HANDS UP 4 EDUCATION
The Department of Basic Education calls on all South Africans to put their hands up in support of education.
Here are some suggestions for you to show your commitment to the improvement of quality learning and teaching in all South African schools:
Hands Up 4 Education suggestions for teachers: • Provide quality education to your learners every day • Support learners with additional lessons after school, over weekends and school holidays • Provide extra-curricular activities to learners after school (e.g. art classes and music lessons)
• Attend training courses provided by the Department to ensure that you are fully equipped for the changing environment in which you have to operate
undertook one of the biggest interventions ever under- taken in education through the production and distribu- tion of workbooks in literacy and numeracy for all learn- ers in Grades 1-6 in all languages throughout the country. This translates into 210 publications developed within the Department by experts. Feedback from teachers, learners and their parents has been very encouraging. Many learn- ers now have access to high quality learning materials for the first time. These materials also assist teachers in their teaching and assessment. Learners will receive the second part of each book to cover the curriculum in the second half of the year.
Hands Up 4 Education suggestions for learners: • Do your homework and study hard for your exams • Respect your teachers and fellow classmates • Arrive at school on time and adhere to the code of conduct • Be proud of your school and take responsibility for it Hands Up 4 Education suggestions for parents: • Assist and encourage your children to do their homework • Ensure that your children arrive at school on time
One of the highlights of the 2010 - 2011 period is the encouraging 2010 National Senior Certificate Grade 12 results.
The Department also conducted the first Annual National Assessments for those learners who were in Grade 3 and 6 in 2010 in February this year. This has been another enor- mous undertaking by the Department and the pro- cess will be refined as we proceed. This first ANA will provide a bench mark to measure learners’ progress in literacy and numeracy
• Assist your children’s teachers with extra-curricular activities (e.g. assist with the coaching of the soccer or netball team)
• Take responsibility for the governance of your children’s school Hands Up 4 Education suggestions for community members:
and will provide the system and parents with detailed re- ports on district, school, class and individual learner per- formance. ANA is geared towards improving the quality of education and the results will inform many of the deci- sions that the Department must take regarding tracking and improving the quality of learning and teaching in the system.
• Assist your local school in growing a food garden • Assist learners in your community with their homework and projects • Donate learning material and study guides to learners in your community
• Assist teachers in your community with extra-curricular activities (e.g. assist with the coaching of the tennis or softball team)
• Assist teachers in your community in providing extra lessons to learners after school, over weekends and school holidays
The Department of Basic Education has a crucial monitor- ing, policy making and leadership responsibility in improv- ing the quality of learning. To this end we appointed the CEO of the National Education Evaluation and Develop- ment unit (NEEDu) in 2010 and launched the NEEDu in March this year. NEEDu will have the authority to conduct he monitoring and evaluation of schools, districts, prov-
One of our major priorities over the past year was to find ways to tackle systematically the immense infrastructural backlogs that the sector faces. We cannot proceed along the road to quality learning and teaching without ensur- ing that the basics are in place. Through the Accelerated Schools’ Infrastructure Development Initiative (ASIDI), we have secured funding from Treasury to get rid of the worst identified structures finally and then to work sys- tematically to tackle the rest. ASIDI will be administered by the National Department. The Norms and Standards
LET’S SUPPORT ALL LEARNERS TO BECOME THE SUCCESSFUL WORLD LEADERS OF TOMORROW – WE KNOW THEY CAN!
inces and the national department. NEEDu will report directly to the Minister. This intervention will strengthen our monitoring of the system at all levels and will play a key role in strengthening delivery of our key outputs.
Focussed and planned teacher development is a key pillar of our Action Plan and the Minister’s Delivery Agreement. The Department of Basic education with higher Education and key stakeholders including the teacher unions and higher education institutions have worked hard together since the Teacher Development Summit in 2009. The new Integrated Strategic Planning Framework for Teacher Edu- cation and Development in South Africa was launched re- cently by the Ministers of Basic and higher Education. It is another key intervention as it will help ensure a coher- ent approach to teacher development focused on clear evidence-based priorities and to channel available funds to these priorities.
Educators across all levels will be supported to work to- gether in professional learning communities to achieve better quality education across all schools. Particular at- tention will be paid to supporting teachers in underper- forming high schools and their feeder schools. In these schools specific learning areas have been identified as pri- orities: numeracy, literacy, physical science, mathematical literacy and English first additional language.
for School Infrastructure Policy has also been put in place. This sets out clear norms and standards for our schools. While eradicating the worst structures, we will also ensure through this policy that all new schools will have libraries, laboratories and Grade r classrooms.
Focussed and planned teacher
development is a key pillar of our Action Plan and the Minister’s Delivery Agreement.
Provinces play a vital role in the delivery of quality edu- cation, while the national department is responsible for policy and monitoring the system. From the outset of the school year it was apparent that there were serious chal- lenges of delivery in the Eastern Cape Education Depart- ment. It has become clear that the conditions in education in the province amount to a serious challenge in terms of compliance with national policy, minimum norms and standards for education service delivery, the obligations arising from
the Constitution, the National Education Policy, 1996 (Act No 27 of 1996); the South African Schools Act, 1996 (Act No.84 of 1996) and relevant regulations formulated in terms of these statutes. In its meeting on Wednesday, 2nd March 2011, Cabinet directed that the Ministry embarks on an intervention to address the challenges in education service delivery in the Eastern Cape. Cabinet was of the view that this intervention, which is made in the spirit of co-operative governance, will pave the way for an imme- diate resolution to all pressing problems in education ser- vice delivery in the province.
In view of the seriousness of these challenges the Minister was and remains obliged, in terms of the statutory obliga- tions as the Minister of Basic Education, to take the steps required to ensure a sustainable turnaround of basic edu- cation in the province. This is a serious undertaking and the Minister is committed to ensuring that any interven- tion in the province will be sustainable.
One of the highlights of the 2010 -2011 period is the en- couraging 2010 National Senior Certificate Grade 12 re- sults. While there have been eyebrows raised and much discussion on the results and the reasons for their im- provement, the Department is satisfied that the results are a true reflection of learners’ efforts and the input made by officials, teachers and many individuals and or- ganisations committed to education.
The 2010 - 2011 period marks a turning point in the long history of education in South Africa. We have started on a very focussed road to 2025 with very clear signposts and milestones against which we will measure our progress. The end of the journey is quality learning and teaching for all and learner performance that measures up to interna- tional levels.
In the 2011 - 2012 period the Department, under the leadership of the Minister and the Director-General, will continue to work to strengthen the delivery of quality education. Key to this is the establishment of a Planning and Delivery Oversight unit that will consolidate every- one’s efforts around the delivery of Basic Education’s core business – the effective delivery of the curriculum. The work of the Department will continue to focus on improv- ing literacy and numeracy levels and to strengthen per- formance in Mathematics and Science and to ensure that the system is thoroughly prepared for the implementation of the CAPS from January 2012. A major initiative will be the central procurement of quality learning and teaching materials. We will continue to focus on improved teaching practices through the implementation of the teacher de- velopment planning framework. The Department’s work includes the promotion of learner wellness. Thus, we will focus on nutrition and health programmes and the crea- tion of conditions whereby learners and teachers are safe at school.
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