Delayed schools infrastructure in the spotlight
The Department of Basic Education and all provincial departments must build in penalty mechanisms to hold implementing agents accountable for delays in infrastructure projects. This is the view of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Basic Education during an infrastructure roundtable held with the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and all nine provincial education departments on Tuesday 4 May.
The committee was on an oversight visit to the DBE’s office in Pretoria. Lasting solutions to challenges within the sector, and accountability from the department were top of the agenda.
The provincial education departments’ failure to deliver much-needed infrastructure was because implementing agents were not being accountable. The committee resolved that the DBE and all provincial departments must strengthen and standardise their service level agreements, and buildin penalty mechanisms.
Only 20.7% of schools in the Eastern Cape have received textbooks for the 2021 academic year.
The provincial Department of Education assured Parliament s Portfolio Committee on Basic Education that delivery would be completed by 15 February.
Scholar transport for 124 036 pupils at 1 044 schools has been secured by the Department of Transport.
With schools set to open in two weeks time, Parliament s Portfolio Committee on Basic Education is concerned about the state of readiness of Eastern Cape schools.
The committee visited schools in the province on Thursday to assess their readiness and found only 20.7% of textbooks had been delivered thus far. The committee was informed that the department had only delivered stationery to 3 440 schools as of 27 January 2021, which is a 68% delivery rate. Furthermore, the committee was concerned that the department had only delivered textbooks to 20.7% of schools.
Eastern Cape schools’ state of readiness raises concerns
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Picture for illustration. Picture: iStock
Portfolio Committee on Basic Education is concerned by the number of teaching and management vacancies in the province.
With schools set to open in two weeks’ time, Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Basic Education is concerned about the state of readiness of Eastern Cape schools.
The committee visited schools in the province on Thursday to assess their readiness and found only 20.7% of textbooks had been delivered thus far.
“The committee was informed that the department had only delivered stationery to 3 440 schools as of 27 January 2021, which is a 68% delivery rate.
South Africa to get clarity on the reopening of schools
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Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Basic Education will travel to a number of schools across the country this week to assess their readiness for the 2021 academic year.
The oversight visits will be conducted in key provinces including Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape, with a key focus likely to be on the distribution of personal protective equipment and its availability to teachers and learners.
As part of the visits, the committee will also hold meetings with key stakeholders including the Department of Basic Education, senior and district officials, unions, school governing bodies, and the principals association.
Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Basic Education says it will be calling for an investigation into why more than 300 000 assistant teachers have not been paid.