Cape Town - The national basic education department has encountered much resistance to its intervention plans to turn around the troubled Eastern Cape education department, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said on Tuesday.
"It's a major problem. If the truth be told we have major, major problems in intervening in the Eastern Cape," she told a media briefing at Parliament.
"To the extent that I had, as the minister, to go back to the president and say we are [encountering] resistance from the leadership of the Eastern Cape in terms of Section 100 (b) [of the Constitution]," she said.
The Eastern Cape had not legally contested this section, but had "created a state of paralysis by just not co-operating with the national department" on the section.
"Had it not been because of the president's very busy diary, we were going to go there Friday to meet the whole executive of the Eastern Cape to find out exactly what their issues are," she said.
Myriad problems
The national government announced an intervention in the province in March after a myriad of problems surfaced.
These included the termination of temporary educators' contracts, suspension of scholar transport, non-delivery of textbooks and stationery, poor implementation of the school nutrition programme, and overall poor management of systems.
Also, a strategic leadership vacuum in the province, the organisation's structure and culture, poor financial management systems and a lack of monitoring and evaluation.
After visiting the Eastern Cape in June to assess the state of education, President Jacob Zuma appointed a joint task team in July to help strengthen education in the province.
The team included the ministers of basic education, Motshekga; finance, Pravin Gordhan; justice and constitutional development, Jeff Radebe; higher education, Blade Nzimande; and public service and administration, Richard Baloyi.
It also included MECs for provincial planning and finance, Phumulo Masualle; sport, recreation, arts and culture, Xoliswa Tom; economic development, environmental affairs and tourism, Mcebisi Jonas; local government and traditional affairs, Mlibo Qhoboshiyane; and education, Mandla Makupula.
‘We’re stuck’
Motshekga said she had to go back to Zuma and say "we are stuck with the Eastern Cape, we are not able to do the things we are supposed to be doing in the Eastern Cape, and actually, it has created a very serious problem of parallel structures which in a way is creating some form of parallel systems in the province".
Zuma had to travel abroad on Friday, but it had been agreed that as soon as he returned, "as early as next week we will have to go back to the province to resolve the impasse, but we have an impasse with them in terms of our understandings of Section 100 (b)".
It seemed the province believed Section 100 (b) and 100 (a) "are the same".
"We'll do the same things that we have done in the past. We work with them, produce documents, we leave, they shelve the documents and life continues. We say it can't happen the way it's been happening."
‘Rot goes deep’
For example, a senior official had been sent to the Eastern Cape for almost two years to develop a human resources plan for them. But, after he left, the plan was not implemented.
"... [W]e can't do the same thing the same way and expect to get results, and that's why we want know to send teams into the province, and as I say, we have an impasse with them," Motshekga said.
Section 100 (b) allows the national government to assume full responsibility for the provincial department.
Motshekga said the intervention had revealed "the rot goes deep".
"It's not only in terms of fraud around the supply chain. The 10 schools that we just assessed in the province... we found that... there are schools that have inflated numbers [of pupils].
"So it's not only the principal's salary that gets inflated, it's the money that gets sent to the school. "This school in particular, it means it got R1m extra for kids that are not there.
"Because of the impasse we've not [yet] been able to do anything, we just have the information..." However, the turnaround plan included a school-by-school and teacher-by -teacher head-count to establish the real situation.
"The rot is not only at head office, it's deep up to school level and we have developed a framework and a plan to be able to begin to clean up the system from schools to Bisho," she said.
- SAPA
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Eastern-Cape-education-rot-goes-deep-20110823
Information on South African Education system and public comment!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Dept ready for matric exams 2011-09-22 20:01
Pretoria - A total of 6 540 examination centres will be set up for this year's matric exams, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said on Thursday.
There would be 132 question papers written by 620 266 students. Of these, 512 029 were full-time students, she told reporters in Pretoria.
She said 53 question papers had been adapted for Braille and 45 for deaf pupils.
The exams start on October 24 and finish on December 1.
Marking in eight provinces will start on December 2. In Gauteng, marking will start on November 9 on a staggered basis as exams were being completed.
Marking will take place at 123 marking centres with 35 000 markers.
The minister said her department was fully geared for the national senior certificate exams.
"We can confirm confidently that we're ready to administer a credible NSC examination," she said.
- SAPA
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Politics/Dept-ready-for-matric-exams-20110922
There would be 132 question papers written by 620 266 students. Of these, 512 029 were full-time students, she told reporters in Pretoria.
She said 53 question papers had been adapted for Braille and 45 for deaf pupils.
The exams start on October 24 and finish on December 1.
Marking in eight provinces will start on December 2. In Gauteng, marking will start on November 9 on a staggered basis as exams were being completed.
Marking will take place at 123 marking centres with 35 000 markers.
The minister said her department was fully geared for the national senior certificate exams.
"We can confirm confidently that we're ready to administer a credible NSC examination," she said.
- SAPA
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Politics/Dept-ready-for-matric-exams-20110922
Significant Days
Events
Free State Arts and Culture celebrates International Translation Day, 29 September 2011
Defence briefs media on state of South African Air Force, 30 September 2011
World Trauma Day , 17 October 2012
World Spine Day , 17 October 2012
World Move for Health Day, 10 May 2012
World Mental Health Day , 10 October 2012
National Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Day , 15 October 2012
World Malaria Day , 25 April 2012
World Leprosy Day, 30 January 2012
Partnership against HIV and AIDS Anniversary , 9 October 2012
World Kidney Day, 11 March 2012
World Health Day, 7 April 2012
Mental Illness Awareness Month , 1 October 2012 to 31 October 2012
International Breast Cancer Month , 1 October 2012 to 31 October 2012
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day , 15 June 2012
National Epilepsy Day , 21 June 2012
World Head Injury Day , 20 March 2012
World Haemophilia Day , 17 April 2012
International Day of Innocent Children - Victims of Aggression , 4 June 2012
World Down Syndrome Day , 21 March 2012
Also see future events for this month
Free State Arts and Culture celebrates International Translation Day, 29 September 2011
Defence briefs media on state of South African Air Force, 30 September 2011
World Trauma Day , 17 October 2012
World Spine Day , 17 October 2012
World Move for Health Day, 10 May 2012
World Mental Health Day , 10 October 2012
National Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Day , 15 October 2012
World Malaria Day , 25 April 2012
World Leprosy Day, 30 January 2012
Partnership against HIV and AIDS Anniversary , 9 October 2012
World Kidney Day, 11 March 2012
World Health Day, 7 April 2012
Mental Illness Awareness Month , 1 October 2012 to 31 October 2012
International Breast Cancer Month , 1 October 2012 to 31 October 2012
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day , 15 June 2012
National Epilepsy Day , 21 June 2012
World Head Injury Day , 20 March 2012
World Haemophilia Day , 17 April 2012
International Day of Innocent Children - Victims of Aggression , 4 June 2012
World Down Syndrome Day , 21 March 2012
Also see future events for this month
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
The day is in support of the United Nations International Plan of Action which recognises the significance of abuse and neglect of older adults as a public health and human rights issue.
Throughout the world, senior abuse and neglect is largely under-recognised or treated as an unspoken problem.
Research indicates that public education campaigns like World Elder Abuse Awareness Day are vital for informing people in a growing number of countries about elder abuse and active involvement of the media is central to its success.
Read more on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.
Throughout the world, senior abuse and neglect is largely under-recognised or treated as an unspoken problem.
Research indicates that public education campaigns like World Elder Abuse Awareness Day are vital for informing people in a growing number of countries about elder abuse and active involvement of the media is central to its success.
Read more on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.
International Day of Innocent Children - Victims of Aggression
4 June
The United Nations (UN) International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression is observed on 4 June each year.
The purpose of the day is to acknowledge the pain suffered by children throughout the world who are the victims of physical, mental and emotional abuse. This day affirms the UN's commitment to protect the rights of children.
Read more about International Day of Innocent Children - Victims of Aggression.
The United Nations (UN) International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression is observed on 4 June each year.
The purpose of the day is to acknowledge the pain suffered by children throughout the world who are the victims of physical, mental and emotional abuse. This day affirms the UN's commitment to protect the rights of children.
Read more about International Day of Innocent Children - Victims of Aggression.
Address at the 16th SAOU School Principal Symposium by Mrs Angie Motshekga, Minister of Basic Education, Port Elizabeth
5 Sep 2011
Programme Director
President of South African Teachers' Union (SAOU), Dr Jopie Breed
SAOU members
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen,
It gives me much pleasure to address the 16th SAOU School Principal Symposium. Thank you warmly for inviting us.
On 11 August 2011, I saw a disturbing editorial in The Star, on riots in Britain. The newspaper called it 'a timely riot'. It said the protest was not political. “The rioters had no agenda”.
It blamed the unrest on 'a disaffected criminal fringe made up of people who felt they have no stake in society'. It concluded the burning and looting in the erstwhile colonial empire highlighted 'the dangers posed by economic inequality and a troubled education system.'
Two questions sprung to mind: How does society produce "a disaffected criminal fringe, made up of people who felt they have no stake in society?" and, "does this ring alarm bells for the SAOU Principal Symposium?"
This report came in a year we chose to focus on creating a delivery-driven education system that will help improve quality.
On the same day, 11 August, I attended a conference of primary school principals in Mpumalanga, the lowest performing province. The interaction was framed around the 2011 results of Annual National Assessments (ANA) and an analysis from Basic Education and provincial officials.
Such analysis suggested strongly that invariably principals in the sampled schools left the process of managing ANA almost entirely to Head of Departments (HODs) and teachers.
The analysis concluded that most of the principals could only give generic answers to questions on whether there were specific interventions made to address learning deficiencies that were revealed by the ANA, or not.
These developments bring into sharp focus the work we do as educators, school managers, policy-makers and education authorities. The challenge is for us to say how best to stop the production of disgruntled communities “made up of people who felt they have no stake in society”?
Many would say the best way to tackle social and economic problems would be by providing quality education for all. I spoke at length about quality when I addressed the SAOU Congress two months ago.
Then I said we’re on track to achieve quality in education. Today’s key message is that we can deliver quality education by changing the way we work. It can’t be business as usual.
And thus I chose for today to focus mainly on a pillar of the system without which we cannot have quality education. It comprises school principals and school leadership teams. It is at this level that we need a paradigm shift to ensure schools are transformed into pockets of excellence.
I told SAOU members in June that it is through careful implementation of the Action Plan to 2014: Towards the Realisation of Schooling 2025, that we intend to improve schooling. With the full cooperation of provincial education departments and other role-players, the Action Plan should direct our work towards more focus on quality teaching.
I also reported to you that we have made great strides in reviewing the curriculum and finalising the new Curriculum & Assessment Policy Statements. We said for reasons of quality enhancement, we launched the National Education Evaluation and Development Unit (NEEDU).
NEEDU will provide an independent evaluation of the state of education and the status of teaching and learning in schools.
In June we said there can be no quality in education without quality educators. That’s why we launched a Strategic Planning Framework for Teacher Education and Development. It will help in achieving Output 1 of our Delivery Agreement – improving teacher capacity and practices.
As principals, affiliated to a professional entity like SAOU, key among questions you must ask should be: ‘How best to respond to the notion of “a troubled education system” and research studies on the state of education in South Africa?’
You should be able to say, ‘what is your role as principals in all this?’ And, ‘what is it that you’re going to do differently, to advance the objectives of the New Growth Path?’
In July, government and social partners signed a National Skills Accord as one of the first outcomes of social dialogue on the New Growth Path (Accord 1: National Skills Accord, July 2011). Federation of Unions of South Africa (FEDUSA) was represented by General-Secretary Dennis George. Representatives committed to a “partnership and to combining our efforts in order to strengthen skills development as a crucial pillar of the New Growth Path” (Ibid).
Expanding skills as a platform for creating five million new jobs will not happen without school principals.
In the nine years to 2020, the education system will churn out thousands of learners yearning for more skills and more jobs. The economy will battle to absorb hundreds of young people schools could not retain at least up to Grade 12. In an endorsement of the National Skills Accord, Ms Lulama Nare, a community representative, reminds us that:
“Our economy rewards people with high skills, excluding vast numbers of our population. We must bridge that gap and ensure people have adequate skills to generate livelihoods.”
Of course, if this was apartheid South Africa, we would not worry about equal education and skills development. In 1945 JN Le Roux of the National Party said: “We should not give the natives any academic education. If we do, who is going to do the manual labour in the community?”
The representatives who met to discuss partnerships for achieving five million new jobs, by 2020, identified as one critical challenge: “The need to improve the quality of basic education.”
This was premised on the understanding that: “Performance in the schooling system is at the heart of building the skills base for economic growth and development and ensuring that the society is able to achieve our equity and development goals.”
They signed Accord two on Basic Education and Partnerships with Schools. We must ensure all educators know the contents of this Basic Education Accord, especially school principals.
The Accord commits all parties to endorse a campaign to adopt poorly-performing schools and to “assist such schools to develop proper governance, high standards of teaching, basic school-level discipline and an adequate supply of essentials.”
We can’t do this if one principal was to tell FEDUSA that “you can keep your accord and let me keep my school!”
Our role, with our partners, is “to strengthen basic education in the country as a platform for creating five million new jobs by 2020” (Accord 2).
We need principals for development. They’ll keep us firmly on a path to quality education, ensuring we do not populate the world with “rioters”, with “no agenda”.
This is how best to relate to the Symposium’s theme – “Quality school leadership, a prerequisite for quality education”.
Without quality school leadership, you can forget about quality education, about laying the foundation for skills development, about providing a platform for job-creation.
Quality education is unthinkable without “quality school leadership”.
Commenting on the Basic Education Accord, FEDUSA’s General Secretary, Mr Dennis George, proposed a viable path towards quality learning and teaching:
“We must identify the rotten apples within the system. Ineffective and lazy teachers, corrupt training providers and poorly performing structures must be identified and dealt with.”
We do have challenges. When we talk quality, we do so aware of the need to improve teachers’ working conditions. Our problems have a history. So, they must be appraised in context.
During a visit to South Africa, Robert McNamara, ex-president of the World Bank, said about the state of education in apartheid South Africa in 1982: “I have seen very few countries in the world that have such inadequate educational conditions. I was shocked at what I saw in some of the rural areas and homelands. Education is of fundamental importance. There is no social, political, or economic problem you can solve without adequate education.”
We would not have come this far without partnerships, thus the logic of the Basic Education and the National Skills accords. We value our social partners.
Relationships with social partners are informed by the quest to provide education of progressively high quality to all learners.
This symposium comes at the most opportune time after the release of the ANA results. They confirmed that many learners lack basic literacy skills, including, correct grammar, spelling of commonly used words and basic prepositions. In numeracy, learners were unable to work with two digit numbers.
We know that poverty impacts on learner performance. The results showed another dimension. There are schools in Quintile five whose results are as bad as some in the schools in Quintiles one and two.
The principal is the nerve centre for school improvement. When leadership is strong, even the most challenged schools thrive. But when it is weak, schools fail.
Quality school leaders encourage a focus on improving classroom practices of teachers. Indeed there are virtually no documented instances of troubled schools being turned around without intervention by a strategic leader.
The role of school leaders has changed radically with countries transforming education systems. This is in keeping with the dictates of the 21st Century and its rapid innovations.
We’re moving towards strengthening school leadership and accountability. Among other things, all principals and deputies will be required to enter into performance contracts.
Our department has identified differentiated development needs and interventions for principals and other school leaders, including on-the-job skilling and improving recruitment and selection procedures.
More often, it is principals with dubious or virtually no management and financial skills who render schools ineffective.
In the interest of quality school leadership, we’ve developed two key programmes – the National induction programme for newly-appointed school principals and the National coaching and mentoring programme for school principals.
I challenge SAOU to work even harder to enhance competencies of principals.
Lastly, allow me to remind the Symposium of this commitment we made when we signed the Basic Education Accord: “All parties agree to work together to change the mindset among teachers, learners and parents in order to rebuild dysfunctional parts of the basic education system and ensure quality education delivery for learners, particularly in poorly-performing schools.”
Keep up the good work, and thank you for giving me time to talk with you.
Issued by: Department of Basic Education
5 Sep 2011
http://www.info.gov.za/speech/DynamicAction?pageid=461&sid=21353&tid=41921
Programme Director
President of South African Teachers' Union (SAOU), Dr Jopie Breed
SAOU members
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen,
It gives me much pleasure to address the 16th SAOU School Principal Symposium. Thank you warmly for inviting us.
On 11 August 2011, I saw a disturbing editorial in The Star, on riots in Britain. The newspaper called it 'a timely riot'. It said the protest was not political. “The rioters had no agenda”.
It blamed the unrest on 'a disaffected criminal fringe made up of people who felt they have no stake in society'. It concluded the burning and looting in the erstwhile colonial empire highlighted 'the dangers posed by economic inequality and a troubled education system.'
Two questions sprung to mind: How does society produce "a disaffected criminal fringe, made up of people who felt they have no stake in society?" and, "does this ring alarm bells for the SAOU Principal Symposium?"
This report came in a year we chose to focus on creating a delivery-driven education system that will help improve quality.
On the same day, 11 August, I attended a conference of primary school principals in Mpumalanga, the lowest performing province. The interaction was framed around the 2011 results of Annual National Assessments (ANA) and an analysis from Basic Education and provincial officials.
Such analysis suggested strongly that invariably principals in the sampled schools left the process of managing ANA almost entirely to Head of Departments (HODs) and teachers.
The analysis concluded that most of the principals could only give generic answers to questions on whether there were specific interventions made to address learning deficiencies that were revealed by the ANA, or not.
These developments bring into sharp focus the work we do as educators, school managers, policy-makers and education authorities. The challenge is for us to say how best to stop the production of disgruntled communities “made up of people who felt they have no stake in society”?
Many would say the best way to tackle social and economic problems would be by providing quality education for all. I spoke at length about quality when I addressed the SAOU Congress two months ago.
Then I said we’re on track to achieve quality in education. Today’s key message is that we can deliver quality education by changing the way we work. It can’t be business as usual.
And thus I chose for today to focus mainly on a pillar of the system without which we cannot have quality education. It comprises school principals and school leadership teams. It is at this level that we need a paradigm shift to ensure schools are transformed into pockets of excellence.
I told SAOU members in June that it is through careful implementation of the Action Plan to 2014: Towards the Realisation of Schooling 2025, that we intend to improve schooling. With the full cooperation of provincial education departments and other role-players, the Action Plan should direct our work towards more focus on quality teaching.
I also reported to you that we have made great strides in reviewing the curriculum and finalising the new Curriculum & Assessment Policy Statements. We said for reasons of quality enhancement, we launched the National Education Evaluation and Development Unit (NEEDU).
NEEDU will provide an independent evaluation of the state of education and the status of teaching and learning in schools.
In June we said there can be no quality in education without quality educators. That’s why we launched a Strategic Planning Framework for Teacher Education and Development. It will help in achieving Output 1 of our Delivery Agreement – improving teacher capacity and practices.
As principals, affiliated to a professional entity like SAOU, key among questions you must ask should be: ‘How best to respond to the notion of “a troubled education system” and research studies on the state of education in South Africa?’
You should be able to say, ‘what is your role as principals in all this?’ And, ‘what is it that you’re going to do differently, to advance the objectives of the New Growth Path?’
In July, government and social partners signed a National Skills Accord as one of the first outcomes of social dialogue on the New Growth Path (Accord 1: National Skills Accord, July 2011). Federation of Unions of South Africa (FEDUSA) was represented by General-Secretary Dennis George. Representatives committed to a “partnership and to combining our efforts in order to strengthen skills development as a crucial pillar of the New Growth Path” (Ibid).
Expanding skills as a platform for creating five million new jobs will not happen without school principals.
In the nine years to 2020, the education system will churn out thousands of learners yearning for more skills and more jobs. The economy will battle to absorb hundreds of young people schools could not retain at least up to Grade 12. In an endorsement of the National Skills Accord, Ms Lulama Nare, a community representative, reminds us that:
“Our economy rewards people with high skills, excluding vast numbers of our population. We must bridge that gap and ensure people have adequate skills to generate livelihoods.”
Of course, if this was apartheid South Africa, we would not worry about equal education and skills development. In 1945 JN Le Roux of the National Party said: “We should not give the natives any academic education. If we do, who is going to do the manual labour in the community?”
The representatives who met to discuss partnerships for achieving five million new jobs, by 2020, identified as one critical challenge: “The need to improve the quality of basic education.”
This was premised on the understanding that: “Performance in the schooling system is at the heart of building the skills base for economic growth and development and ensuring that the society is able to achieve our equity and development goals.”
They signed Accord two on Basic Education and Partnerships with Schools. We must ensure all educators know the contents of this Basic Education Accord, especially school principals.
The Accord commits all parties to endorse a campaign to adopt poorly-performing schools and to “assist such schools to develop proper governance, high standards of teaching, basic school-level discipline and an adequate supply of essentials.”
We can’t do this if one principal was to tell FEDUSA that “you can keep your accord and let me keep my school!”
Our role, with our partners, is “to strengthen basic education in the country as a platform for creating five million new jobs by 2020” (Accord 2).
We need principals for development. They’ll keep us firmly on a path to quality education, ensuring we do not populate the world with “rioters”, with “no agenda”.
This is how best to relate to the Symposium’s theme – “Quality school leadership, a prerequisite for quality education”.
Without quality school leadership, you can forget about quality education, about laying the foundation for skills development, about providing a platform for job-creation.
Quality education is unthinkable without “quality school leadership”.
Commenting on the Basic Education Accord, FEDUSA’s General Secretary, Mr Dennis George, proposed a viable path towards quality learning and teaching:
“We must identify the rotten apples within the system. Ineffective and lazy teachers, corrupt training providers and poorly performing structures must be identified and dealt with.”
We do have challenges. When we talk quality, we do so aware of the need to improve teachers’ working conditions. Our problems have a history. So, they must be appraised in context.
During a visit to South Africa, Robert McNamara, ex-president of the World Bank, said about the state of education in apartheid South Africa in 1982: “I have seen very few countries in the world that have such inadequate educational conditions. I was shocked at what I saw in some of the rural areas and homelands. Education is of fundamental importance. There is no social, political, or economic problem you can solve without adequate education.”
We would not have come this far without partnerships, thus the logic of the Basic Education and the National Skills accords. We value our social partners.
Relationships with social partners are informed by the quest to provide education of progressively high quality to all learners.
This symposium comes at the most opportune time after the release of the ANA results. They confirmed that many learners lack basic literacy skills, including, correct grammar, spelling of commonly used words and basic prepositions. In numeracy, learners were unable to work with two digit numbers.
We know that poverty impacts on learner performance. The results showed another dimension. There are schools in Quintile five whose results are as bad as some in the schools in Quintiles one and two.
The principal is the nerve centre for school improvement. When leadership is strong, even the most challenged schools thrive. But when it is weak, schools fail.
Quality school leaders encourage a focus on improving classroom practices of teachers. Indeed there are virtually no documented instances of troubled schools being turned around without intervention by a strategic leader.
The role of school leaders has changed radically with countries transforming education systems. This is in keeping with the dictates of the 21st Century and its rapid innovations.
We’re moving towards strengthening school leadership and accountability. Among other things, all principals and deputies will be required to enter into performance contracts.
Our department has identified differentiated development needs and interventions for principals and other school leaders, including on-the-job skilling and improving recruitment and selection procedures.
More often, it is principals with dubious or virtually no management and financial skills who render schools ineffective.
In the interest of quality school leadership, we’ve developed two key programmes – the National induction programme for newly-appointed school principals and the National coaching and mentoring programme for school principals.
I challenge SAOU to work even harder to enhance competencies of principals.
Lastly, allow me to remind the Symposium of this commitment we made when we signed the Basic Education Accord: “All parties agree to work together to change the mindset among teachers, learners and parents in order to rebuild dysfunctional parts of the basic education system and ensure quality education delivery for learners, particularly in poorly-performing schools.”
Keep up the good work, and thank you for giving me time to talk with you.
Issued by: Department of Basic Education
5 Sep 2011
http://www.info.gov.za/speech/DynamicAction?pageid=461&sid=21353&tid=41921
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Determine Your School Ethos?
Determine Your School Ethos?: This online Tool will help you determine your school's ethos. Answer the questions as best you can. The questions are specifically created to establish
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Response of the Minister of Basic Education, Ms Angie Motshekga, MP, to the recommendations of the Ministerial Committee on the Review of the Implementation of the National Curriculum Statement
29 October 2009
The Minister of Basic Education, Ms Angie Motshekga, has, as a matter of priority, taken steps to investigate the challenges experienced in the implementation of the National Curriculum Statement. In July 2009, the Minister established a task team that consulted widely with teachers and other stakeholders. The Report was presented to the Minister, who, after consultation with senior officials in the Department of Basic Education, will implement those recommendations of the Report that can be put in place immediately, and will incorporate other recommendations into a longer term strategy. The Report is available in the media packs.
The report recommends changes that will relieve teachers and schools of some of the challenges experienced as a result of the current curriculum and assessment policies and leave more time for teaching and learning. The report also recommends targeted support for teachers and schools.
The recommended changes are:
The Minister of Basic Education, Ms Angie Motshekga, has, as a matter of priority, taken steps to investigate the challenges experienced in the implementation of the National Curriculum Statement. In July 2009, the Minister established a task team that consulted widely with teachers and other stakeholders. The Report was presented to the Minister, who, after consultation with senior officials in the Department of Basic Education, will implement those recommendations of the Report that can be put in place immediately, and will incorporate other recommendations into a longer term strategy. The Report is available in the media packs.
The report recommends changes that will relieve teachers and schools of some of the challenges experienced as a result of the current curriculum and assessment policies and leave more time for teaching and learning. The report also recommends targeted support for teachers and schools.
The recommended changes are:
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Online Government Gazette - Provincial Gazette - South Africa
Online Government Gazette - Provincial Gazette - South Africa
Free search and download of up-to-date PDF E-Copies of Official South African Government Gazette, Provincial Gazette, Legal Notices, & Tenders.www.greengazette.co.za/
publication
tender bulletin
patent journal
legal notice
national gazette
regulation gazette
provincial gazette
eastern cape
gauteng
kwazulu natal
limpopo
mpumalanga
north west
northern cape
western cape
KZN Provincial Gazettes and Legislation ONLINE!
KZN Office of the Premier / KZN Law Society
Collaborative Project
KZN Provincial Gazettes and Legislation ONLINE!
Does the State not have a responsibility to make its Provincial Gazettes and Legislation available to its citizens in updated form at no cost?
The State produces the information (Provincial Gazettes and Legislation).
Why, then, should companies in the private sector be given free reign to distribute this information back to the State and its citizens at substantial cost to the State and its citizens?
The Chief Directorate: State Law Advisory Services (CD: SLAS)in the Office of the Premierhas, in the interest of improving service delivery to the citizens of KwaZulu-Natal, formed a strategic partnership with the KwaZulu-Natal Law Societyto make the Provincial Gazettes and Legislation of the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Governmentavailable to the public online and free of charge in the three official languages of the Province (isiZulu, English and Afrikaans).
The CD: SLAS hereby demonstrates its commitment to -
- the mainstreaming and institutionalising of Batho Pele (improved service delivery in a people-centric public service culture) and the KZN Citizens' Charter;
- the concept of multilingualism espoused in section 6 of the Constitution, 1996; and
- the concept of e-Government.
This will also effect savings for the Provincial Government -
- by reducing the number of hard copies of Provincial Gazettes and Legislation which will have to be printed; and
- by reducing postage costs attendant to the mailing of hard copies to subscribers.
"We Belong, We Care, We Serve" (the Batho Pele "belief set")
Acts
Bills
Regulations
Proclamations
Provincial Gazettes 2010
Provincial Gazettes 2009
Provincial Gazettes 2008
Provincial Gazettes 2006
Provincial Gazettes 2005
http://www.lawsoc.co.za/default.asp?id=1753
Bills
Regulations
Proclamations
Provincial Gazettes 2010
Provincial Gazettes 2009
Provincial Gazettes 2008
Provincial Gazettes 2006
Provincial Gazettes 2005
http://www.lawsoc.co.za/default.asp?id=1753
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Provincial Department of Education websites - Search for schools
Search these Provincial Education Department websites for public and private schools in South Africa.
Eastern Cape Education Department http://www.ecdoe.gov.za/schools/
Kwazulu Natal Education Department http://www.kzneducation.gov.za/
Gauteng Education Department http://www.education.gpg.gov.za/
Mpumalanga Education Department http://www.mpumalanga.gov.za/education/
Western Cape Education Department http://wcedemis.wcape.gov.za/wced/findaschool.html
Northern Cape Education Department http://premier.ncpg.gov.za/DoE/
North West Province Education Department http://www.nwpg.gov.za/education/Find_School/index.htm
Limpopo Province Education Department http://www.edu.limpopo.gov.za/viewSchools.aspx
Free State Education Department http://www.fsdoe.fs.gov.za/SchoolFinder/Schoolfinder.aspx
Department of Basic Education SA http://www.education.gov.za/
Provincial Education Department Contact Details
Eastern Cape Education Department http://www.ecdoe.gov.za/schools/
Kwazulu Natal Education Department http://www.kzneducation.gov.za/
Gauteng Education Department http://www.education.gpg.gov.za/
Mpumalanga Education Department http://www.mpumalanga.gov.za/education/
Western Cape Education Department http://wcedemis.wcape.gov.za/wced/findaschool.html
Northern Cape Education Department http://premier.ncpg.gov.za/DoE/
North West Province Education Department http://www.nwpg.gov.za/education/Find_School/index.htm
Limpopo Province Education Department http://www.edu.limpopo.gov.za/viewSchools.aspx
Free State Education Department http://www.fsdoe.fs.gov.za/SchoolFinder/Schoolfinder.aspx
Department of Basic Education SA http://www.education.gov.za/
Provincial Education Department Contact Details
| Eastern Cape | Steve Vukile Tshwete Education Complex, Zone 6, Zwelitsha | |
| Tel. 040 608 4200 | Web. www.ecdoe.gov.za | ||
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| Free State | 55 Elizabeth Street, FS Provincial Government Building, Bloemfontein | |
| Tel. 051 404 8000 | Web. www.fsdoe.fs.gov.za | ||
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| Gauteng | 111 Commissioner Street, Johannesburg | |
| Tel. 011 355 0000 | Web. www.education.gpg.gov.za | ||
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| KwaZulu-Natal | 247 Burger Street, Pietermaritzburg | |
| Tel. 033 846 5000 | Web. www.kzneducation.gov.za | ||
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| Limpopo | Corner 113 Biccard & 24 Excelsior Street, Polokwane | |
| Tel. 015 290 7611 | Web. www.edu.limpopo.gov.za | ||
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| Mpumalanga | Building No. 5, Government Boulevard, Riverside Park, Nelspruit | |
| Tel. 013 766 5000 | Web. www.mpumalanga.gov.za/education | ||
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| North West | 2nd Floor Executive Block, Garona Building, Mmabatho | |
| Tel. 018 387 3312 | Web. www.nwpg.gov.za/education | ||
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| Northern Cape | 09 Hayston Road, Harrison Park, | |
| Tel. 053 830 1600 | Web. http://premier.ncpg.gov.za/DoE/ | ||
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| Western Cape | Grand Central Towers, Cnr Darling and Lower Plein Streets, Cape Town | |
| Tel. 021 467 2000 | Web. http://wced.wcape.gov.za | ||
Private and Public Schools in South Africa
Education in South Africa
South Africa has 12.3-million learners, some 386 600 teachers and 26 292 schools, including 1 098 registered independent or private schools. Of all schools, roughly 6 000 are high schools (grade 7 to grade 12) and the rest primary (grade 0 to grade 6).
In government-funded public schools, the average ratio of scholars (known as "learners" in terms of the country's outcomes-based education system) to teachers ("educators") is 32.6 to one, while private schools generally have one teacher for every 17.5 scholars.
In government-funded public schools, the average ratio of scholars (known as "learners" in terms of the country's outcomes-based education system) to teachers ("educators") is 32.6 to one, while private schools generally have one teacher for every 17.5 scholars.
The national Department of Education is responsible for education across the country as a whole, while each of the nine provinces has its own education department.
The central government provides a national framework for school policy, but administrative responsibility lies with the provinces. Power is further devolved to grass roots level via elected school governing bodies, which have a significant say in the running of their schools.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
south african school contact details
Searching for Schools?
Moving to a new area? Thinking about transferring your child to a new school? Considering a single-sex boys or girls school, boarding school or private school for your child? As a parent, it can be quite a challenge to wade through the mountains of data online trying to find a school in South Africa. Look no further! Schoolguide has combined it all in one place - now you can Search, Compare & Review schools.
http://www.schoolguide.co.za/
Teacher development a ‘collaborative effort’
Any efforts aimed at improving teacher education and development would only be successful if it were a collaborative effort by South Africa’s education stakeholders.
This was the overwhelming message that emerged at the launch of the Integrated Strategic Planning Framework for Teacher Education and Development in South Africa, in Pretoria on Tuesday.
The framework outlines a 15-year roll-out of improved and expanded teacher education and development opportunities with the aim of improving the quality of teaching and learning in schools. It is a collaborative effort of the DBE; the Department of Higher Education and Training; teacher unions; the Education Labour Relations Council; the South African Council for Educators; the Education, Training and Development Practices Sector Education and Training Authority and the Higher Education South African Education Deans’ Forum.
Addressing the launch, Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga said that the competence levels of teachers in subject knowledge and teaching skills is a key variable in the improvement of the schooling system.
minister's budget vote focuses on delivery
The Department of Basic Education will be prioritising the establishment of the high-level Planning and Delivery Oversight Unit to co-ordinate the Department’s delivery process.
This was announced by Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga, MP, during the Minister’s Budget Vote speech in Parliament on Wednesday 13 April.
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The Unit will be tasked with overseeing the Department’s programmes and will work with and through provinces to weave together all the current initiatives so as to allow for a coherent value chain from policy to implementation in the classroom. Full details around the Unit will be released soon.
“The rationale behind the Planning and Delivery Oversight Unit is that as things stand now, we really need a mechanism effectively to unblock bottlenecks to make the current system work better, faster and smarter,” said Minister Motshekga.
Game on for school football leagues
The drive to revitalise South Africa’s school sports sector is gaining momentum with the re-introduction of school sports leagues.
Already three provinces – Mpumalanga, North West and Limpopo – have kicked off the flagship high school football leagues, with the other six provinces set to get underway soon.
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The high school football league is a partnership between Adidas South Africa and the Department of Basic Education and will culminate in a national tournament for both boys and girls in early 2012. Adidas has delivered kit and equipment -- worth more than R1,25 million – for the DBE to distribute to participating schools while Unicef has donated nearly 200 000 footballs to get the ball rolling. Lead SA is also a mobilising partner for the school sports initiative.
South Africa is a football-crazy country, with fanatical supporters and players. On any given day in every corner of the country you will find young people showing off their skills on makeshift pitches. The establishment of the football leagues, and the other leagues which will follow, now offers these young people the opportunity to indulge in their passion in a structured and organised manner.
It is envisaged that the establishment of the various school leagues will not only promote health and wellness of learners but also be a medium to promote curriculum enrichment programmes in all high schools.
Apart from the action on the field, the football leagues will include a variety of competitions for learners and teachers who are participating in the football leagues as well as non-participating learners and teachers. All competitions will be run via Mxit.
Speaking in Parliament during the 2011 Basic Education budget vote, Deputy Minister of Basic Education Enver Surty said the renewed focus on mass participation in sport in schools forms part of the promotion of a healthy life style.
“Through this programme we are aiming to ensure mass participation of all learners in sporting activities at school level. We are reviving the traditional Wednesdays and Fridays school sports leagues as well,” he said.
“It is through this kind of commitment to our youth and through a focussed sports development plan that we will definitely achieve great heights on the international sports arena.”http://www.education.gov.za/Home/SportsLeagues/tabid/630/Default.aspx
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Improving learner achievement in schools: applications of national ...
Kanjee, A. (2007) Improving learner achievement in schools: applications of national assessments in South Africa. In State of the Nation: South Africa 2007. Buhlungu, S., Daniel, J., Southall, R. & Lutchman, J. (eds). Cape Town: HSRC Press. 470-502. | ||||||||||||||
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