The delivery of 58-million workbooks to pupils in grades R to 9 this year and at least 35,000 matrics achieving 60% and more in maths by the end of next year.
These are some of the targets that have been set by the department of basic education.
Officials presented the department’s strategic and annual performance plans to MPs’ portfolio committee on Wednesday night.
Basic education minister Angie Motshekga indicated in the annual performance plan (APP) that they would continue to support the objectives of the sector through:
- improving foundational skills of numeracy and literacy, especially reading, which should be underpinned by a reading revolution;
- the immediate implementation of a curriculum with skills and competencies for a changing world in all public schools;
- dealing decisively with quality and efficiency through the implementation of standardised assessments to reduce failure, repetition and dropout rates;
- the urgent implementation of two years of early childhood development (ECD) before grade 1; and
- working with sports, arts and culture, health and police to teach and promote social cohesion, psychosocial and school safety.
The department’s director-general, Mathanzima Mweli, stated in the APP that a total of 12,000 Funza Lushaka bursaries would be awarded to students enrolled for teacher education at universities in the financial year starting next month.
The initiative is aimed at addressing critical educator shortages in priority subject areas such as maths, coding, robotics, science and technology.
A total of R4.2bn has been allocated to the bursary programme over the next three years, which will target the awarding of 36,400 bursaries.
According to the APP, the department “will identify the possibility of working with universities that charge lower fees to try to ensure that the target is reached amid the budget cuts”.
Mweli envisaged that at least 60 officials from districts that achieved below the national benchmark in the NSC (National Senior Certificate exams) would participate in a mentoring programme.
All new district directors will undergo competency assessments before they are appointed.
“A 1,000 underperforming secondary schools will be visited at least twice a year by sector officials.”
At least 25 districts will be monitored and supported in implementing the National School Safety Framework (NSSF).
Mweli stated that a total of 4,000 pupils, educators, parents and members of governing bodies were targeted to be put through social cohesion programmes.
According to the APP, about 50,000 appropriate toilets have been constructed through the SAFE (Sanitation Appropriate for Education) programme at 2,388 schools.
The remaining 1,007 sanitation projects are scheduled for completion before the end of March next year.
An area of concern highlighted in the report was the low number of black African and coloured pupils in grades 10-12 studying technical subjects that focus on aspects such as engineering and computing.
“The percentage of black African or coloured grade 12 candidates taking at least one technology-focused subject in matric remained unchanged between 2018 and 2021 at 9%, in comparison to about 50% for white and Indian pupils combined.”
According to the APP, the department has begun to formalise and regulate the ECD sector since taking over this function from social development.
“The transfer of the ECD function means the department is responsible for 42,420 ECD programmes that serve 1.6-million children, leaving an access gap of about 3.3-million children aged three to five who do not attend early learning programmes.”
The report stated that the department’s Early Grade Reading Study (EGRS) had shown that providing structured lesson plans, reading materials and on-site coaching to foundation phase teachers (grades R to 3) significantly improves reading outcomes.
This initiative was in response to the findings of the 2016 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (Pirls) which indicated that 78% of children had not learnt to read with understanding by the time they had reached grade 4.
“However, the cost of employing coaches raises questions about the feasibility of scaling up this intervention. The department is evaluating whether foundation phase heads of department could serve as internal coaches and provide a cost-effective alternative.”
Describing the APP as “fundamentally flawed”, ACDP MP Marie Sukers said: “We get the inputs, but we never know how effective the programmes are.”
She quoted the example of the Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) programme, saying one of the outputs was 8,798 educators were trained on CSE.
“How many pregnancies is it supposed to prevent?”
She suggested that the budget for CSE be removed and given to the national school feeding scheme.
DA MP Baxolile Nodada asked the department how many schools it intended to build this year and which provinces were identified for these projects.
“What is the reason for the continued shifting of deadlines when it comes to the eradication of pit toilets?”
ANC MP Ronald Moroatshehla said the provision of quality public education “hinges on a number of factors”.
“In addressing the infrastructure backlogs, the presentation shows this is a challenge. Can we be favoured with a breakdown of such backlogs province by province?”
In response to questions from committee members, Motshekga said some of the things were “not measurable”.
“On teenage pregnancy, member Sukers said I should take money from CSE to school nutrition. I mean, really, because I can’t measure how many kids will not be pregnant.”
She equated this to a priest in church giving bibles and “to expect her to say by the end of the year I will have so many people having accepted Jesus Christ”.
“It’s a social process; it’s not measurable.”
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