[ Home ] [ Speeches & statements ]

14 January 2008

Early beginning for a bright future

It seems like yesterday that our Class of 2020 got their first teeth. Now many are losing those same teeth again and many a mum and dad are marking this transition from infancy to childhood, as this also announces their beginning at "big school".

In KwaZulu-Natal we will have 18 000 more grade R learners in 2008, as we will be adding 600 new grade R classes, bringing the total to 175 000 little ones in 5 200 grade R classes this year. It is significant to note that the grade R learners of 2008 are the Matric Class of 2020. As I said at the release of the grade 12 results we have to be far sighted and lay the foundation for the day when there will be no need for matric intervention programmes in an attempt to fix something that is fundamentally broken.

Therefore we will give the Class of 2020 a head start as they begin their long journey through the schooling system. We will be paying attention to the foundational skills of early literacy and numeracy. In addition to the packages to the value of R4 600 per class, each class will also receive R1 500 to attend to local needs. In the most disadvantaged areas 355 schools in Obonjeni and 302 schools in the Umzinyathi district have benefited in the QIDS-UP (Quality Improvement Support and Upliftment Programme) where classrooms were converted for grade R teaching and practitioners were given extra training.

Our Class of 2020 strategy, which has also been adopted by the National Education Department, also addresses the training of grade R practitioners. To improve the level of training we have linked up with similar minded organisations, such as Tree and the Brookby Learning Centre. Our Class of 2020 must be holistically developed we want to see less violence, less drug abuse, fewer teenage pregnancies, etc in our schools. It is only through such an intervention in early learning that we can lay a solid basis for quality education and the attainment of desired educational outcomes by our learners.

School fees

Education should and must be accessible to all. No child should be denied this right because he/she does not have financial means to access education. The law is clear about it and as in the past we will take action against principals who deny learners education or victimise them as a result of non-payment. Illegal action can be reported on our hotline: 0800 204 353. Parents who cannot afford the school fees can apply for full or partial exemption, while those who can afford to pay, must pay.

No fee schools

The "No Fee" school policy was introduced to ensure that all children of school going age have access to education. Last year, more than 50% of our schools, representing 42% of our learners, were declared "No Fee" schools. The allocation per child per annum in quintile one will be increased in the 2008/09 financial year from R629 to R775 and from R560 to R711 in quintile two. The list of 3 381 "No Fee" schools for 2008/09 will soon be published.

Textbooks

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education will have achieved an almost 100% delivery of textbooks at non-section 21 schools when schools re-open tomorrow, 16 January 2008. Of the 3 211 non-section 21 schools, 95,45% already received 97,95% of their textbooks last year before schools closed. District managers are currently investigating why 32 principals did not order any books despite several reminders. If they found that there is an under supply of textbooks in the schools, disciplinary action will be taken against the principals.

This is a far cry from the sad picture in January 2005 when an audit found that only 149 (4,6%) of non-section 21 schools had received their textbooks by the time schools re-opened. When I assumed office in April 2004 there were no systems in place to monitor delivery but the reports we were receiving were hair raising. We have since had a steady improvement in the delivery of Learning Teaching Support Material (LTSM) to schools before or on the first day of school. In our textbook deliveries before the first day of school we moved from a 4,6% delivery in the 2005; 40% in 2006; 80% in 2007 to 95% in 2008 (academic year).

In addition we have increased the allocation of money to buy books and stationery for our schools. In the 2003/04 financial year only R379 million was allocated to buy LTSM. This has been steadily increased to R870 million in the 2006/07 financial year and R828 million in the 2007/08 financial year. There have never been more textbooks in KwaZulu-Natal schools.

Teacher/learner ratio

The 2008/09 financial year will see the lowest teacher/learner ratio in democratic KwaZulu-Natal when the appointment of 3 000 more teachers will produce a teacher/learner ratio of 1:31.18 from April 2008. Another first will be the appointment of 600 teaching assistants and close to 3 000 security guards.

The multi-term agreement, the first of its kind in the country will also come into effect in 2008 and will ensure that the staffing of public schools proceeds in a climate of certainty and stability with minimum disruption to the organisation and administration of public schools. According to this agreement teachers will only be redeployed again in 2010, provided that no significant changes in learner numbers are experienced or a school is permanently closed.

Curriculum changes

This year will see the implementation of the new curriculum in the last grade of our learners' school careers. The extent of changes varies from subject to subject and new subjects such as Mathematical Literacy, Life Orientation, Design, Agricultural Technology and Agricultural Management and Practices have been introduced. Contrary to a Daily News article and SABC television clip grades 10, 11 and 12 teachers have received training and the department has fully prepared them according to the phased-in process agreed upon nationally.

As explained before, the training will be rolled out over a long period and it involves training by the department and universities. The first 1 200 Mathematics Literacy students have already completed a two-year course at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, while 800 students have completed their first year at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and 400 new students are starting their first year in 2008.

In our partnership with the University of Stellenbosch the training of life orientation master trainers has been completed and training of educators will be further rolled out in KZN. Following the national phased-in approach to cope with these changes the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education, like other provinces, will have the new curriculum fully implemented in all subjects by 2013.

This means that the Department of Education will release and update the scope and depth of work required for each grade each year. There is no way that we can close schools and take teachers away for a period of six months to two years to retrain them. As said before we have to fix the aeroplane while it is flying and the training process will only be completed by 2013.

In August to September 2007 the national Department of Education trained subject advisors in the following subjects in the scope and depth of work required for 2008 for grade 11 and 12: Mathematics, Mathematical Literacy, Life Sciences, Consumer Studies, Design, Dance studies, Visual Arts, Music, Engineering Graphics and Design, Civil Technology, Electrical technology and Mechanical technology. In February 2008 subject advisors in Accounting, Business Studies, Economics, Geography, History, Languages, Physical Sciences and Technology Subjects will be trained by the national Department of Education. Workshops in all provinces were affected by the industrial strike action as teachers could not be taken out of the classrooms while they were trying to catch up on the teaching time lost. Provincial workshops for educators teaching grades 10 to 12 will be conducted during the course of 2008.

Unqualified and under qualified educators

The department has identified a need to build the capacity of educators by enrolling unqualified and under qualified teachers for a National Professional Diploma in Education (NPDE). Priority is also given to educators teaching gateway subjects such as Mathematics, Science and Technology. We enrolled 1 638 unqualified and under qualified educators through bursaries and learnerships and 55 post graduate Certificate in Education students in 2007.

In 2008 we will increase the numbers to 109 and 404 respectively for the National Professional Diploma in Education (NPDE) and Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). Unemployed youth graduates are also given a helping hand to enrol for the PGCE with a view of increasing a pool of qualified educators.

Since 2005 my office has changed the bursary system to deal with the critical shortage of teachers in gateway subjects. A total of 116 students have since been sponsored to study towards Bachelor Degree in Education degrees in scarce subjects. In 2008 my office will be sponsoring 120 students from disadvantaged backgrounds. This is in addition to the Fundza Lushaka Bursaries by the national Department of Education aimed at recruiting matriculants into the teacher profession particularly in gateway subjects.

Infrastructure

In line with our programme to consolidate, revive and equip non-viable rural and farm schools we have renovated 16 institutions with historically disadvantaged boarding schools to deliver quality education to a significantly large number of learners. At Sukuma Comprehensive school one male and one female hostel were fully renovated for occupation by Wednesday.

Other completed renovations included two dining halls, one kitchen, two science laboratories and one biology laboratory. Appelsbosch College will also be taking in boarders for the first time, while several buildings at Msinga High School received a make over ready for the 2008 intake.

The 13 other boarding schools that had serious renovations to address unacceptable situations degrees are Umlazi Comtech, Vukuzakhe High School, Adams Colledge, Umthwalume High School, Ohlange High school, Siyamukela High School, Sihayo High School, KwaDlangezwa High School, James Nxumalo High School, Masibumbane High School, King Bhekuzulu High School, Mlokothwa High School and Vukile High School.

In Msinga a brand new school, Zimingaye Primary, will open tomorrow to serve the community who had never had a primary school in that area. Three more schools will be completed by April 2008. Principals and teachers at 118 schools that had no offices will start the new year with administration blocks, while serious overcrowding has been reduced by 843 additional classrooms that have been built since April last year.

Sanitation has been given a shot in the arm with 3 081 new toilets and a new project to provide 55 schools without water will see the light in 2008 when boreholes and play pumps at primary schools will be installed. For security reasons 128 schools have been fenced since April last year and another 300 schools and 61 education centres will be fenced by April 2008.

Storm damage

About 200 schools have been damaged by storms from November 2007. Repairs are presently being done and in some schools repairs have been completed. The department has installed 70 temporary structures at schools with serious damage. We have ordered 10 more emergency structures which will be delivered by 23 January 2008 to schools that were severely damaged in December 2007. Schools in Amajuba, recently hit by storms, have all been visited by managers and quantity surveyors, who are currently doing the scoping of work and the cost estimation.

Programme to assist grade 12 learners who were not successful in the 2007 senior certificate examination:

Like in any transition between an old and a new qualification, there will be those learners who have to be given a special dispensation in order to help them complete the old qualification. In this regard, learners who did not succeed in this years' Senior Certificate Examination will be given an opportunity to complete the certificate up to 2011. Examinations set under the phased-out Interim Core Syllabus (Report 550) will be written in May and June of every year from May 2008 to May 2011. Further, learners will only be expected to re-write those subjects which they have failed. In other words, old subjects already passed are in the bag and need not be repeated.

However, it should be noted that due to serious space limitations in our schools, learners who did not succeed in this year's Senior Certificate Examination (SCE) will be provided with support in key subjects outside normal school hours between February and May 2008. The department is organising Saturday classes in selected centres and holiday classes in March throughout the province. We have published these in newspapers and they were announced on radio.

The registration date for the May examination will be from 15 January 2008 (today) to 25 January 2008 for the subjects that they failed. The department will provide support for the following subjects: English Second Language; Biology; Physical science; Mathematics; History; Geography; Accounting; Economics; Business Economics; Agricultural Science and Travel and Tourism. Besides tuition and monitoring the Department will also provide stationery, study guides, past exam papers, set works and any other extra tutorial material.

This programme is free of charge and caters only for candidates who were unsuccessful in 2007. However, the June examinations are open to all candidates who are interested in completing their matric examination in the old curriculum. Therefore all candidates must register for the June examination before 31 January 2008. Those who were not full-time last year and are not part of the programme must register at part-time centres.

Our Further Education Training (FET) colleges will also offer alternative programmes to cater for those learners who do not wish to follow the route of Saturday classes. Details of this initiative will be released in the second week of January 2008. We appeal to all the grade 12 learners of 2007 who wrote the SCE and did not succeed to use this opportunity provided to them to complete the certificate.

Regular attendance

We have been working hard since 2005 to impress upon the parents the benefits of early registration. Sorting out administrative issues during school hours which should be used for teaching and learning is counter productive. While teachers are expected to start teaching from Day One they can only do so when parents register their children at the schools in the previous year.

We appeal to parents to have their children at school on day one when the first bell rings. Research has proven that children who attend school regularly perform better. This year will have 201 school days. For the sake of our children's future they must be at school for 201 days in 2008. The education of our children is everybody's business and to that end we urge our parents and other stakeholders to co-operate with the Department in making sure that 2008 becomes a year of hard work, dedication and excellence.

The Premier, Superintendent-General Dr Cassius Lubisi and I will be monitoring school functionality at some schools from 16 to 18 January, while departmental officials, together with members of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature will visit other schools. Checklists will include the starting time of the schools visited, learner attendance, delivery of learner support materials, the involvement of school governing bodies, and the physical condition of schools and class sizes.

Issued by: Department of Education, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
14 January 2008