PROGRESS REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EDUCATION COLLABORATION FRAMEWORK (ECF)

1. PROGRESS REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EDUCATION COLLABORATION FRAMEWORK (ECF) Presentation to Portfolio Committee: 08 September 2015

2. ORGANISATION OF THE PRESENTATION 1. Purpose and intentions of the NECT 2. Progress against the Education Collaboration Themes • Professionalisation of teaching • Promotion of courageous and effective leadership • Support to the capacity of the state • Resourcing ( Addressed as a cross-cutting issue) • Parent and community involvement • Learner Welfare 3. Governance aspects 4. Conclusion

3. BACKGROUND National Development Plan (NDP) vision is to see 90% of the learners achieving over 50% in Mathematics and Science by 2030. • Education Collaboration Framework (ECF) responds to NDP call for greater collaboration amongst social partners in improving education outcomes. The ECF provides a framework for collaboration involving government, business, labour and civil society. • National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT) is the implementing agent of ECF mandated to work with an initial number of eight districts in five provinces, comprising 4362 schools, 66 000 teachers and nearly 2 million learners. • The NECT has been set up as vehicle to improve alignment of the non-governmental inputs and to serve as a laboratory in 10% of the districts comprising 20% of the schools nationally. • The NECT champions the DBE’s district approach.

4. HIGHLIGHTS ON THE ECF THEMESTHEME 1: PROFESSIONALISATION OF TEACHING Teachers are being supported to ensure full curriculum coverage and sustained learner achievement • The approach is enabling teachers to develop and refine the practical skills and routine tasks that are required for them to undertake their responsibilities effectively. • A total of 13 898 support units have been provided to teachers ( 3,8 days per schools) since January 2015. • District officials and teachers are enthusiastic about the Learning Programmes approach which - • Creates a set of Standard Operating Procedures that districts, school management and teachers are expected to follow in order to bridge the gap between curriculum expectation and class practices; • Has already been introduced in 1536 schools – 35% of the NECT schools • Learning programmes comprise lesson plans, and basic materials such as posters and curriculum trackers that help to integrate materials in the classrooms as well as structure the pitching and pacing of the curriculum.

5. HIGHLIGHTS ON THE ECF THEMESTHEME 1: PROFESSIONALISATION OF TEACHING Five Stakeholder dialogues have been organised since last year on ‘teacher professionalism’. The dialogues- • Created an avenue for structured conversations among stakeholders representing government, business, labour and civil society, • Contributed to minimising gaps in perceptions among stakeholders, • Kept over 5 900 stakeholders on the NECT/DBE database informed about the teacher professionalisationprogramme and over 390 000 people reached through print and electronic media, • Contributed to nurturing a common education improvement agenda. • Were organised in partnership with a range of stakeholder groups including universities and NGOs. • Are continuing at national and provincial levels.

6. HIGHLIGHTS ON THE ECF THEMESTHEME 2: COURAGEOUS AND EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP Practice-based support to school principals and their heads of subject and phase departments to take more effective control and responsibility for the performance of schools; • A total of 8 000 support units were provided to School Management Teams (SMTs) - 5.2 visits per school. • While it is too early to claim that the anticipated management outcomes have materialised in all of the target schools and districts, there are confirmed reports of • school functionality improvements in terms of an increased number of schools days being utilised for teaching and learning, • the increased role of principals and heads of Department in the management of curriculum delivery. • The systems and materials on which the training and coaching are based are beginning to change attitudes and behaviour among management staff regarding their roles in schools.

7. WHO BENEFITS? DIRECT BENEFIT INDIRECT BENEFIT

8. HIGHLIGHTS ON THE ECF THEMESTHEME 3: SUPORT TO THE CAPACITY OF THE STATE The NECT has organised additional capacity from the private sector to support Operation Phakisa which support involves investigating and implementing technology solutions in education • An advisory committee comprising senior private sector and government experts has been established to advise the Minister in this respect. The Committee and technical assistants make inputs in Operation Phakisa. • Arrangements are underway between DBE/NECT and the FirstRand Empowerment Fund to engage the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR) to assess the existing connectivity levels in the 4362 NECT schools. • The DBE/NECT are working to establish technical requirements for revamping the school administration system (SA-SAMS). The Zenex Foundation is funding the research of the User Requirements. • DBE/NECT are consolidating school ICTs blueprints from a range of examples that have emerged in the past decade nationally and internally.

9. HIGHLIGHTS ON THE ECF THEMESTHEME 5: IMPROVED PARENT AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT The multi-stakeholder District Steering Committees set up in 2013 are continuing to play a critical oversight, support and community mobilisation roles in the eight NECT target districts • Two years after the DSCs were established, their membership and leadership remain stable and committed. • The DSCs have been meeting every quarter and in some cases more frequently. • In between their governance meetings, DSCs have met with their SGBs, traditional leaders, business communities and teacher unions. • DSCs have prioritised mobilising stakeholders around the following issues- • Attendance and punctuality • School performance (ANA and NSC) • Support to NSNP – school gardens • Psycho-social issues • Reading and homework

10. HIGHLIGHTS ON THE ECF THEMESTHEME 6: LEARNER WELFARE The approach to learner welfare and development is to maximise the potential for the success of each learner. • Over 372 000 units of learner resources including learner activity books, dictionaries and posters have been distributed to the Fresh Start Schools. • Learner screening and referral model was successfully piloted in Belabela circuit by a collaboration including four universities, several NGOs, the three departments responsible for education, health, social development and treasury (G-TAC). • A new screening instrument targeting learners and teachers was produced by the University of South Africa as part of the pilot. • The screening instrument is being trialed out in the NECT target districts.

11. NECT GOVERNANCE ASPECTS The NECT is meeting its corporate governance requirements. • As per the table below, a total of six Board meetings and three EXCO meetings were held since the last quarter of 2014. • A financial audit of the NECT was completed in March 2015 by Ernst & Young. Unqualified audit opinion. • NECT Operations in 2013/2014 were primarily funded by 24 organisations and the total funding amounted to R116 628 169.

13. CONCLUSION • The NECT is demonstrating a model for partnerships as called for by the NDP. • In line with the Education Collaboration Framework, the DBE is coordinating the inputs of business, labour and civil society in a more effective way in pursuance of the vision of the NDP. • Labour, business and civil society representative at the national and provincial levels of the NECT remain committed to working with the DBE as the anchor partner in this collaboration.

14. 90% of the learners achieving over 50% in Mathematics and Science by 2030