School Community Integration Pilot Project - Department of Education

A comparative analysis of education expenditure in Eastern Cape schools – November 2004
economies of scale in providing much needed education resources such as
computer labs, laboratories and media centres. Educators would be more
effective and able to spend higher proportions of their time in the classroom.
• Clustering resources in larger high schools would also support the effective
introduction of a number of major policy initiatives. The introduction of the FET
curriculum from 2006 in grades 10 to 12, geared to modern social and
economic needs, requires effective resourcing with teaching and learning
materials and equipment. Similarly, the e-Education policy will require all
schools to be effectively using information and communication technologies
(ICT) for learning by 2013. Resources for the implementation of both of these
policies, which will especially impact high schools, can be provided and used
more effectively in larger high schools.
• More classrooms would be required in secondary schools to support
realignment. The classroom backlog would increase from 5,954 to 8,023 in
the fully realigned schooling system, an increase of 2,069 classrooms. At a
current unit cost of R125,000 per classroom R259 million would be required.
There would also be an associated though smaller infrastructure requirement
for hostels, toilets and other buildings. This would be a once off construction
cost whereas post savings would be larger and would continue to accrue in
each year. The additional cost of classroom construction could also be spread
over multiple years and accommodated by reprioritisation of funding towards
high schools within the existing rapidly rising capital budget.
Scenarios for post provisioning
• Three scenarios of educator post provisioning were run. The scenario of
realigning combined schools and senior secondary schools to a more
conventional full primary and full secondary system, coupled with the closure
of any small secondary schools that could not increase their enrolment above
300, would achieve a balanced resourcing of public schools with a small
increase in the overall LER for the province from 32.2 to 33.4. A lower
educator establishment would produce significant savings of R290 million a
year which could be allocated to other vital areas. It would also produce a
higher quality education system over time.
• Declaring a post establishment at a learner:educator ratio of 35:1 would
produce greater savings from a reduction in the establishment. Resources
could be prioritised to the under-funded are of NPNC spending on learning
materials and school services, resulting in the targeted NPNC budget of R1
billion (R500 per learner) necessary to meet draft norms and standards for
school recurrent funding being met by 2007/08.
• Implementing the 2004 post declaration of 67,074 would lead to a further fall
of the LER to 31.6:1. If implemented it would also lead to a fall in the capital
budget to R319 million and the NPNC budget back to R429 million (R206 per
learner) by 2007/08, well below current levels. There would be a resulting
serious impact on education in the classroom through insufficient funding for
learning materials and school services and to address classroom backlogs.
This would constitute a serious mis-prioritisation of limited available
resources.
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