School Community Integration Pilot Project - Department of Education

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A comparative analysis of education expenditure in Eastern Cape schools – November 2004 Repetition rates also vary tremendously across the province from a low of 7% in Uitenhage to a high of 16% in Bizana. Repetition rates in the FET grades are especially high in many of the former Transkei districts, with repetition at 30% in grades 10 to 12 in Lusikisiki. High repetition causes a number of problems. Firstly, high repetition creates a growing pressure towards large classes through the school cycle, as repeaters join the learners coming up from the previous grade, enlarging the class. This is one of the main reasons for especially high over-age enrolment in the higher grades. Secondly, high over-age enrolment can create serious social and management challenges in schools, as learners who are effectively young adults share the classroom with teenagers. By way of illustration EMIS reports that ‘a typical 18 year-old in a Grade 12 class of 40 learners in an average Eastern Cape school is likely to be sharing the class with 9 other learners aged 18, 8 learners aged less than 18 and 23 learners aged between 19 and 25+. This no doubt makes for a problematic teaching and learning environment’. 20 3.2.6. Conclusions on public school education in the Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape has inherited different schooling systems from the apartheid era education departments. Many of the challenges created by these systems have still to be effectively addressed. Specific issues that need to be highlighted are: • Combined schools and associated secondary schools form the largest single sub-system in the province. One of the defining features of this sub-system is mismatched levels of provisioning. While educator provisioning is adequate in most districts, with the possible exception of Pondoland, classroom backlogs are pervasive in the former Transkei. • The greatest numbers of educators in small schools is, in declining order of size, in combined schools, full primary schools, senior secondary schools, junior primary schools and farm schools. Large numbers of small schools in these types of schools create pressure for a large establishment through the prevalent low learner:educator ratios. • There is a wide variation in educator provisioning between small and large schools. Small schools typically show LERs in the range 20 to 25. The province needs to find ways to increase the average LER in small schools to avoid pressure to increase the educator establishment. • Out-of age enrolment and repetition is very high, especially in the former Transkei. As discussed at the start of the report, out of age enrolment has a detrimental effect on national funding through the ESF. High repetition is also a waste of scarce resources and inhibits teaching and learning in the classroom through large class sizes. The province has chosen to target a relatively favourable LER in its educator provisioning over the last few years. The 2004 declared educator establishment is 67,124, which would give an LER of 31:1 if implemented, significantly below many 20 EMIS: ‘Review of Education Indicators 2002’. p.46. 26
A comparative analysis of education expenditure in Eastern Cape schools – November 2004 other provinces. Person-to-post matching for this establishment is currently being completed. A number of points need to be made in relation to educator provisioning: • Educator provisioning has improved greatly in many districts and is at broadly acceptable levels in most of the province. • At the same time many districts in the former Transkei continue to have significant classroom backlogs with LCRs greater than 40 in most districts. • While non-personnel non-capital (NPNC) expenditure is analysed in more detail later in this report, it is plain from inter-provincial expenditure figures that the Eastern Cape is below average and well below the national target of R500 per capita. The Eastern Cape has attached a lower priority to addressing the classroom backlog or to providing learner materials in the classroom and school services, in comparison to relatively favourable levels of educator provisioning. Most of the districts in the former Transkei have a more favourable learner:educator ratio than the Western Cape. In the context of relative cuts in the provincial allocation to education and the current and future funding pressures set out at the start of this report, there is a clear case for reprioritising resources. 4. PUBLIC SCHOOL EXPENDITURE IN THE EASTERN CAPE This section looks at recent expenditure on public schooling in the Eastern Cape for the past three complete financial years 2001/02 to 2003/04. Three key areas for educational performance are then discussed: personnel, learner support material and infrastructure, with special attention given to the factors driving expenditure. 4.1. Public school expenditure – recent performance The table below sets out expenditure on public schooling under programme 2 by economic classification, modified to clearly identify the three main categories of personnel, non-personnel non-capital, and capital that will be analysed throughout the remainder of this report. Major items of important educational expenditure are clearly identified. Recent expenditure history highlights the following trends and issues to note: • Expenditure on public school education has grown in real terms in recent years, a fact already noted across the provinces. • Non-personnel non-capital expenditure has grown more rapidly than overall expenditure. • Capital expenditure has grown very rapidly in recent years, more than doubling from 2001/02 to 2003/04. • The proportion of public school expenditure on personnel has slightly declined from 92.3% in 2001/02 to 89.8% in 2003/04 as real budget increases have allowed a higher proportion of expenditure to be spent on non-personnel. • NPNC per capita has grown in recent years but is still well below the national target of R500 per learner. 27
Page 1 and 2: Province of the EASTERN CAPE DEPART
Page 3 and 4: CONTENTS SUMMARY i 1. INTRODUCTION
Page 5 and 6: A comparative analysis of education
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School Community Integration Pilot Project - Department of Education

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