Regarding site visits, there were none for Independent Schools due to the transition from old to new accreditation processes. Umalusi monitored the Independent Examination Board (IEB) for continued accreditation to assess the NSC. SACAI was also monitored for continued provisional accreditation to assess the NSC in the pilot exams in 2013.

6.1.4 Statistical Information and Research Unit (SIR) – Umalusi finalised the following reports:

· A comparative report on the education landscape of the countries in the Southern African Association for Educational Assessment;

· Making educational judgments 2; and

· National Senior Certificate matriculation results as predictors of academic success in higher education; and

· Umalusi published the following reports:

o Re-thinking ABET and community education – some thoughts on curriculum issues for adults.

o The Future of Rural Education: Research and Teaching;

o Towards a construct for assessing high level language ability in the National Senior Certificate examinations.

6.1.5 Governance and Office of the Chief Executive Officer – In respect of the Strategic and Annual Performance Plans, Umalusi developed a new planning cycle and organisational reports published as required. The policies were developed and implemented after Council approval. Umalusi continued performance evaluation and monitoring on a quarterly basis. Umalusi maintained organizational governance through council meetings, support to committees and rendering of services. Umalusi also implemented its PR Communication Strategy as planned. Umalusi also forged and maintained relationships with political structures, DBE, DHET and other statutory and quality assurance bodies.

6.1.6 Finance, HRD and Administration Support – Umalusi received an unqualified audit – the history of organization. All creditors were paid within 30 days with any surpluses invested at CPD. Umalusi also ensured that all assets were registered and labeled. The internal renovations to the building was successful despite space constraints, therefore Umalusi requested for the purchase of additional premises next door. The development of staff was a priority with greater budget demands for 2013/14 and beyond.

6.1.7 Financial Performance for 2013/14

Revenue

Amount

Certification, verification and accreditation

20 613 614

Department of Basic Education Grant

97 662 000

Interest and other income

2 857 505

Total Income

R 121 133 119

Expenditure

101 529 647

Surplus

R 19 603 472

The surplus was due to:

• Increased accreditation applications;

• Private FET college fee collections increased;

• Interest income form reserves still not expended; and

• Reduced expenditure due to approval of posts to be filled over two financial years

Financial Position for 2013/14

Assets

37 640 497

• Property & equipment

37 485 127

• Intangible assets

155 370

Current Assets

50 924 402

• Trade & other receivables

4 186 696

• Cash & cash equivalents

46 737 706

TOTAL ASSETS

R 88 564 899

Equity

73 689 836

• Accumulated surplus

65 493 214

• Revaluation reserve

8 196 622

Liabilities

14 875 063

• Trade & other payables

9 578 740

• Provisions

5 296 323

TOTAL EQUITY & LIABILITIES

R 88 564 899

Umalusi 3 Year Forecast

2014/15

2015/16

2016/17

2017/18

R 134 808 098

R 151 523 147

R 173 409 843

R 193 296 806

R 107 354 000

Shortfall-------→

R 112 705 000

R 16 884 016

R 118 678 000

R 33 836 343

R 124 612 000

R 42 361 804

Budgets were expected to increase by CPI, but in Umalusi’s case true inflation costs like travel, accommodation, flights, etc. were way above CPI.

Y/Y Percentage Increase

22%

12%

14%

11%

10%

5%

5%

5%

Umalusi highlighted some of the current issues and the way forward as follows:

· Implementation of the GFETQSF (new qualifications and implications for QA processes, curriculum development , different interpretations of mandate, scope of the sub-framework);

· Setting standards for the GFETQSF (Norm referenced to Criterion referenced – use of IRT);

· New accreditation processes – roll-out; and

· Budget requirements in the years going forward i.t.o. grant.

6.1.8 Portfolio Committee Observations

· The Portfolio Committee was unanimous in their appreciation and praise for Umalusi having received yet another clean audit.

· The Portfolio Committee queried the accreditation of the National Senior Certificate and its alignment with the various other assessments done – there seemed to be very little alignment.

· The Portfolio Committee queried how the research of Umalusi on English First Additional Language tide-up with the Research by the Ministerial Committees (this was highlighted as being at too low a level).

· The Portfolio Committee was interested in the views expressed by Umalusi on the issues of competency tests for markers.

· The Portfolio Committee expressed concern over the readiness of some provinces for the National Senior Certificate Examinations for 2014, especially in the Eastern Cape and Limpopo who were reportedly experiencing challenges in respect of the availability of resources, staff shortages and procurement of materials and equipment. Umalusi had reported their findings to the Department of Basic Education for interventions.

· The Portfolio Committee queried how the Standardisation Committee was composed, the criteria for selection and qualification of those elected to the Committee.

· The Portfolio Committee was interested in measures to ensure the authenticity of certification and qualifications of foreign educators. Umalusi assured the Committee that such measures were in place.

· The Portfolio Committee was concerned over the decisions in respect of the withdrawal of the provision of Language Compensation after the next examinations. There was a view that Umalusi was in agreement with such a withdrawal whereas DBE felt differently.

6.1.9 Portfolio Committee Recommendations

· Umalusi supplied the Portfolio Committee with further information and detail on the National Senior Certificate for Adults (NASCA), especially in respect of implementation and administration.

· Umalusi and the Department needed to supply the Portfolio Committee with an update on the challenges in the in the Eastern Cape and Limpopo in respect of the readiness for the National Senior Certificate exams.

· The Portfolio Committee requested Umalusi to give the necessary assistance to parents to avoid learners registering at non-accredited institutions and register learners at accredited institutions. Members requested that Umalusi supply the Committee with a detailed list of all private institutions registered with Umalusi.

· Further engagements between all stakeholders and the Portfolio Committee needed to be arranged to discuss the decisions in respect of the withdrawal of the provision of Language Compensation after the next examinations. There were divergent views amongst all on the issue.

6.2 Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC)

Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) Annual Report 2013/14

The strategic outcome-oriented goals of the ELRC were as follows:

· Goal 1 - Research and monitoring and evaluation activities provided an evidence base for improved policies and policy implementation in basic education. Here two issues were identified for research: Early Childhood and Development (ECD) Practitioners and violence in South African schools.

· Goal 2 - Equal importance was attached to proactive dispute prevention and dispute resolution. This involved dispute prevention committees/task teams. An example was the facilitation in the Eastern Cape.

· Goal 3 - Collective bargaining processes maximised the scope of the parties’ shared interest. Unfortunately, this goal was not achieved.

· Goal 4 - Provide appropriate support and training for all involved in dispute resolution and collective bargaining. The ELRC provided training for Panellists and Dispute Resolution Practitioners.

· Goal 5 - Sound communication strategies, special initiatives and campaigns supported and complemented the core activities of the Council e.g. new marketing strategies and improved participation in education exhibitions

The ELRC spoke to the Service Delivery Environment with an emphasis on the focus areas for 2014/15, which included Dispute Management Services as well as Collective Bargaining Services. The Portfolio Committee was appraised of the Organisational Environment as well as the Policy Development and Legislative Changes. Regarding the performance information for the various programmes, the Portfolio Committee was briefed on the strategic objectives, planned targets for 2013/14 and actual achievement for 2013/14 as follows:

6.2.1 Dispute Management Services – In respect of referrals, 776 disputes were received which were predominantly related to ULP (Promotion and Appointments). Of these, 506 were in jurisdiction, 249 out of jurisdiction and 21 determination through condonation. The Portfolio Committee received an overview of the referrals per province with the Eastern Cape having the most referrals (168) and the Northern Cape the least (15). Ms Foca touched on the strategy to overcome areas of underperformance as follows:

• Increasing the panel of Conciliators, Arbitrators and Interpreters;

• Having a stricter approach when dealing with postponement applications;

• Allowing panelists to award costs in instances of frivolous postponement requests; and

• Continuous training of Dispute Resolution Practitioners and Panelists.

6.2.1.1 Provision of dispute resolution services – The ELRC achieved 91 percent of its target for conciliation s finalised within 30 days from registration of a dispute. On resolution of ordinary arbitrations within 180 days from when conciliation failed, the ELRC achieved 33 percent of its target. The ELRC achieved 29 percent of its target in respect of resolution on promotion arbitration within 120 days from the date that conciliation failed.

6.2.1.2 Resolution of special disputes involving children – The ELRC achieved 73 percent of its target in respect of resolution of arbitration where a child was a victim within 120 days from the date of failed conciliation.

6.2.1.3 Training and Development Services – The ELRC was able to train and develop 231 Dispute Resolution Practitioners and Commissioners.

6.2.2 Collective Bargaining Services – Four provincial Collective Agreements were ratified as well as FETCBU C.A 5 of 2013. The strategy to overcome areas of underperformance included the use of the 2014/15 Annual Performance Plan with a central focus to improve the quality of teaching and learning in public schools.

6.2.2.1 Collective Bargaining – In respect of the concluding of bargaining on identified matters of mutual interest in public education, the ELRC achieved five out of 11.

6.2.2.2 Implementation of Collective Agreements/Policies - The ELRC did not achieve its target in respect of training and advocacy on the implementation of collective agreements.

6.2.2.3 Monitoring and Implementation of Collective Agreements/Policies – Only one out of the targeted four was achieved.

6.2.2.4 Research Services – The target for research on evidence based teacher welfare and national development issues identified was not achieved.

6.2.2.5 Information Sharing – Employee wellness programmes were introduced in all 9 provinces.

6.2.2.6 Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) and Performance Management Development Scheme (PMDS) - A report on the implementation of collective agreements was available for eight provinces (Limpopo was not achieved).

6.2.2.7 Temporary Educators - A report on the extent to which temporary teachers were utilised was available for all nine provinces.

6.2.3 Administration Services – The Finance and Administration Policy and Procedure Manual had been approved with an improved information technology and communication system. The ELRC also had new marketing strategies to create awareness of the Council and its services. In respect of overcoming areas of underperformance, the Council would continue soliciting assistance from the Auditor-General and the Tax Ombudsman with regards to the SARS query. A Supply Chain Management (SCM) unit will be established with the SCM Manager position being filled in the new financial year. Further to this a recognition agreement would be finalised in the 2014/15 financial year upon receipt of feedback from trade union.

- Maintaining and improving the finance and administrative systems: No adverse impact on the operations

- Procuring goods and services within policies and guidelines – No major disruption to operations

- Maintaining good labour relations – Zero grievances

- Training and development – 100 percent competent

- Ensuring a healthy and safe work environment – one injury reported

- Providing reliable information technology and communication systems – no interruptions to the system were evident.

6.2.4 Capital Expenditure – No progress was made relating to the refurbishment of the building due to the non-appointment of a Project Manager. It was envisaged that the project would commence in the 2014/15 financial year.

6.2.5 Annual Financial Statements

In respect of the Annual Financial Statements, the ELRC had received an unqualified audit opinion.

Financial Performance:

2013/14

R’ 000

2012/13

R’ 000

2011/12

R’ 000

Total Income

49,360

49,321

49,692

Total Expenditure

46,835

43,904

47,937

Operating Surplus/(Deficit)

2,525

5,417

1,755

Interest Income

5,634

4,946

4,492

Surplus/(Deficit)

8,159

10,363

6,247

Levies Received:

2013/14

2012/13

2011/12

49,298

49,319

49,693

Number of Contributors

410,816

410,991

414,104

Expenditure Vs. Budget:

Actual 2013/14

Budget 2013/14

Difference 2013/14

Actual % 2013/14

Administration Services

15,672

20,188

(4,516)

78%

Dispute Management Services

7,931

9,201

(1,270)

86%

Collective Bargaining Services

23,231

29,211

(5,980)

80%

Total

46,834

58,600

(11,766)

80%

In conclusion, the ELRC experienced an improvement in their overall performance in 2013/14 compared to the 2012/13 financial year. Collective Bargaining was an area of concern that the ELRC would address in the following financial year.

6.2.6 Portfolio Committee Observations

· The Portfolio Committee expressed gratitude that there had been labour peace during the year under review and thanked ELRC for their contribution.

· The Portfolio Committee congratulated the ELRC on its unqualified audit report and indicated that this was a marked improvement.

· The Portfolio Committee queried some of the targeted figures presented by ELRC and how they were arrived at.

· The Portfolio Committee was concerned with the low number of educators evaluated on the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) since this evaluation was compulsory for all educators. Similarly for the Performance Management Development Scheme (PMDS).

· The Portfolio Committee showed a keen interest over the possible delisting of the ELRC as a public entity and its impact on the work of the ELRC

· The Portfolio Committee was interested in the type of working relationship between the ELRC and Labour Unions.

· The Portfolio Committee raised concerns regarding the fact that it took the ELRC a full year to appoint a project manager in respect of the building refurbishments.

· The Portfolio Committee wanted to understand the ELRC’s ideal funding model.

· The Portfolio Committee cautioned that AGSA raised the issue of recurring matters needing to be dealt with by the ELRC, an issue that had been recurring for a number of years.

· The Portfolio Committee was of the view that a major area of concern was the co-ordination between the DBE and all entities on a host of programmes and projects.

6.2.7 Portfolio Committee Recommendations

· The ELRC should further engage with the Portfolio Committee on issues relating to the delisting of the ELRC as a public entity and its subsequent impact on the work of the ELRC, within three months of the adoption of this report by the National Assembly.

· The ELRC should provide Parliament with Action Plans to address the A-G’s audit findings, within three weeks of the adoption of this report by the National Assembly.

6.3 South African Council for Educators (SACE)

South African Council for Educators (SACE) Annual Report 2013/14

The South African Council for Educators (SACE) is governed by a new Council, which was inaugurated on 15th August 2013 by the Minister of Basic Education. SACE reported that the Council had functioned less than optimally due to the austere budget caused by savings for the building reserve fund. SACE’s total revenue had been made up mainly of levies from educators amounting to approximately R55 million and a special Government grant of about R10 million. The Council registered 25 314 new educators during the review period, leading to a total of 625 731 to date. SACE employed a stricter vetting regime for incumbents to prevent usage of fraudulent documents and avoid entry into the profession of individuals whose trust with learners was questionable.

The Council received 582 complaints for the current year on top of a backlog of 180 from the previous year. At least 343 cases had been finalised, leaving a balance of 419 cases to be carried over (the low turnover was due to budget constraints). The Professional Development division had picked up momentum, signing over 40 000 school managers for participation in the Continuing Professional Teacher Development (CPTD) system. The Council had endorsed 245 programmes (bringing the total to 495). The Research section has been involved in the following areas:

• International migration of teachers in South Africa;

• Principals’ and Deputy Principals’ needs identification;

• Teacher demand and supply;

• Analysis of misconduct cases; and

• Resource centre and virtual library.

SACE reported that due to the vigilance of Council, The Executive Committee, Finance and Audit Committee’s and efficient administration, SACE’s finances were in order and spending had been kept within the budget. The request for roll over was adequately motivated and procurement was effected as per legislative requirements. All audit findings and recommendations had been followed up.

6.3.1 Registration – SACE registered educators who were professionally qualified by having acquired a minimum three year post matriculation qualification (these are Primary Teachers’ Diploma and Secondary Teachers’ Diploma). S tudents who were studying towards a teaching qualification were allowed to register provisionally until they obtain their qualification. To facilitate matters for them, SACE did an on-site registration at various universities in their final year of study. Due to the complexity of education, SACE found other professionals employed at schools as educators. SACE required to register these under the conditional category. They were allowed to teach for a period of three years, and were expected to study for a formal qualification.

In respect of the r egistration of educators who satisfied registration requirements for professionally qualified educators, SACE was able to register 25 314 educators from a target of 32 000. SACE exceeded its target for the u pdating of registration data with 30 571 (the target being 20 000).

6.3.2 Professional Ethics – All c omplaints received were referred to the Ethics Committee for direction. The Committee makes its recommendation and the necessary steps followed. Should the Ethics Committee recommend that charges be leveled against an educator, a summons is issued against the educator and a hearing is scheduled to take place on the earliest possible date. Most of the disciplinary hearings take the form of peer adjudication. All panel members were trained on issues of law, disciplinary procedures and various other legal processes to enable them to effectively carry out their duties. In the past financial year, the division had seen a sharp increase in the number of reported cases, especially in respect of educators who still apply corporal punishment, abuse learners sexually and educators assaulting one another within the school environment.

The division’s performance for the year under review was severely and negatively affected by the financial allocation for the year 2013/14. The financial situation prevented the division from conducting and finalising as many disciplinary hearings as it had planned to conduct. SACE had reviewed its disciplinary procedures to reduce the time frame allocated to deal with and finalise cases as speedily as possible.

Concluded cases as measured against the number of cases received for the year

- The expected number of cases to be finalised – 450

- The actual number of cases finalised - 343

Educators and stakeholders to be workshopped on the code of professional ethics

- Expected number of educators and stakeholders to be workshopped on the code of professional ethics - 35 000

- Actual number of educators and stakeholders workshopped on the code of professional ethics - 5747.

In respect of overcoming some of the challenges faced, SACE indicated the following:

• Non-finalisation of cases was the lack of cooperation by the parents of abused learners;

• This practice had impacted negatively on operations to such an extent that each year SACE had a considerable number of sexual abuse cases that were being carried over into the next financial year. This was not due to the fact that they could not be closed, but rather that SACE hoped the cases were revived.

• The battle against the abuse of learners could only be won when parents took the responsibility to protect their children and to support the SACE cause.

• Many provincial departments still failed to report matters that had been received, processed and/or finalised by them. SACE would continue to engage with provincial departments of education to realise this purpose.

• Another challenge was clearing the backlogs. SACE had trained a large group of panelists to help with investigations and hearings. A four month turnaround was SACE’s goal.

6.3.3 Professional Development and Research – The CPTD Status Report (2012) raised some issues concerning the lack of SACE offices in provinces. SACE developed a Provincial Presence Concept which was approved by the Council for implementation. Nine SACE CPTD Provincial Coordinator posts were advertised and six appointed by the end of the 2013/14 financial year. The SACE CPTD Provincial Coordinators were working in collaboration with Teacher development / Curriculum directorates in the Provincial Education Departments in terms of implementing and monitoring the implementation of the CPTD Management System.

In respect of CPTD Orientation and sign-up for Principals and Deputy Principals (Target: 40 747), at least 24 305 principals and deputy principals signed-up for the CPTD Management system by the end of the financial year. Since 1 st April, a number of processes were put in place to enhance the principals and deputies participation rate in provinces. Professional Development Portfolio (PDP) guidelines and templates for Principals and Deputy Principals were being utilised.

A total of I64 new provider approval applications were received during the 2013/14 financial year with 99 approved and 65 not approved. There was a higher concentration of providers in Gauteng than in other provinces, with fewer providers as far as the provision for teacher development is concerned. SACE introduced a third category of emerging providers. As a way of strengthening advocacy and provider support, provider sessions were initiated and two provider forums were held in Gauteng and Limpopo provinces by the end of the financial year.

Other CPTD system key achievements for the financial year included:

· CPTD Management System Capacity building / information sharing sessions for 998 office-based educators responsible for supporting educators at all levels;

· Enhanced working relations between SACE and the PEDs, including stakeholders, on the implementation of the CPTD Management System;

· A functional CPTD Information System with a self-service web portal for teachers, schools, providers, and evaluators; and

· Instructional DVD for the CPTD Self-Service Web Portal

· The administration of 12 200 principals and deputy principals needs’ identification survey through the CPTD Orientation and sign-up sessions

6.3.4 Stakeholder Relations - In the past 18 months SACE was to cover most of the provinces and managed to participate in a number of national and international stakeholder events. Stakeholders included Unions, the DBE and other education-related organisations.

SACE was an affiliate member of the African Forum for Teacher Regulatory Authorities (AFTRA) on the continent and South Africa was the only country in the SADC region which had a fully established and operational Council.

The Council would explore the opportunities to broaden its national footprint in the future to ensure that more educators and other stakeholders can be reached. The implementation of this intention would be determined by the availability of the necessary capabilities (both human and financial).

6.3.5 Financial Report

Statements fairly represented the financial position of SACE and the Council received an unqualified report. Underperformance was observed on case management and research objectives. SACE had the necessary corrective measures in place for the current challenges.

SACE total assets increased by 15 percent with cash equivalents increasing by 43 percent (building reserve fund). Included in the current liabilities were R4.7million differed government subsidy, by agreement. Revenue increased by 6 percent (registration fees) – SACE increased registration related fees for SA educators from R60 to R200, Foreign educators from R120 to R400 and the renewal of provisional certificates from R0 to R50. The property in Visagie Street Pretoria was valued at R10.5 million and sold for R9 million, hence a loss on the sale of a non-current asset of R1.5 million. The planned surplus of R13 million was for the purchase of the building. The total equity increased by 16 percent to R73.6 million. The building reserve fund growth was 55 percent (approved surplus from the previous year and planned current year transfers). Net cash from operations decreased by 38 percent with an increase in cash paid to suppliers. Additional plant and equipment was R0.6 million which represented a 67 percent decrease. Total funds at year end was R71 million (43 percent increase).

6.3.6 Portfolio Committee Observations

· The Portfolio Committee congratulated SACE on their unqualified audit report but cautioned the Council in respect of the recurring areas of emphasis that needed attention.

· The Portfolio Committee was concerned that all provinces needed to receive the necessary outreach.

· The Portfolio Committee was further concerned over the withdrawal of various cases since this meant that offending teachers were slipping back into the system.

· The Portfolio Committee was concerned over the verification and authenticity of qualifications of foreign educators. SACE needed to address the matter urgently.

· The Portfolio Committee sought further information and understanding of the utilisation and monitoring of Peer Educators.

· The Portfolio Committee raised a concern that although SACE was able to supply figures for the number of registered educators in the system, they were unable to give an accurate figure for the number of educators, registered and non-registered, in the schooling system in the country. This remained SACE’s core function.

· The Portfolio Committee also sought clarity on the sale and purchase of the SACE buildings. The Portfolio Committee was of the view that a huge loss was incurred in the sale of the old building.

· The Portfolio Committee also raised concerns over the shortage of staff and the necessary funding to implement the necessary process of CPTD. The Portfolio Committee queried as to whether SACE had considered finding alternate sources of funding.

· The Portfolio Committee questioned the activities of World Teachers Day and whether SACE would continue with these celebrations in the future.

6.3.7 Portfolio Committee Recommendations

· That SACE ensured that they were more visible in all nine provinces.

· SACE ensured that all educators were captured and registered at the entry-level.

· In terms of CPTD, that SACE ensured the necessary emphasis on fast-tracking and enhancement of monitoring of CPTD.

· SACE should strengthen coordination with the Department of Basic Education to ensure that all appointments to the education sector are done in conjunction with the registration at SACE.

7. Portfolio Committee Observations

7.1 Department of Basic Education

7.1.1 Technical Issues

· The Portfolio Committee welcomes the quality of information reported in the Annual Report. However, the Committee remains concerned that important sectoral data relating to teacher supply, utilisation and demand that captures factors such as subjects taught, school phases and geographical areas is still unreported, despite the Committee’s request in the previous financial year. The Committee hopes that once teacher profiling is finalized such information will be reported in future Annual Reports, to enable oversight. The Portfolio Committee further advises that the Department reports on quality performance indicators on learning outcomes in the Annual Report.

7.1.2 Governance issues

· The Portfolio Committee commends the Department on continuing to receive an unqualified audit opinion in relation to the management of their finances though they would like to see increased focus on implementing Action Plans to pave the way for the achievement of a clean audit. The Portfolio Committee is concerned with a number of shortcomings as alluded to by the Auditor-General. Specific concerns include the material under-spending of R560 million in respect of the ASIDI programme; persistent restatement of corresponding figures; reliability of reported information in respect of Programmes 2, 3, 4 and 5; as well as compliance issues around: internal control regarding performance management; annual financial statements; expenditure management; transfer payments; procurement and contract management and human resource management.

· The Committee notes from the Department’s first 2013/14 Quarterly Report that the Department has developed an Improvement Plan to strengthen areas of weakness identified in the MPAT assessment for 2013/14 and will require quarterly reports on progress in implementing the Action Plan.

7.1.3 Funding issues

The Portfolio Committee acknowledges the need for fiscal prudence in public spending and appreciates the directive for departments to reprioritise their spending within the existing expenditure ceiling. The Committee notes that, although the Department is committed to reprioritising its existing allocations to accelerate the provision of the ICT in schools, the Department hinted that there may be a need for additional funding for this anchor programme over the medium term, which will require support from the National Treasury. The Portfolio Committee believes that this programme is vital to improve Basic Education, particularly in rural areas.

7.1.4 Performance by Programme

a) Programme 1: Administration

· The Portfolio Committee notes work reported to be in progress to improve the usefulness and reliability of information in respect of predetermined objectives, in response to audit findings of the 2012/13 financial year. These include checking by Branches and verifying reported information in terms of source documentation on a quarterly basis, as well as conducting Branch reviews on a quarterly basis. The Committee believes that the Department is in the right direction but urges it to intensify the implementation of these strategies and others to improve the reliability of performance information. The Committee further expects the Department to effectively implement action plans designed to address underspending and compliance issues highlighted above.

· The Portfolio Committee welcomes strides made in alleviating capacity constraints through the filling of posts at Senior Management Service (SMS) level, which resulted in the reduction of vacancies from 17 (18.7) per cent on 30 September 2013 to 11 (12.1) per cent as at 31 March 2014, as reported in the Annual Report. The Committee further appreciates that the Department made eight further appointments at key Senior Management level, as reported in the Department’s first 2014/15 quarterly report and urges the Department to fast track the filling of all vacancies at this vital level to ensure that the Department’s mandate is effectively carried out.

· The Portfolio Committee raised concerns regarding the slow responses from the DBE and PEDs in respect of recommendations from the Portfolio Committee after oversight visits.

· Members of the Portfolio Committee request that those dealing with the issues around the Minister’s Replies should ensure that these replies are comprehensive and updated.

b) Programme 2: Curriculum Policy, Support and Monitoring

· Once again the Portfolio Committee appreciates improvements/progress made in relation to the Matric results which reached a peak of 78.2 percent in the 2013 end of the year results and 80.8 per cent after supplementary examinations. However, the Committee expects to see significant improvements in the quality of passes in the gateway subjects of Mathematics and Physical science at matric, as well as in literacy and numeracy in the Intermediate Phase and Senior Phase, particularly Grade 9, in line with developmental imperatives of the National Development Plan.

· The Committee appreciates the involvement of the private sector and civil society in the provision of school E-learning and ICT infrastructure and would like to see more entities contributing to the accelerated provision of this crucial priority programme.

· The Committee remains concerned with the low level of the retrieval of textbooks in many schools, as observed during the oversight visit to the Eastern Cape.

c) Programme 3: Teachers, Education Human Resources and Institutional Development

· Although the Committee appreciates that the issue of laptops for educators is now receiving attention from National Treasury, the Committee is concerned that this issue has been on the table for a long period. However, the Committee appreciates that plans are underway to turn the laptop initiative into an effective tool for entrenching Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in teaching and learning. The Committee urges the parties involved to fast track the implementation of this initiative.

Members also queried the allocation per student i.r.o the Funza Lushaka Bursaries, which seems excessive. The Committee urges the Department to investigate if there is value for money.

· The Portfolio Committee notes once again that while strides are being made in ensuring adequate supply of teachers, the system is not meeting the demand. There is a need for improved coordination with the Department of Higher Education and Training to ensure an adequate supply of suitably qualified teachers.

d) Programme 4: Planning, Information and Assessment

· Although the Portfolio Committee notes notable improvements in spending and service delivery regarding the ASIDI programme since 2011, Members remain concerned that the programme still experiences under-spending, including in the first quarter of the new financial year (2014/15), where a slow submission of invoices by implementing agencies was reported. Given that some of the challenges facing infrastructure delivery relate to the poor performance of some contractors and implementing agents, the Committee agrees with the A-G that oversight during all phases of the infrastructure delivery process should be improved to avoid a negative impact on future audit outcomes and delivery. In addition, the Committee agrees with the A-G that it is necessary to ensure that the resources required to perform such an oversight function, particularly with regard to compliance by implementing agents, are made available. The Committee further urges the Department to explore a new system in respect of the appointment of building contractors, as well as to conduct an in-depth investigation of contractor’s track-records. This is particularly important since the infrastructure programme is expected to intensify in line with government priorities in future, including the need to replace all inappropriate school structures by 2016/17.

· The Committee is concerned with the slow pace in resolving the post provisioning challenges experienced in the Eastern Cape, which affects teaching and learning.

· The Committee remains concerned that not all deserving learners are benefiting from learner transport initiatives and urged that the Department of Basic Education strengthen collaboration with the Department of Transport to speedily resolve this challenge.

· The Committee notes that the President during the 2014 State of the Nation Address committed to the delivery of furniture to Eastern Cape schools experiencing a shortage, by the middle of August 2014 and requests a progress report in this regard.

e) Programme 5: Educational Enrichment Services

· Members are concerned with the lack of space and time at schools for sporting facilities and activities for various sporting codes.

· Members raised a concern in respect of the development of ECD practitioners in the various districts. There seemed to be a limit to the amount of practitioners being developed per district.

· The Committee is concerned regarding the lower than expected expenditure on the conditional grants of HIV and AIDS (84 per cent) and the Technical Secondary Schools Recapitalisation (88 per cent) attributed to Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal provinces and urges the Department to take the necessary steps to support provinces to improve spending over these conditional grants.

· Members are concerned with the protection and safety of whistle-blowers and how the Department assists in their safe-guarding.

· Members raised concerns in respect of the management of the National School Nutrition Programme in certain areas.

· The Committee remains concerned with the level of district support to schools in certain areas.

· The Committee remains concerned about the effectiveness and efficiency of the Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign (QLTC) at all levels of the system.

8. Portfolio Committee Recommendations

Based on the observations made above, the Committee requests that the Minister ensures that the Department of Basic Education considers the following recommendations:

· Provide Parliament with Action Plans to address the A-G’s audit findings, within three weeks of the adoption of this report by the National Assembly. The Department is also requested to report quarterly on progress made. The Action Plans should include a focus on how the Department will address challenges around:

o Material underspending of the ASIDI programme;

o Restatement of corresponding figures;

o Supply Chain Management; and

o Material non-compliance with legislation in respect of the issues raised by the A-G.

· Provide Parliament with a remedial programme to effect improvement on the gaps identified by the Management Performance Assessment Tool (MPAT) conducted by the Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation for 2013/14, within two weeks of the adoption of this report. The Department is also requested to report quarterly on progress made.

· Ensure that the long-standing challenge regarding the reliability and veracity of data should be resolved, as well as ensuring that accurate teacher profiles would be completed in all provinces by the set target of 30 November 2014 in order to enable effective human resource planning, recruitment, deployment and utilization, as well as to enable Parliament to conduct its oversight effectively. The Department is requested to give a progress report in this regard on its 2014/15 second and third Quarterly Reports.

· Provide Parliament within two weeks of the adoption of this report, with details of critical areas requiring additional funding in the medium term to fulfil its priorities in line with the National Development Plan.

· Take the necessary steps to strengthen its monitoring systems, ensuring that they include all areas of concurrency.

· Report in future Annual Reports on important sectoral data relating to teacher supply, utilisation and demand that capture factors such as subjects they teach, school phases and geographical areas, to enable Parliament to monitor performance more effectively.

· Together with Provincial Education Departments, improve efficiency in conducting processes linked to the appointment of educators, including the redeployment of educators additional to the post establishments in schools, the conversion of temporary appointments and the placement of Funza Lushaka graduates.

· Improve service delivery and spending in respect of ASIDI to ensure that all inappropriate school structures are replaced by 2016/17 in line with the National Development Plan imperatives.

· Ensure that the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) is well managed.

· Together with provincial education departments, continue to invest, focus on and refine programmes on Inclusive Education, to facilitate progress in this critical area that continues to pose a challenge.

· Together with the Department of Higher Education and Training, ensure that there is an adequate supply of competent teachers.

· Intensify efforts to support affected provinces to resolve post provisioning challenges, particularly the Eastern Cape.

· Ensure that needy learners have access to Special Schools. Teachers in these schools should be adequately trained and developed.

· Continue to accelerate the implementation of e-Education, including ICT Infrastructure at schools as a means to improve learner success.

· Continue to strengthen the communication strategy of the Department, in order to project their image in a positive light.

· Strengthen monitoring of Provincial Education Departments to ensure that they implement policies regarding the retrieval of textbooks in schools.

· Together with Provincial Education Departments, continue to strengthen support to Districts and circuits to ensure that they are accountable and perform their functions effectively.

· Together with the Department of Transport and Provincial Education Departments, take steps to ensure that all deserving learners have access to learner transport.

· Provide Parliament with a progress report on the delivery of furniture to Eastern Cape schools experiencing a shortage, in the second Quarterly Report.

· Together with Provincial Education Departments, take steps to ensure that there is time and space at schools for sporting facilities and activities for various sporting codes.

9. Appreciation

The Portfolio Committee would like to thank the Department of Basic Education and statutory bodies for participation and co-operation in these reviews. The Portfolio Committee also wishes to thank all parties concerned for the progress made thus far and conveys its appreciation to all Members and staff of the Portfolio Committee.

Report to be considered

Documents

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