Thank you so much, hon Chair, and thank you, hon member, for the important question that you have put. The Developmental Appraisal System, DAS, and the Performance Management System have both been incorporated into the Integrated Quality Management System, IQMS, which is a procedure for appraising the work of individual teachers for purposes of development and progression. It is in regard to both development and progression.
This is quite distinct from the work of the National Education Evaluation and Development Unit, Needu, whose main function is to evaluate the performance of institutions and the school system as a whole, as well as to make recommendations for improvement. In Question 54, which follows on this one, we will elaborate more fully on this particular issue, so I am just going to stop at this point. Thank you very much.
Still on Question 53, hon Chair, I just want to find out from the Minister what guarantee there is that this unit, Needu, is not going to hit rock bottom, considering the fact that it is toothless. It just conducts research and makes recommendations to the Minister.
I thank the hon member very much for the question ... [Inaudible.] ... what the hon member is raising. The National Education Evaluation and Development Unit itself is going to be a statutory body at arm's length from the Department of Basic Education. It will, amongst other things, submit reports to Parliament and account to Parliament in relation to its work. Its investigations and its recommendations will by and large be of a public, transparent and accountable nature. Hon members will certainly have an opportunity to engage with this structure which, as I have indicated, will be a statutory body at arm's length from the Department of Basic Education. We are of the view that its purpose is really to enhance the quality of education, and therefore its recommendations should be made to the hon Minister of Basic Education. Thank you.
Chair, I would like to find out if part of Needu's mandate will be to take cognisance of the issue of inclusive education or special needs education, so that that sector is also taken care of.
Thank you very much for that and, in fact, I am glad that the hon member is raising this matter, because we cannot have inclusive education at the periphery of the provision of quality education. They will be looking at factors that inhibit effective teaching and learning, and that will cover a range of learners - those who are able and those who are partially able. Certainly, inclusive education, which forms part of the systemic landscape of education, will not be ignored.
What I can assure the hon member, given my particular interest in this area, is that I will make sure that we draw to the attention of Needu the fact that this is an element that they cannot ignore or overlook in the course of their investigations and recommendations. Thank you.
Particulars regarding intervention role played by National Education Evaluation and Development Unit
54. Mr S H Plaatjie (Cope) asked the Minister of Basic Education:
What intervention role does the National Education Evaluation and Development Unit play to remedy dysfunctional elements in the schooling system in relation to (a) the quality of school leadership, (b) teaching and (c) the learning process? CO298E
Hon Chairperson, as indicated, this question is linked to the previous one, Question 53, and the response is as follows. In terms of the draft National Education Evaluation and Development Unit, Needu, Bill which is targeted to be presented to Parliament in June this year, the function of Needu is to assess the school system at four levels, which are the national level, the provincial level, the district level and the school level, in order to identify factors that inhibit effective teaching and learning, to identify best practice and to make recommendations for improvement.
These are the broad areas that Needu is currently dealing with, and the tasks that it is currently piloting and will expand on a system-wide scale once the legislation is approved and the organisation is fully established. So, for example, the issue of inclusive education might be a matter that it would want to pay particular attention to and the legislation would give it the broad scope and powers to be able to do so and to make appropriate recommendations, both to the Minister and to Parliament.
Needu is setting itself up as a facilitator of school improvement, which it plans to effect through providing accurate and authoritative reports on the state of schooling in the country, and making recommendations which align and co-ordinate the work of the Department of Basic Education, the provincial departments, the 81 district offices, and the schools. I thank you, hon Chair.
Chair, in line with the response of the Deputy Minister, I just want to find out how the work of Needu will contribute to the development and support of educators in the schools?
Hon Chairperson, as indicated, Needu will basically look at it on a system-wide basis. It might well occur that it is satisfied with the curriculum content, but might recognise that the reason why there is no quality education taking place in our schools is because of the levels of competency and ability of teachers, or a lack of teacher development, or the fact that the resources that are provided for teachers are inadequate. I cannot anticipate what it is going to find, as it will do so independently.
Then, obviously, it will link that to the resolutions and recommendations that it will provide to the Department of Basic Education. It will say that in order to enhance quality education it is important that they pay particular attention to a particular area or, if resources are not sufficient, that they increase the amount of resources. Parliament, having the authority to approve, alter or amend the budget, may then say that, having regard to its recommendations and recognising the reality on the ground, it is important that they pay attention to a particular element and they suggest to Treasury that they provide resources in this regard. So I do think that it could play a meaningful role, as the hon member has suggested. Thank you.
Chair, part of the problem in schools, particularly the special education schools, is the lack of accessibility, not only physically at the school, but also in regard to the curriculum, reading materials for learners and so on. I want to hear from the Deputy Minister and the department about whether Needu will have some kind of power or play a role in this regard. Thank you, Chair.
Thank you very much, hon member. I think the responsibility for providing adequately for persons with disabilities should lie with the Department of Basic Education rather than it being passed on to a body that is not responsible for the operational issues.
What I can share with the House is that in regard to, for example, the workbooks, these are basically prepared in Braille, as well as for the partially sighted. So, when we promote literacy and numeracy we do not do so only for those who do not have challenges with regard to disability.
With regard to maths literacy and the Kha Ri Gude campaign, for example, we have made provision for the Kha Ri Gude campaign to take place, and for resources for Braille and the deaf. We are paying particular attention to these. I would be the first to concede that more has to be done by way of improved resources and better access to these resources.
In the Western Cape, for example, we have an enormous challenge, notwithstanding what might be said with regard to people who understand sign language. You might have the facilities, such as schools for the deaf, but you don't have people who are competent enough to be able to deal with these. I am not saying it's a phenomenon in the Western Cape only; it exists in other provinces as well. It's something that we have to continuously pay attention to and we certainly look forward to an improvement in this regard. Thank you.
Thank you, hon Chairperson. Hon Deputy Minister, in which provinces is Needu working actively at the moment? I'm thinking of the Eastern Cape and Limpopo, where we have critical issues at stake. Is it involved or not?
Hon Chairperson, Needu has certainly not been assigned to the Eastern Cape. What I can say to you is that there are task teams made up of the departments that I referred to earlier, that have a particular responsibility to look at the six areas of intervention.
If, on the other hand, Needu is of the view that it would like to assess the situation, look at the context and make some recommendations, we are certainly not going to prevent it from doing so. Any support or help that we can have to assist in enhancing quality education will be most welcome. Certainly from where I'm standing I would not commit Needu to that particular task, but it might well be so that it would want to find out what it is that makes the challenges in the Eastern Cape and Limpopo arise as they are doing right now. I would not say that it is not going to happen; it might very well.
Particulars regarding timeous distribution of textbooks to schools
57. Ms D Z Rantho (ANC) asked the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) Whether her department has set a timeline and/or deadline for the distribution of textbooks to schools; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; (2) whether her department keeps a record of the number of schools which have received their textbooks late in each province; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, how many (a) schools and (b) provinces were affected by this in 2012;
(3) whether her department has any plans in place to ensure that schools receive textbooks on time; if not, why not; if so, what plans? CO301E
Chairperson, the response is as follows. In general, provinces are expected to deliver textbooks within three weeks following the beginning of the year.
In response to the second part of the question, (a) and (b), the answer is no. The management and monitoring of the delivery of textbooks is a provincial competence. The Department of Basic Education does, however, undertake random checks.
With regard to the third part of the question, the answer is yes. The timeframes for the release of the national catalogue of textbooks have been brought forward to facilitate early procurement and distribution of textbooks by provinces. I might also add that the number of textbooks that appear on the list has been reduced in order that you do not have a wide and diverse range of textbooks being provided, and challenges with regard to their acquisition.
The Department of Basic Education will monitor the availability of textbooks in schools in the 2012-13 year. Thank you.
Particulars of strategies regarding recapitalisation of further education and training colleges and universities in Eastern Cape
41. Mrs E C van Lingen (DA) asked the Minister of Higher Education and Training:
(1) Whether he has put any strategies in place with regard to the recapitalisation of (a) further education and training colleges and (b) the universities in the Eastern Cape since 1 April 2010 up to the latest specified date for which information is available; if not, why not; if so, what (i) are the reasons for the recapitalisation, (ii) is the funding amount available, (iii) are the outcomes of the projects and (iv) are the further relevant details;
(2) whether flagship institutions have been identified; if not, why not; if so, (a) which institutions will be considered as flagship institutions and (b) what are the further relevant details;
(3) whether any of the institutions will be revamped under new mentorship; if not, why not; if so, (a) which institutions and (b) at what cost? CO284E
Thanks very much, hon Chairperson. I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Minister. Will hon members please just give me a moment? I seem to have misplaced the file. Here it is. Thank you so much and I'm sorry for the delay.
Hon Chairperson, the response is as follows. With regard to (1)(a) the answer is, yes, we have put in place a strategy to recapitalise the Eastern Cape FET colleges.
On (i), the reasons for this recapitalisation are as follows. Firstly, they are to enable FET colleges to upgrade and refurbish the existing infrastructure; secondly, to purchase new equipment to meet changes in curriculum and service delivery; and, finally, to build new infrastructure.
On (ii), the Department of Higher Education and Training, DHET, in line with the provincial implementation protocols, began managing FET colleges in concurrence with the provinces as of 2011-12.
Therefore, the funding amount for capital expenditure, Capex, that was allocated in 2011-12 was R63,2 million, and in 2012-13 it was R134,6 million. The Capex allocations as of 2011-12, per FET college, for 2011-12 and 2012-13 are set out in a schedule and I would like to mention just one or two. The Buffalo City FET College received R4,61 million in the previous financial year and in the current financial year will receive R14,85 million. The Lovedale FET College received R10 million in the previous year and will receive R16,5 million in the current one.
Then on (iii), with regard to the outputs, the schedule will be submitted, as I will table it in the House. The outputs achieved in the 2011-12 financial year were as follows. The number of classrooms upgraded was 19, the number of workshops upgraded was 4, the number of classrooms installed with modern equipment was 64, the number of workshops installed with modern equipment was 3, the number of new classrooms built was 24, the number of workshops built was 11, and the number of new admissions offices - that is, student support offices - built was 1. Just remember that this is only in respect of the Eastern Cape.
The first quarterly report of 2012-13 is due for submission in July 2012 and outputs will be available as at the date of each quarterly report and we certainly invite the House to engage with those reports.
With regard to (iv), an amount has also been set aside through the National Skills Fund. Requests for additional funding from the FET colleges will be evaluated by the Department of Higher Education and Training, and funding will be made available from 2012-13 onwards. These figures will be available as of June 2012.
The funding of universities by the DHET does not include recapitalisation funds, but a specific infrastructure grant for all universities. Over the period 2011-12, R3,265 billion was allocated to all universities for infrastructure. For the universities in the Eastern Cape in particular the following allocations were made, which make up 14,2% of the amount: Rhodes University, R62,4 million; Nelson Mandela University, R131 million; Walter Sisulu University, R127,1 million and the University of Fort Hare, R143,5 million.
With the infrastructure funds of 2012-13 to 2013-14, the department and the Ministry have taken a different approach with regard to the infrastructure funding of historically disadvantaged universities in the country, including the Walter Sisulu University and the University of Fort Hare in the Eastern Cape. As part of the infrastructure fund of R3,8 billion over these two years, R1,6 billion has been allocated to all historically disadvantaged institutions for infrastructure backlogs and student housing. The applications received from the universities are in the process of being evaluated and the final allocations will be made in the course of this year. On the second part of the question, the Minister has not identified any of the institutions as flagship institutions. All higher education institutions in South Africa need to develop as strong institutions in their own right. Institutions may have different missions or visions and may service different needs, for example, strong undergraduate teaching or postgraduate teaching, or a focus on technology programmes, general academic programmes, or a mix of both. All types are required by the system and must be supported in order to provide a quality mix for higher education. All FET colleges are supported as and when the need arises, and the focus is for all FET colleges to offer programmes as required by legislation and to produce quality students needed for the labour market.
With regard to the third part of the question, the Walter Sisulu University has experienced major governance, management, financial and academic problems. Therefore the Minister appointed an administrator, Prof Van Staden, on 31 October 2011, to turn the institution around.
At a press briefing on 2 November 2011, both the Minister of Higher Education and Training and the director-general emphasised that the department would make sure that there were sufficient financial resources to ensure that the administrator was successful in the turnaround of Walter Sisulu University, while it was meeting its monthly financial obligations.
The Minister has also granted approval to the university to utilise R134,1 million previously allocated to infrastructure to help fund operational activities of the university. Furthermore an additional R310 million was given to the university for NSFAS student bursaries, that is the National Student Financial Aid Scheme.
With regard to the FET colleges in the Eastern Cape, the Minister has appointed JET Education Services to provide a full range of technical and interventional support in order to turn the FET colleges around, as part of the turnaround strategy.
The Minister has placed the King Sabata Dalindyebo FET College and the Ikhala FET College under administration. The Minister has a team investigating the remaining FET colleges in the Eastern Cape in regard to governance and administration matters. This team will then advise the Minister, whereafter he will place colleges under administration as part of his strategy to ensure functionality.
In the current year the FET colleges in the Eastern Cape were allocated an amount of R184,6 million for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, the bursary fund. I think I should apologise for the lengthy response. Thank you.
Thank you, hon Deputy Minister. That was a comprehensive answer!
Thank you, hon Chairperson. Thank you, hon Deputy Minister. It was really a comprehensive answer. In fact, at one stage I stopped writing and I thought I would run to Hansard immediately after you left, because it was really fantastic.
My concern is this. Would the Eastcape Training Centre also be involved, together with the FET colleges that are going to be revamped or recapitalised? I drove past the King William's Town one.
Can the hon member confine herself to the question please?
Yes. Is the Eastcape Training Centre going to be included in that lot at King William's Town, because it is vandalised at the moment?
Hon Chairperson, the Department of Higher Education and Training has many plans. Besides the FET colleges, which have been established for the purpose of skills acquisition and gaining the intermediate skills that the country desperately requires, there is a need for nursing colleges and in certain instances teacher training colleges. There is also a need for colleges for continuous professional development.
Given the fact that I represent Basic Education rather than Higher Education and Training, I am reasonably confident from where I stand that the hon Minister would pay particular attention to those unused and nonfunctional entities for the purposes of enhancing opportunities for the professional development of our people. Thank you very much.
Thank you, hon Chairperson. On the first part of your answer, Deputy Minister, I would like to ask if this infrastructure allocation is being done together with Public Works. You are probably anticipating the fact that my answer relates to physical access to the structures in the Eastern Cape and nationwide. They hamper and put barriers in the way of a number of disabled students when they wish to enter the system.
Obviously I am also acknowledging, in regard to the latter part of the reply, that the department has allocated R77 million to disabled students through NSFAS. Thank you.
Thank you very much. I think Mr Nzimande is representing Dr Nzimande very well!
Let me give you the assurance that all schools and all colleges will pay particular attention to the architectural design with regard to access for persons with disabilities. That is the norm and standard that would apply. That assurance I can convey to you, even though I am not from the Department of Higher Education and Training. So, hon member, you can rest assured that this is something we will pay particular attention to, especially with regard to new developments and infrastructure. Thank you.
Particulars regarding method of disposal of medical toxic waste
46. Mr D A Worth (DA) asked the Minister of Health:
(1) Whether all medical toxic waste is being disposed of according to the prescribed (a) regulations and (b) incineration process; if not, how is it being disposed of; if so,
(2) whether this process is being implemented in each province; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(3) whether the disposal of medical toxic waste is in accordance with the National Environmental Management Act, Act 107 of 1998; if not, what measures has his department taken to bring this into compliance with the legislation; if so,
(4) whether any incident of dumped medical toxic waste matter has been reported in the past three years; if not, how was this conclusion reached; if so, (a) where and (b) what measures has his department taken to address this situation?