part a: strategic overview - Department of Education

partnerships with other organizations for after-school care-centers for rural and informal
settlement areas will become one of the many challenges that face the Department. The
question on having a “one-stop” information and service centre for social and health service
will enable people to gain access to all services provided by the different sectors of
government and other organizations
13.2.6.3 Challenges posed by the Impact of HIV and AIDS
The actual impact of HIV and AIDS on the education system is not certain. A full impact study
needs to be undertaken. There are a number of areas that this epidemic will impact upon.
Some of them are; one; the aging of the workforce due to younger people being affected by
HIV and AIDS; two, high infant mortality level may have implications in reviewing projections
of learner enrolment and other planning strategies; three, how does the ECDoE face the issue
of child-headed households and the increasing number orphans and four; high level of
absenteeism amongst the workforce as well as the learners.
The ECDoE will need to look at new recruitment measures ensuring adequate supply of
educators and will need to review the training programme for educators. It will also need to
review its plans for number projections for learners, the participation in poverty alleviation
programmes and consider suitable succession planning strategies and learner outreach
programmes.
13.2.6.4 Challenges posed by the Environment
It would be an advantage to have schools clustered around other community facilities. The
close proximity of local government facilities promotes the cross utilization of resources which
may culminate in the maximum utilization of community resources. The use of community
facilities in this way will eliminate duplication of facilities, for instance a school may not need
its own hall if it is situated close enough to a community hall, whilst a police station may
conveniently deal with safety issues for the school thus improving school security.
It is important that before any development takes place proper planning happens at local
government level to avoid the negative impact that may come as a result of lack of facilities
like schools, health facilities and any other infrastructure. The lack of proper facilities and
infrastructure puts a strain on education activities since the availability of these facilities is
critical for the school communities.
The availability of running water is critical for all schools since learners and educators spend a
greater part of their day at school, sharing common amenities. The use of water however,
needs to be managed from both the health point of view as well as the fact that water is a
scarce commodity and therefore the school communities need to use it responsibly.
Included in the curriculum are the effects of all forms of pollution on the environment. It is also
vital that learners are protected from pollution to ensure that their state of well-being is always
healthy. All hazardous materials should be kept away from schools.
13.3 Demographic Profile of the Eastern Cape
In terms of land area, the Eastern Cape is the second largest province, covering an area of
approximately 170 000 square kilometres or 14% of the land area of South Africa. In terms of
population, in 2001 the Eastern Cape had the third largest provincial population, after
KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
13.3.1 Total Population and Population Density
According to the 2001 Population Census, of the 44.8 million people living in South Africa,
14% or some 6.4 million lived in the Eastern Cape. This represents a significant decrease in
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