ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF BASIC EDUCATION FOR 2010/11

1. ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF BASIC EDUCATION FOR 2010/11 Presentation to the Select Committee on Education and Recreation 02 NOVEMBER 2011

2. Presentation Outline PART 1 Background – organisational and budgetary contexts PART 2 Programme Performance - Progress of the DBE in executing its 2010/11 Operational Plan PART 3 Annual Financial Statements

3. PART 1 : Background (The organisational and budgetary contexts that impacted on service delivery)

4. BACKGROUND • The functions and budget of the Department of Education were split between the newly established Departments of Basic Education and Higher Education and Training from 1 April 2010. • There are outstanding balances on the books of the Department of Education amounting to R119,248 million. The portion applicable to DBE will be transferred to the books of the DBE during the 2011/12 financial year. • The Department of Basic Education relocated to new premises. • Protracted public sector strike action. • Extended school holidays in support of the hosting of the FIFA World Cup.

5. PART 2 : PROGRAMME PERFORMANCE(Progress of the Department of Basic Education in executing its 2010/11 Operational Plan)

6. SIGNIFICANT EVENTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS • During the 2010/11 period, the Department published a long-term education sector plan – Action Plan to 2014: Towards the Realisation of Schooling 2025 –which paves the way for a common vision for the entire education sector. The Action Plan was widely welcomed in the education sector. It provides clear targets and indicators, which will form the basis of provincial strategic and annual performance plans. The Action Plan also provides the framework for the Basic Education Delivery Agreement linked to Outcome 1: Improved Quality of Basic Education, which was signed on 29 October 2010 by the Minister of Basic Education and the nine provincial Members of the Executive Councils for Education. • Annual National Assessments were conducted in February 2011. About 6 million learners in Grade 1 – 6 in approximately 19 000 schools participated in the ANAs. The results were released by the Minister in June 2011.

7. SIGNIFICANT EVENTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS • Literacy and Numeracy Workbooks for Grade 1 – 6 were developed in all 11 official languages using internal departmental system capacity to strengthen teaching and learning in numeracy and literacy. A total of 105 workbooks were developed, printed and distributed to all public primary schools. Printing of Workbook 2 will be finalised and the books distributed in the next financial year. • Significant strides were made in revising and simplifying the curriculum in the interest of better teaching and learning. The Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) have effectively re-packaged the National Curriculum Statement so that it is more accessible to classroom practitioners. Every subject in each grade now has a single concise Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement which provides specific details on what teachers ought to teach and assess on a grade-by-grade and subject-by-subject basis. The Department will ensure that the education system is adequately prepared for the introduction of the CAPS, which will be rolled out in phases, starting in 2012.

8. SIGNIFICANT EVENTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS • The National Planning Framework for Teacher Education and Development, developed with key stakeholders in education, has been finalized to guide teacher education and support in the system. The Framework was launched by both the Minister of Basic Education and the Minister of Higher Education and Training. • Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Delivery Initiative plans and targets were finalised and presented to HEDCOM and CEM. In spite of government funding constraints, the infrastructure bid was approved and additional funds were made available. The framework for the Backlogs Grant and the Infrastructure Grant to provinces were finalised with National Treasury. • The Government Notice to amend the national per learner target allocations for 2011 as well as the declaration of a proportion of learners to attend no-fee schools in 2011 was gazetted on 5 November 2010. For the 2011 academic year 72 percent of public school learners are accommodated in more than 20 000 no-fee schools.

9. SIGNIFICANT EVENTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS • The Department conducted a Rapid Assessment and Remediation Intervention in underperforming schools. Provinces provided focused support to these schools resulting in the improvement of the Grade 12 examination results in 2010. • Despite all the challenges, the 2010 National Senior Certificate examinations proceeded well and the pass rate improved substantially from 60.6 percent in 2009 to 67.8 percent in 2010. • The Department has developed two important support tools to improve school management and governance. The School Governing Body Support Tool will help school governing bodies monitor their performance and also enable the provincial departments of education to identify areas in which school governing bodies require assistance. The Annual Academic Performance Reporting Template will assist schools in the compilation of annual academic reports, thus strengthening the system’s ability to identify schools in need of support.

10. SIGNIFICANT EVENTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS • A total of 583 200 adult learners (including blind and deaf learners) were reached during 2010 through the Kha Ri Gude mass literacy campaign. These learners completed their final assessments. The project continues to create short-term employment. • The HR Connect Project was completed in collaboration with the DPSA. This achievement will provide the system with reliable information on teachers. The profiles created for each teacher through this project provide an accurate indication of what skills we have in the system, enabling us to identify gaps and increase our ability to address such gaps. • The Integrated Quality Management System team provided management advice and support to 7 160 schools during the reporting period. IQMS implementation show that the system is maturing. Teacher evaluation scores from a number of provinces are more realistic , as these now have to be based on credible evidence.

11. SIGNIFICANT EVENTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS • At the beginning of 2011, 1 488 school principals were enrolled in the Advanced Certificate in Education course in an effort to strengthen school management capacity. • The NEEDU Bill, which spells out the mandate of the National Education Evaluation and Development Unit was drafted. • Interest in teaching has improved significantly as reflected in the number of applications for the Funza Lushaka bursary . Over 30 000 applications were received. 10 073 students were funded from the first year of study through to the PGCE, with 1 842 qualifying at the end of 2010. Most bursaries were awarded to students specializing in the FET Phase. Targeted recruitment of students who are able to teach in an African language for the Foundation and Intermediate phases is required.

12. SIGNIFICANT EVENTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS • 15 000 additional ECD resource kits were printed and distributed to all district offices across the provinces. The DBE, in conjunction with the Department of Social Development (DSD), is collecting data from all the ECD sites registered with DSD to provide more accurate information on Grade R coverage. • 200 provincial and district officials, as well as School Management Teams of all schools for hearing and visually impaired learners were trained in the use of visual and hearing impairment in March 2011. • The Policy on Learner Attendance was gazetted, briefing sessions were held in every province and policy booklets distributed to all provinces. Tools for the monitoring of learner attendance policy implementation were developed. • The National School Nutrition Programme provided quality nutritious meals to 8 125 695 learners in 20 250 Quintile 1 - 3 primary and Quintile 1 - 2 secondary schools.

13. SIGNIFICANT EVENTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS • The Department published the Draft Integrated Strategy on HIV and AIDS, 2012 – 2016, for public comment. This strategy, which is aimed at learners, educators and the wider school community, will guide the Department’s response to HIV and AIDS-related challenges over the next five years. • The school health screening programme was facilitated through two School Health Weeks. The statistics for the March School Health Week obtained from the Department of Health shows that 42 580 Grade 1 learners were screened in the 18 priority health districts. The target of screening 50 000 Grade 1 learners in Quintile 1 primary schools was far exceeded with almost 150 000 learners reached.

14. SIGNIFICANT EVENTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS • The Department convened a national Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign (QLTC) workshop attended by the provincial education MECs, provincial Heads of Department, teachers’ unions, associations of school governing bodies, student leaders and district managers to formulate a strategy for improving the quality of education through the enforcement of the non-negotiables. • The partnership between Lead SA, the South African Interfaith Council and the DBE re-launched the Bill of Responsibilities. A sustained media campaign generated much interest in the Bill of Responsibilities. The DBE printed 10 000 Teachers’ Guide and 5 000 CD-ROM copies for distribution to all provincial departments and districts.

15. PART 3 : ANNUAL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

16. 2010/11 Allocation vs Expenditure per programme

17. Spending trends per economic classification

18. REASONS FOR DEVIATION

19. REASONS FOR DEVIATION

20. REASONS FOR DEVIATION

21. AUDITOR-GENERAL REPORT • Unqualified audit opinion • Other matters raised by the Auditor-General : • Inadequate programme performance information • The continued use of Department of Education processes and procedures • Under resourcing of internal audit unit

22. Thank you