Annual Performance Plan Jaarlikse ... - National Treasury

• Post Provisioning Norms
The staff establishments of public ordinary schools are annually determined in terms of the post provisioning norms. As
prescribed by legislation, employee parties to the Provincial Education Labour Relations Council (PELRC) as well as the
recognised SGB associations are duly consulted on the overall educator post affordability as well as on the
determination of staff establishments of public ordinary schools.
The Heads of Education Committee (HEDCOM) approved the latest post provisioning norms after changes to the Grade
10 curriculum.
The WCED increased the total number of teaching posts in the province by 500 bringing the total number of educator
posts to 30 872 for 2007.
• School Safety
As is the case elsewhere in the world, school safety is becoming an increasing concern of government. The Western
Cape is particularly plagued in this regard as it experiences the serious problems of gangsterism and gang violence and
the accompanying scourge of alcohol and substance abuse. Together with a range of partners, but in particular the
Department of Community Safety, these issues are being tackled head-on.
The Safe Schools Programme has a three-pronged strategy, which includes the following:
• A Safe Schools Call Centre, where various problems can be reported, and where affected and traumatised
individuals can also request, and receive, counselling
• Provision of physical security: this programme focuses on the installation of various safety measures, including
security fencing and security alarms at high-risk schools. The programme also includes survival strategies.
• Educational programmes focusing on values and attitudes, the goal of which is to re-direct learners’ interests into
more positive pursuits such as sports, arts and drama, and focusing on future careers.
• School governance
• Section 21 schools
A total of 934 out of 1450 schools (or 64,4% of all public ordinary schools) have been awarded full Section 21 (of the
South African Schools Act, 1996 (Act No 84 of 1996) (SASA)) status. The remaining 516 schools are still receiving
ongoing attention. Support to all schools in financial management and administration is being given on an ongoing
basis.
• No-fee schools
In an attempt to curb the rising costs to parents of limited financial means of the education of their children and to
expand the access to education, the SASA was amended to allow for the (national) Minister of Education (MoE) to
determine the national quintiles for public schools that may not charge school fees w.e.f. 01 January 2007.
The MoE determined, and published in Government Gazette No. 29179 dated 31 August 2006, a national target for
2007 that accommodates 40% of learners in the country in ‘no-fee schools’, i.e. schools that fall in National Quintiles
(NQ) 1 and 2, w.e.f. 01 January 2007.A list of the schools per province that will not be permitted to charge
compulsory school fees, in terms of this target and as compiled by the MEC for Education in each province, was also
published in the Government Gazette.
Only 6,5% (59 306) of the learners in the Western Cape fall in NQ 1 and 8% (73 254) in NQ 2, i.e. only 14,5% of the
learners in the Western Cape are in the poorest two quintiles nationally (40% of learners in the country).
Since the Western Cape has a low percentage of learners in NQs 1 and 2, compared to all the other provinces, the
WCED decided to also extend the ‘no-fee school’ status to schools in NQ 3 (211 841 learners).As this could not be
done by way of the Government Gazette, it had to be done by means of a voluntary arrangement with the identified
NQ 3 schools. All NQ 3 schools took up this offer and have been declared ‘no- fee schools’ and, therefore, may also
not charge compulsory school fees w.e.f. the 2007 school year.
419 primary schools, covering 146 000 learners, had already declared ‘’no-fee in May 2006 as part of the voluntary
process introduced by provinces in an effort to fast-track the declaring of ‘no-fee’ schools. An amount of R29 million
was allocated to these schools, additional to their original norms and standards allocation, in 2006/07.
Annual Performance Plan 2007/08 – 2009/10
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