Annual Performance Plan Jaarlikse ... - National Treasury

c) The No-Fee Schools Policy was implemented during the course of this year. 424 schools were invited to apply for nofee
schools status, and 419 of these schools applied, relieving the burden of school fees for approximately 150 000
learners (15,1%) with effect from 1 May 2006. An allocation of R29 million was provided for in 2006/2007 and this will
be increased to R139 million in 2007/2008 and further to R237 million in 2008/09. The allocation per head will increase
from the current R527 per learner to R554 in 2007 and then to between R722 and R581 in 2008 dependent on which
poverty quintile schools fall within. A further 233 schools (primary and secondary) were awarded no-fee school status
w.e.f. 01 January 2007.
d) A progressive increase in the number of teaching posts (an additional 500 for 2007), and the conversion of 458 ad-hoc
teaching posts to permanent posts will contribute significantly to improving teacher-learner ratio, critical to the delivery of
quality education. At the beginning of the 2007 calendar year, there will be 30 872 teaching posts. In addition, 50
math/science teachers were appointed in the Dinaledi Schools (additional to the establishment), 21 additional teachers
were appointed in the various Focus Schools to assist with the development of the Focus Schools concept, and 70
posts were allocated to the 7 districts for a range of development interventions in disadvantaged schools, including the
improvement of the performance of 34 under-performing high schools. The teaching assistant project appointed a
further 510 teaching assistants in 163 schools. These teaching assistants were provided with training through the FET
colleges.
e) Dedicated support staff at the EMDC will continue to provide support to the literacy/numeracy strategy launched
officially in 2006 after extensive consultation amongst WCED role-players at head office and EMDC level. As part of the
literacy and numeracy rollout in the province, every Grade 1 to 6 class has a set of 100 books for reading, and all Grade
3 and 6 learners have a mathematics textbook. Monitoring of classroom practise was initiated but due to challenges
raised by teacher unions has been put on hold subject to a classroom visitation protocol being agreed upon. As part of
this strategy, the language in education policy encouraging mother tongue education for the first three-years of
schooling was developed and distributed to schools in 2006 and further debated at the Language-in-Education
colloquium held in July 2006.
f) Preparation for the further implementation of the new FET Curriculum has progressed relatively smoothly. Although
mid-year Grade 10 results presented some cause for concern initially, extensive support programmes and systems
have been implemented in schools to assist them in improving on these results. Provisional reports on end-of-year
pass rate reveals a pass rate of 74%, with the South Cape/Karoo showing an improvement on previous years.
Additional training of 9872 Grade 11 FET teachers took place in June, with longer training sessions for newer subjects
including agriculture, dance studies, technology subjects (including CAT and IT).
g) The WCED has been one of the front-runners in the use of ICT technologies in schools, and continues to do so. The
Khanya project has assisted 575 schools in the effective use of ICT-technology, with a further 276 schools at various
stages of preparation. 22 271 computers are being used in Khanya schools, with technology being used effectively by
14 993 educators for curriculum delivery and providing access to 496207 learners. Khanya is consistently recognised
as an innovator in school-based ICT-technologies. Growth in the areas of broadband connectivity for schools, and the
continued roll-out of ICT infrastructure in schools will be addressed through CEMIS, Khanya and the
Telecommunications Project (TK). The Khanya Project also won yet another Gold Award for excellence from the
Impumelelo Innovations Award Trust. The Trust rewards exceptional projects, which involve partnerships with the public
sector that enhance the quality of life of poor communities in innovative ways. The citation for the award reads:
“A comprehensive and multi-faceted approach to the educational experience in classrooms across the Western Cape is
the driving force behind the installation of computers in classrooms in schools in the last five years. Computers are not
installed in isolation; teachers are given training, schools are provided with high-speed Internet access and schools are
required to take a 'partnership' approach to the project by providing at the very least sweat equity to demonstrate their
commitment. The support provided by surrounding communities has resulted in a decrease in the incidence of theft, as
communities have taken ownership of the schools.”
The Gold Impumelelo Award is the 11th award presented to the Khanya project over the past two years.
h) The introduction of the NCS in Grades 10 to 12, starting with Grade 10 in 2006, has gone extremely well. A wide range
of preparation activities included a highly successful conference for school principals and other school managers.
Teachers responded well to training on the revised national curriculum for Grades R to 9. Continued rollout of the NCS
in Grades 7 – 9 has been supported through 5-day orientation sessions for educators. In 2006, 2800 Grade 8 and 9
educators attended such sessions. CTAs for Grade 9 were distributed to all schools. And the provision of textbooks to
Grade 8 and 9 schools in the lower quintiles continues through the Inkxaso project.
i) The continued improvement of access to Grade R and the quality of Grade R teaching and learning with the
introduction of a new subsidy system for Grade R learners and the distribution of new teaching and learning kits that
help learners to meet the requirements of the national curriculum. An integrated Early Childhood Development strategy
has been approved by provincial legislature, and the National Integrated plan launched in October 2006. An additional
6000 learners are being subsidised, bringing the total to 31300. Unfortunately, many sites are slow in applying for
subsidies and in returning Annual Snap Survey results. For Grade R, the WCED doubled the subsidy from R3 to R7 per
child per school day, and the WCED will be facilitating the training of 900 ECD practitioners identified by the Department
of Social Development, as part of a broader EPWP programme.
Annual Performance Plan 2007/08 – 2009/10
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