Annual Performance Plan 2013/14 - Department of Education

9. Programme 9: Auxiliary and Associated Services
Purpose: To provide education institutions as a whole with training and support.
Programme Analysis:
Professional Services
Improved quality of basic education is the key outcome of the Department of Education in terms of the Ministerial Delivery
Agreement for the Basic Education Sector and the Action Plan to 2014. Linked to this fundamental outcome are five outputs that are
guiding the operations of the programme:
• Improve the quality of teaching and learning
• Undertake regular assessment to track progress
• Ensure a credible, outcomes-focused planning and accountability.
• Improving teacher capacity and practices
• increasing access to high quality learning materials, monitoring and supporting the implementation of national and
provincial curriculum and assessment policies whilst extracting key lessons from ongoing participation in international
assessments protection of teaching and learning time
These outputs are undergirded and linked to the following Provincial Strategic Goals:
• Strategic Goal 1: Equitable access to education and resources
• Strategic Goal 2: Quality of teaching and learning improved at all educational institutions
• Strategic Goal 4: Organizational capacity enhanced through human resource development
The implementation of the Department of Basic Education’s national mandates like Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS),
as well as the National Language and Mathematics Strategy is also driven within this programme. In addition, the HIV&AIDS conditional
grant is also managed within the programme and supports the achievement of the main outcome.
External examinations
The purpose of this sub programme is to provide access to an efficient and effective examination and assessment services
which enjoy widespread acceptance at all levels. The sub- programme will contribute in the provision of the Strategic
Objective 2 .2 and 2.3 by providing the following key services:
• To conduct, administer and manage National Senior Certificate (NSC); Adult Education and Training (AET) and
Senior Certificate (SC) Examinations.
• To administer Annual National Assessment in all designated Grades
The offering of the Senior Certificate qualification has been extended to 2014 as opposed to the initial decision to end it in
2011. Therefore, advocacy will be conducted to communicate the extension, registration of centres and candidates including
timeframes for registration to ensure that all qualifying candidates have access to these examination services towards their
Senior Certificate Examinations. The AET Level 4 examinations are still being conducted by the provincial examination
system although Adult Education and Training provision has been moved to the National Department of Higher Education
and Training. In ensuring compliance with School Based Assessment, quarterly moderations are conducted to verify School
Based Assessment marks generated by schools.
In order to ensure credibility of all the various examinations, monitoring and support visits would be conducted with special
focus to:
• Nodal points to ensure the safety and proper handling, distribution and collection of examination materials prior
being delivered to centres
• Examination centers to ensure that conduct of examinations is in accordance with the policy of the conduct,
management and administration of examinations.
• Districts examination sections to ensure that processes and systems for the conduct of the examinations are in
place, thus ensuring support and credibility of the examinations.
• Reports from national and provincial offices will be sent to district directorates after each visit pointing to areas that
require special attention.
Annual Performance Plan 2013/14
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