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LEARNER WELL-BEING


SCHOOL GOVERNANCE


AND MANAGEMENT Much evidence suggests that proper learning requires functional schools, or schools that provide an enabling environment for teach- ers. Even the best teachers will find it difficult to do a good job if the school does not have a timetable, colleagues arrive late, and there are no regular meetings with parents. At the heart of a functional school lies a good school principal. Policy on what a function- al school is, is captured within the Whole School Evaluation programme and the roles of school principals are defined within the agreements concluded in the ELRC.


The Quality Learning and Teaching Cam- paign (QLTC) places strong emphasis on how various stakeholders contribute


to-


wards functional schools. However, it is recognised that policy on what constitutes a functional school, and strategies on how to improve school functionality and build the capacity of school principals, require considerable fine-tuning. The Department will examine strategies for enhancing school management, leadership and governance ca- pacity within its directorate serving this area.


KEY STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 5: A NATIONAL EDUCATION MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY


To strengthen policy, research and develop- ment within the Department on education leadership, management and governance.


By early 2011 a detailed proposal on en- hancing education leadership, management and governance capacity within the system wil be released. As part of the realisation of the White Paper on e-Education, the com- ing years will see an extension in the use of the SA-SAMS computerised school admin- istration system, a system tailor-made for South African schools and geared towards making it easier to manage schools. The year 2010 will see virtually all of the over 10 000 public schools which do have com- puters, making use of SA-SAMS, and during


2011 and 2012 the focus will shift towards introducing computers and SA-SAMS to all schools. Moreover, work will continue on establishing SA-SAMS as a web-based sys- tem, which will greatly facilitate the regular updating of the system as new needs arise.


School functionality implies an environment that feels safe. Guidelines for safe schools developed jointly by the Department and SAPS will continue to form the basis for collaboration between the Department and provinces to rid schools of crime and abuse of learners and teachers. The focus will be on introducing safety interventions in 1 000 high-risk schools across the country.


The 2010/11 financial year will see the in- troduction of a national policy on the dis- tribution of support staff posts to schools. In a few provinces the distribution of such staff is still unjust and skewed in favour of historically advantaged schools. In many ways this policy will complete the process of the last ten years of establishing a com- prehensive package of pro-poor resourcing policies aimed at eradicating the legacy of apartheid spending patterns.


Several aspects of the school funding sys- tem work well. For example, principals and parents are on the whole satisfied with the no-fee schools strategy, which rein- forces the need to extend and strengthen this programme. At the same time, several problems in the funding system exist. In particular, the current mechanism for clas- sifying the socio-economic disadvantage of schools on the basis of poverty quintiles lacks sufficient credibility in schools and amongst analysts.


Annual spending on school infrastructure has increased substantially in recent years as part of government’s overall capital in- vestment programme. Between 2005 and 2009, for instance, spending increased by 39% in real terms.


In 2008 a major national project on de- veloping norms for school infrastructure


and for better targeting of funds was com- pleted. Moreover, the NEIMS information system on school facilities was rolled out to provinces during 2009. Despite these achievements, there is still a sense of frus- tration in many schools which lack basic facilities such as toilets and classrooms and yet do not know if and when they will ben- efit from a building project.


LEARNER WELL-BEING


In the area of sport, the Department will be working closely with provinces to en- sure that sports leagues are fully function- ing in at least two districts in each province. The emphasis on physical education for all Foundation Phase learners will continue. The Department will continue its col- laboration with the Department of Health aimed at strengthening the School Health Survey Programme, in particular within more remote and disadvantaged areas. This programme was set up to improve the access of learners to services dealing with health problems such as impaired vi- sion and hearing, and inadequate immunisa- tion. The existing national policies on how to deal with HIV, AIDS and related health issues are considered too fragmented and in need of being updated and consolidated within a more integrated strategy.


GRADE R


Attainment of the national target of uni- versalising Grade R by 2014 needs to be closely monitored by the Department. The Department has been in discussion with Statistics South Africa to make the collec- tion of household data on Grade R and ECD participation generally more precise. This is a challenge given the range of pri- vate providers, though as more Grade R becomes offered in public ordinary schools this will become less of a problem.


Because Grade R, even publicly funded Grade R, has emerged from many differ- ent funding, management and pedagogical traditions, it has been difficult to develop


standards and ensure that minimum stan- dards are complied with. The Department will revisit the 2008 national funding norms for Grade R and ensure that they become a more integral part of a wider policy that takes into account key curriculum-related matters such as teacher qualifications and class size. The underlying concern is that the Grade R that is universalised, should be a quality Grade R that benefits learners throughout their primary schooling.


INCLUSIVE EDUCATION


The last few years have seen substantial piloting of inclusive education approaches, the establishment of 20 full service schools by provinces and district support teams set up to assist schools, identify special needs learners and ensure they obtain the sup- port they need. The publication of a na- tional funding policy for inclusive education, which has been delayed for some years, will occur in 2011.


This policy, which must be designed to promote best practices, will assist in im- proving financial accountability in a policy area where there has been fragmentation and insufficient attention to the needs of historically vulnerable learners.


The policy will deal with the financing of all three institutional settings mentioned in the 2001 White Paper on special needs edu- cation: special schools, full service schools and ordinary schools. Retention of learners Various studies, including a major Ministe- rial report on learner retention published in 2008, have indicated that school enrol- ment at the compulsory level is high, over 95%, and compares well with what occurs in countries similar to South Africa.


Enrolment in schools above age 15 de- clines, however. Even here, at the upper secondary level, South Africa’s enrolment figures are good by international standards, yet high youth unemployment combined with a skills shortage point to a need for


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CHAPTER 1 | INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW


21


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