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According to the Bill of Rights contained in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, (Act 108 of 1996), everyone has the right to
Education Structures The Ministry of Education The Ministry of Education was established in May 1994 to deal with education and training at national level. It is assisted by the Department of Education. The Department of Education South Africa has a single national education system which is organized and managed largely on the basis of nine provincial subsystems. The Constitution has vested substantial powers in the provincial legislatures and governments to run educational affairs (other than universities and technikons) subject to a national policy framework. In terms of the Constitution, the national Department of Education is responsible for matters that cannot be regulated effectively by provincial legislation, and also for matters that need to be coordinated in terms of norms and standards at a national level. It has to prepare government policy on education and training for the country as a whole. Relations with provincial departments of education are guided by national policy, within which the provincial departments have to set their own priorities and implementation programmes. The Department’s role is to promote the translation of the education and training policies of the Government and the provisions of the Constitution into a national framework. The national Department provides active assistance to provincial departments in strengthening their administrative and professional capacity. Co-operative government is the theme of national-provincial relations. Council of Education Ministers This Council, consisting of the Minister of Education, the Deputy Minister of Education and the nine provincial Executive Council Members for Education, meets regularly to discuss national education policy, share information and views on all aspects of education in South Africa, and coordinate action on matters of mutual interest. Heads of Education Departments Committee The Heads of Education Departments Committee (Hedcom) consists of the Director-General of the Department of Education, the Deputy Directors-General of the Department, and the heads of provincial education departments. The functions of the Committee include facilitating the development of a national education system; sharing information and views on national education; coordinating administrative action on matters of mutual interest, and advising the Department on a range of specified matters. Education Policy The South African Schools Act, 1996 (Act 84 of 1996), provides for
Education in the provinces The Schools Register of Needs Survey was launched in 1996 and completed in 1997. The register was the first comprehensive database of all schools, their exact locations and the extent of their physical facilities, the condition of school buildings, services provided and available resources. More than 32 000 education institutions were visited during the survey. According to the register, there was no water available within walking distance of 24 per cent of South African schools. The province facing the most serious problems regarding the condition of school buildings was the Northern Province, where 33 per cent of the existing buildings were in poor condition. The survey also revealed that, although stationery and textbooks were relatively well provided, media equipment materials were almost nonexistent. Three provinces, namely Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Northern Province had extremely high classroom shortages. The Free State was the province with the most farm schools. Of the estimated 5 400 farm schools in South Africa, the Free State has 1 917 schools on farms, nine agricultural schools and 64 intermediate schools. Preliminary enrolment figures show that there were 11 921 948 learners in South Africa in public schools (Grades 1 – 12) in 1998. In the same year, approximately 360 725 educators were employed.
School-building program In 1998/99, some R73 million was budgeted for the national school-building program.
Colts campaign At the beginning of 1998, the Department of Education resolved to intensify its efforts to bring visibility, urgency and participation to the Ministry of Education’s commitment to quality education throughout the system, in keeping with the principles of the Culture of Learning, Teaching and Service (Colts) campaign. The Colts Directorate adopted the following priorities:
Programmes led by the Department of Education fell into three broad categories:
To ensure that these priorities were understood and acted upon, the Colts team
A number of challenges in respect of learning and teaching in many schools were observed, namely:
Special Colts programmes directed to meet these challenges were initiated in 1998. The Miracles in Education Project The Miracles in Education Project is a collaboration between Colts, the Sowetan newspaper, the Read Educational Trust, Iscor and the SABC, and is aimed at identifying and publicizing role models for managers, educators and learners. The project was launched in 1997 and intensified in 1998. It seeks to provide the country with exemplars of good practice in the various aspects that are essential for quality learning and teaching. The project encourages communities to nominate individuals or schools that are making a real effort in the provision of quality education. These weekly nominations are published in the Sowetan as well as in other participating local newspapers. Winners in each category are chosen on a monthly basis. Yizo Yizo The Colts Directorate and SABC Education commissioned the production of a 13-part television drama series called Yizo Yizo. It was aimed at creating a wider awareness of social and personal issues that affect learning and teaching, developing positive role models, and modeling the process of restoration in a typical school serving an urban black South African community. The series, which was launched in February 1999, was backed up by a print campaign at all secondary schools. It aroused intense debate throughout the country. The realism and high artistic quality of the production were widely praised. Confronting school-based obstacles In collaboration with the Joint Enrichment Project, the Department of Education encouraged schools to explore non-threatening and creative ways to portray conditions in their individual schools that make it difficult for effective learning and teaching to take place. The program was launched in 1997 and piloted in Gauteng, where 12 schools participated. In 1998, the number of participating schools grew to 93. The program will be introduced in the other provinces in 1999.
Creating crime and violence-free learning sites Creating crime and violence-free learning environments is one of the pillars of the Colts campaign. The Colts Directorate has participated actively in the National Crime Prevention Strategy to ensure synergy with similar national institutions. The Colts program in this area focuses on three subprojects:
Financing Education In the 1998/99 financial year, education was allocated a budget of R43,7 billion. This amount includes R6 billion for universities and technikons and R37,7 billion for college and school education. About 70 000 students benefited from the Government’s National Student Financial Aid Scheme. In October 1998, Parliament approved an extra allocation of R200 million for textbooks to provincial education departments. The money was allocated to the provinces according to the education component of the equitable shares formula, which took into consideration the size of the school-age population and the number of pupils enrolled. In the same month, the Minister of Education announced new National Norms and Standards for School Funding in terms of the South African Schools Act, 1996. These norms became national policy on 1 April 1999 and will apply uniformly in all provinces. It is aimed at achieving equity in the distribution of resources. The norms entail provincial education departments directing 60 per cent of their non-personnel and non-capital resources towards the poorest 40 per cent of schools in the province. All provinces will have to compile a list of schools based on physical condition and relative poverty of the community and the school. The schools will then be divided into five categories, based on needs. The poorest 20 per cent will receive 35 per cent of resources, while the richest 20 per cent of schools will receive 5 per cent of the resources available to provincial education departments. The Department has set out certain categories according to which eligible independent schools will be subsidized:
An independent school may be considered for subsidy if it
An independent secondary school may be considered for subsidy if
Language Policy Language The Department of Education’s language policy stipulates that pupils have a right to be taught in a language of their choice, and states that they must inform the school which language they wish to be taught in when applying for admission. Schools, in turn, are expected to take their requests into account and to be seen to be working towards multilinguism. According to the policy
Admission In October 1998, the Department of Education’s new admission and age requirement policy was announced. The policy, which is expected to come into effect in January 2000, covers issues such as over-age and underage pupils, detailed admission requirements and feeder areas. From January 2000, no pupil will be admitted to Grade 1 in public schools unless the child turns seven years old during that calendar year. If a pupil is admitted to a public school and is above the normal age for that grade, the policy recommends that the school must make efforts to place the pupil in line with his/her peer group. When applying for admission, parents present the school with an official birth certificate and proof that the child has been immunized against communicable diseases. Public schools will not be allowed to suspend pupils from classes; deny them access to cultural, sporting or social activities or refuse to issue school reports if parents have not paid school fees or did not subscribe to the school’s code of conduct. Children who are older than 16 years and have never attended school will be referred to adult basic education centers. From January 2000, pupils will only be allowed to fail one Grade per learning phase. The phases are Grades 1 to 3, Grade 3 to 6, Grades 6 to 9 and Grades 10 to 12. Assessment A new pupil assessment policy, moving the emphasis from year-end exams to continuous performance appraisals, was presented to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Education in November 1998. The new approach is aimed partly at reducing the high rate of repetition in the country’s public schools by assisting pupils with learning problems. According to the new policy, pupils have to meet expected levels of performance to be promoted from one grade to the next. A clear definition of what these levels would entail is still to be determined. Continuous assessment will include a written and practical test at the end of the year. In terms of the policy, pupils should not spend more than four years in each phase and should, as a rule, progress with their age group. The process of assessment will involve a partnership between educators, students, parents and education support services. These services will include occupational and speech therapists and psychologists. Pupils failing to meet expected levels of performance at the year-end could, in exceptional cases, be allowed to repeat that year. Such a decision will be taken by the school in consultation with the child’s parents. Pupils with learning problems need not automatically repeat a year. They could, for instance, be advanced to the next grade and receive special coaching in problem subjects. Gifted children will also be identified and allowed to advance more rapidly through the education system. National Qualifications Framework The South African Qualifications Authority Act, 1995 (Act 58 of 1995), established a South African qualifications authority, controlled by an appointed board, to oversee the development of a National Qualifications Framework (NQF) covering standard setting and quality assurance. The objectives of the NQF include creating an integrated national framework for learning. Access, mobility and progression are other key objectives, as is the need to enhance quality in education and training. The speedy redress of past discrimination in education, training and employment is another main objective. Since its appointment in May 1996, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) has made significant progress with the development of the NQF. The SAQA consists of a chairperson and members nominated from a diversity of interests. The NQF will attempt to move the measurement of achievement in education and training away from input and towards outcomes. Curriculum 2005 Curriculum 2005 is the brand name of the new national curriculum framework for schools, based on the concept of outcomes-based education (OBE). OBE regards learning as essentially an interactive process between and among educators and learners, with the learner at the center of the process, and the teacher serving as facilitator. The focus is on what learners should know and do. It places strong emphasis on co-operative learning, especially group work on common tasks. The goal is to produce active, lifelong learners, with a thirst for knowledge and a love of learning. Curriculum 2005 was introduced in Grade 1 in 1998, after significant preparations. However, since schools are funded and administered by provincial governments, the preparations were somewhat hampered by the serious budget crises experienced by provincial governments in the 1997/98 financial year. Curriculum 2005 is being introduced progressively in the system. Thus the new learning programmes will cover both Grade 1 and Grade 2 classes in 1999. The Interprovincial Task Team on Learner Support Material paid special attention to ensuring that sufficient books were ordered and delivered to schools by the beginning of the 1999 school year. Teacher development is being undertaken with financial support from the Education Policy Reserve Fund under the Medium-term Expenditure Framework. The initial phasing-in schedule for Curriculum 2005 has been adjusted to take into account the experiences of 1997/98. The new learning programmes are being introduced in phases. It is still intended to achieve full coverage of grades 1 to 12 by the year 2005. The production and distribution of new learner support materials and teacher development programmes are ongoing processes, and will be continually adapted and improved in the light of experience. The electronic media, in particular the SABC, are supporting these programmes, as do the print media through the publication of supplementary materials. Education of Learners with Special Education Needs The National Commission on Special Needs in Education and Training (NCSNET) and the National Committee on Education Support Services (NCESS) were established by the Minister of Education in October 1996. They submitted their reports in November 1997. The NCSNET and NCESS were appointed to investigate and make recommendations on all aspects of ‘special needs and support services’ in education and training in South Africa. The comprehensive definition of the scope of ‘special needs and support’ resulted in the joint investigation of the NCSNET and NCESS which covered all levels or bands of education (early childhood development, general education and training, further education and training, higher education, and adult education), and all aspects of education. The proposals emerging from the investigation are an attempt to identify barriers and needs arising out of the above scenario, providing guidelines for transformation of all levels and aspects of education to ensure that all learners have access to quality education. The proposals include guidelines on the development of enabling mechanisms for this purpose. The vision proposed by the NCSNET and NCESS is that of an education and training system that promotes education for all and fosters the development of inclusive and supportive centers of learning that enable all learners to participate actively in the education process so that they can develop and extend their potential and participate as equal members of society. The principles guiding the broad strategies to achieve this vision include acceptance of the principles and values contained in the Constitution and the White Papers on Education and Training; human rights and social justice for all learners; participation and social integration; equal access to a single, inclusive education system; access to curriculum; equity and redress; community responsiveness, and cost-effectiveness. The Department of Education is currently finalizing the Green Paper. Present Education System South Africa’s education system accommodates more than 12,5 million learners. There is a sizeable and growing private school and college sector. Formal education can be categorized into sectors and levels. The sectors, which are closely linked to particular levels, are public ordinary school education, independent school education, special school education, technical college education, teacher-training, and technikon and university training. A public school may be an ordinary public school or a public school for learners with special education needs. The levels are pre-primary, primary, secondary and higher education. General and Further Education and Training is concerned with all aspects of school education, Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET), community education, Early Childhood Development, technical college education and distance education. The Department of Education approaches its task in this regard from a program perspective and distinguishes between two main aspects:
General education and training Pre-primary education Although some of the provincial departments of education provide pre-primary education, the scale is limited and the field of early childhood development is dominated by the non-governmental sector. Where departmental provision exists, this level usually caters for children from the age of three years to school-going age. Pre-primary schools must be registered with local authorities, and their activities are controlled by the various provincial education departments. These regulations are applicable to public as well as private pre-primary schools. Primary education Pupils enroll for junior primary education at the beginning of the year in which they turn seven years of age. From 1 January 2000, a new government school admissions policy will be implemented, which will prevent under age and over age pupils from attending public schools. In terms of the policy, only learners aged six years on January 1 will be admitted to Grade 1. It is estimated that some 35 per cent of South Africa’s school pupils are either under age or over age. It is expected that the policy will bring about savings of at least R1,4 billion per year. The junior primary phase lasts for three years. Basic learning activities during this phase involve learning to read, write and calculate, and the development of language proficiency. A start is made to learn one additional language. During the three-year senior primary phase, learning activities center on reading and oral proficiency in the mother tongue and second language, mathematics, history, geography, general science, and a skill such as needlework, woodwork or art.
Further education and training Further education and training (FET) consists of all learning and training from NQF levels two to four, or the equivalent of Grades 10 to 12 in the school system and National Certificate one to three in technical colleges. Learners enter FET after the completion of the compulsory phase of education at Grade 9. At the end of Grade 12 (the senior secondary phase), pupils write a public examination on a minimum of six subjects to obtain a Senior Certificate. The examination in each subject is conducted at three levels – Higher, Standard and Lower Grade. In April 1998, the Minister of Education released the Green Paper on Further Education and Training for public comment. The Education White Paper 4: A Program for the Transformation of Further Education and Training was released in August 1998. Subsequent to the release and a series of stakeholder deliberations, the Further Education and Training Act, 1998 (Act 98 of 1998), was promulgated on 2 November 1998. The White Paper and the Act form the statutory framework for the transformation and reorganization of the sector. The long-term vision is the development of a coordinated FET system, providing high-quality, flexible and responsive programmes and opportunities for a learning society. The FET system will include a range of different kind of institutions. Short to medium- term focus will be on addressing the weaknesses and deficiencies of the current system, at the same time laying the foundations for the kind of system to be built over the next 20 years. The emphasis will be on modernizing current learning programs and introducing new relevant qualifications, capacity-building, establishing the new governance and funding frameworks and managing the change process. Quality assurance The Department of Education is in the process of developing a coherent national quality management and quality assurance policy framework. In this regard, a discussion document on quality assurance policy has been circulated to various stakeholders in February 1999 and is currently being refined. Central to the development of the quality assurance policy is the establishment of an education and training quality assurance body for the General and Further Education Bands including ABET and Early Childhood Development. In this regard, the Department has set up a task team which will present its report in August 1999. Regular monitoring is the hallmark of quality education provision. The Directorate: Quality Assurance is developing macro and micro indicators to measure the performance of the education system in preparation for systemic evaluation which will take place in August 2000. The directorate has also conducted an audit of quality assurance activities in the national and provincial education departments. This audit is to be followed by the appointment of a Ministerial Committee that will advise the Department on the effective supervision and monitoring of schools.
Higher Education The Education White Paper 3: A Program for the Transformation of Higher Education and the Higher Education Act, 1997 (Act 101 of 1997), provide the policy and legislative framework for the transformation of the higher education system. Implementation of this framework began in 1998. In 1998, for the first time in the history of South African higher education, all universities and technikons were required to develop three-year rolling plans which, in future, will form the basis for funding decisions. The Higher Education branch visited all 36 higher education institutions to discuss the plans as an exercise. Another landmark in 1998 was the establishment of the Council on Higher Education (CHE). The CHE, as a statutory advisory body, will play a key role in helping to reshape the higher education landscape in coming years. In 1999, the CHE established the Higher Education Quality Committee to oversea quality assurance within the system. The development of a system-wide and institution-based planning process, complemented by a responsive regulatory and funding system, are the key mechanisms identified in the White Paper. Implementation of the policy and legislative framework of Education White Paper 3 and the Higher Education Act, 1997, frames the work plan of the Higher Education branch. While not yet fully staffed, the branch continues to increase its capacity to manage the wide-ranging challenges that it has taken on. The Chief Directorate: Planning and Management, is charged with the development of a planning and monitoring framework for the higher education system. This includes the key tasks of developing and implementing the new planning and funding arrangements, a new management information system and the integration of colleges that offer higher education programmes into the higher education system. In addition, the chief directorate provides a range of management support services to higher education institutions. Universities and technikons in South Africa are autonomous institutions, meaning that their respective councils are fully responsible for their management. The determination of the conditions of service for educators at universities or technikons is not prescribed by the Government. Universities are established by private Acts of Parliament, controlled by their respective councils, and they administer their own affairs. South Africa has 21 fully-fledged universities, two of which are mainly non-residential institutions offering distance tuition. The Higher Education Act, 1997 enables private tertiary institutions to register as private technikons or universities. Technikons provide vocational-orientated education on a tertiary level in order to supply the labor market with people who have particular skills, adequate technological and practical knowledge, and the necessary personal qualities to play a leading role in the working community. The Technikons Act, 1993 (Act 125 of 1993), enables technikons to provide degree studies and confer technikon degrees. In 1998, the Department of Education initiated the process of incorporating colleges, including education, agriculture and nursing, into the higher education system. This process is ongoing and is anticipated to be concluded within the next few years. Colleges of education offer three or four-year diploma courses for initial qualifications for primary or secondary school teaching. Colleges may also assist universities by offering certain courses for the primary or secondary school phase. A number of colleges have entered into agreements with universities, enabling joint endorsement of the certification of teachers. As a result, students may obtain credits towards a university degree in respect of courses included in their Diploma of Education. Some colleges of education offer a Bachelor of Primary Education degree which is conferred by a university.
The Educator’s Certificate for unqualified or underqualified teachers aims to provide their professional qualifications in the shortest possible time, without compromising standards. The teaching of mathematics, science and languages receives special attention, and students receive tuition in these subjects for at least two years. Because of the recognition of prior learning, matric need not necessarily be a requirement for the Educator’s Certificate for teachers who already have extensive teaching experience. The standard of the course is equivalent to two years’ post-matric, and the course provides access to the M3 (matric plus three years’ teacher training) teacher qualification. The Department of Education has approved the program and the curriculum. Vocational education Technical colleges and other institutions offer post-school vocational education. The major categories of students are school- leavers requiring career-oriented training, adults wanting to improve their qualifications and persons retraining for another vocation, or training in fields such as handicraft, commercial, social and community-orientated courses. Instructional programmes are developed in terms of seven broad vocational fields: Engineering, Business studies, Business language, Arts, Agriculture, Utility Industries and Social Services. The courses are very practice-orientated and include theory and design. The levels of training, examination and certification extend from N1 to N6. Certificates for the programmes are issued by the South African Certification Council. A number of technical colleges have accreditation agreements with technikons, thus enhancing the mobility of technical college students to tertiary education at a technikon. Part-time classes are provided for people interested in acquiring useful skills such as gardening, cookery and needlework. Language courses are also presented.
Distance education As part of the Government’s commitment to quality education and improving access to education, the Ministry of Education has expressed its commitment to open learning and distance education in the White Paper on Education and Training of 1995. It identified distance education as an essential mechanism for achieving these goals. The national Department of Education has also demonstrated its commitment to distance education. The Center of Educational Technology and Distance Education has launched a project aimed at promoting flexible and resource-based learning, as well as distance learning, in an open learning system. The first initiative was to develop quality criteria for distance education. These criteria were rated by SAQA in the development of standards for Education and Training Quality Assurers. SchoolNet SA was established in 1998 to support educators and learners in the application of information and communication technologies by providing leadership experts and developing effective partnerships in the areas of Internet connectivity and appropriate technology, human resource development and capacity-building, content and curriculum managment and development, as well as advocacy and marketing. In May 1998, the Minister of Education signed a memorandum of understanding with Industry Canada to strengthen links in order to advance learning through information and communications technology and distance learning technology. The agreement aims to provide teachers, students and the community with access to information services, teaching resources, learning materials and training courses.
Adult Basic Education and Training Policy and planning The primary goal of the Directorate: Adult Basic Education and Training in 1998, was to translate the national ABET Policy into practice. Through the Adult Education and Training Multi-Year Implementation Plan (MYIP), the directorate aims to increase both the quality and quality of ABET provisioning and delivery. During 1998, the directorate began to implement the first phase of the plan, and focused on the building of the national ABET system, the capacities of practitioners, the new curriculum and new governing structures for ABET centers. During the second phase (2000 – 01), emphasis will be placed on the rapid expansion of participation within the new ABET system. Curriculum Development and Learning Support Material The directorate has developed unit standards for all eight learning areas at the General Education and Training Certificate (GETC) level (Grade 9/ABET level 4) which cut across the 12 fields of learning of the NQF. These unit standards will be rewritten for the benchmark ABET levels 1, 2 and 3. The eight learning areas are the following:
The directorate has also developed draft unit standards at the GETC level for the following elective learning areas:
The unit standards are in the process of refinement and further consultation will take place before they will be submitted to SAQA for registration with the NQF. Provincial departments of education are finalizing general integrated learning programmes for all ABET levels. The composition of an ABET qualification is being developed in line with the SAQA proposal on qualifications. The directorate has developed a draft on ABET level descriptions for application in learning environments across different contexts, e.g. in the workplace or community and in rural or urban areas. An audit of Learner Support Material and an assessment guideline document have been completed. A national assessment action plan is in place. Practitioner development The directorate aims to build the capacity of adult educators to apply OBE to adult learning. It has also supported a standards generating task team to develop norms and standards for adult practitioners. This will assist the professionalization of educators in the ABET sector. The training of practitioners is also done at all levels on a cascading basis. Monitoring and evaluation A monitoring and evaluation strategy for ABET provisioning and performance has been developed following consultation with the provincial education department representatives for training interventions. It has been submitted to the Directorate: Quality Assurance for inclusion in the Department’s quality assurance policy and strategy. Social mobilization A national advocacy and mobilizing strategy was developed to motivate and encourage potential learners to participate in adult education and training programmes in order to inspire educators and to keep ABET on the national agenda. Stakeholders from the Government, economic and non-governmental sectors have been involved to refine the strategy. A successful International Literacy Day celebration, focusing on adult learning and adult learners in the Department, was held in September 1998. Structures for co-operation and coordination An interim ABET advisory body was established to advise the Minister and to receive reports from all sectors on the progress of the MYIP in anticipation of an ABET Act. An ABET interdepartmental committee was established to coordinate the Government’s contribution to Adult Education and Training. The directorate participates in developments within the FET sector and co-operates with the Youth Colleges Initiative. Partnerships The directorate works closely with organized bodies that provide basic adult education and training, to produce user-friendly documents for learners and a series of norms and standards for practitioners, publishers, the Adult Education and Training Association of South Africa, the Metal and Engineering Industry Training Board, and the Mining Qualifications Authority. Funding The Department of Education is the major source of funds for the directorate. The Education Labor Relations Council has also provided funds for a survey of the state and nature of educators, such as their level of qualification and remuneration. Assistance from the international community has been received from United States Agency for International Development, the European Union and the Swedish International Development Agency.
Human Resources in Education The Directorate: Human Resource Management and Development is responsible for the development of aspects on how to ensure that the available human resources are sufficiently trained and supported to deliver the quality of services demanded. The work is outlined by the policy framework concluded in 1998, and is driven throughout the system by a detailed implementation plan. Besides this conceptual work, the focus of the directorate has been on Education Management Development (EMD), supporting managers at all levels of the system, and on employment equity matters, particularly in relation to race and gender. Policy Framework on Human Resources After extensive collaboration with provincial departments of education, and Canadian and South African technical experts, the Policy Framework on Education Human Resources was presented to senior management, together with the document Steps to Implementation. Coupled with this policy framework is a capacity-building program that will be implemented in 1999. A Hedcom Subcommittee on Education Human Resources will be established in 1999. Education Management Development The major focus of activity early in 1998 was the management of the EMD Task team activities up to April. Intensive discussions of the task team recommendations eventually resulted in a departmental decision to incorporate EMD responsibilities within the branch rather than to establish a new, freestanding EMD institute. As part of this ongoing management development program, the directorate participated in the Hedcom School Governance Workshop held in January 1998. The directorate facilitated an international technical workshop on the establishment of an EMD Institute in March, and managed the Canadian-South Africa Education Management Program, including meetings and study visits to Canada. There has been extensive planning for the utilization of the Policy Reserve Fund (PRF). Five PRF-EMD project proposals at a national level have led to the development of provincial PRF-EMD project work plans. The PRF-EMD project will focus on EMD base-line research, capacity-building for provincial coordinators, and an EMD inventory and possible research on standards setting for good practice. Equity issues After the presentation of the Gender Equity task team report to the Minister in January 1998, a committee was established to deal with the major recommendation to establish a Gender Equity Unit (GEU) in the national Department of Education and the provincial departments. Owing to budgetary constraints, the GEU was not established immediately, but the program activities were initiated and managed by the directorate. The directorate has also provided ongoing support to the provincial departments on gender equity matters, and has established a network of provincial gender coordinators. There has been coordination between the directorate and the United Nations Children’s Fund concerned with networking in the Southern African Development Community countries and study visits to Botswana and Zambia by both provincial and national officials. The directorate has also been involved in conferences held in Washington DC on Girls’ Education, in Rustenburg, North-West, on Women in Science and Technology, and in Venda, Northern Province, on Eradicating Witchcraft Violence. The directorate has also participated in numerous day workshops held by the Center for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria. There is ongoing support for the Interbranch Gender Coordinating Committee in the national Department of Education, which was tasked to coordinate the National Women’s Day celebrations on August 9. The directorate has taken initial steps towards formulating a broad equity policy framework, which will be presented and discussed with all stakeholders, especially provincial departments, in 1999. Directorate: Labor Relations The Directorate: Labor Relations has promoted labor peace in education through formal and informal processes. There has been minimal disruption of schooling, in spite of severe fiscal constraints. Ongoing assistance to provinces in human resource management has taken many forms. Direct assistance with dispute proceedings – conciliation, mediation and arbitration – has mostly led to quicker and more effective resolutions. Indirect assistance has included a number of capacity-building workshops and seminars on labor law and handling of disputes. The centralisation of public service bargaining on pay and benefits has resulted in greater co-operation across departments, and especially with the departments of Public Service and Administration, Finance and State Expenditure in terms of the Medium term Expenditure Framework processes. Directorate: Educator Provisioning and Employment Conditions The Directorate: Educator Provisioning and Employment Conditions has been primarily involved in seeking a solution to the contentious issue of educator post-provisioning. Learner-educator ratios have been under conflicting pressures by unions from the perspective of job security, and by the Government from a fiscal perspective. In an attempt to balance these imperatives in an educationally accountable way, the Department of Education has engaged in a study of appropriate proportions of resource input to education. Provincial education budgets have been closely analyzed and, where possible, are being restructured to provide for a greater percentage of expenditure on non-salary costs. The directorate was part of the Ministerial Task Team appointed to assist the Eastern Cape Education Department with financial matters. Through an extensive process of consultation, research and piloting, the directorate has developed a policy-driven model for the distribution of educator posts. This allows for teachers to be provided according to the complex curricular needs of each school. The computerized model has been tested in all the provinces, and was expected to be implemented in 1999. The directorate had a principal role in developing the Employment of Educators Act, 1998, (Act 76 of 1998), which was unanimously passed in Parliament. Draft regulations in terms of the Act seek to regulate educator post provisioning in provinces, in accordance with national policy and norms. A major accomplishment of the directorate has been the signing of an agreement with unions regarding Developmental Appraisal, which will be implemented from 1999. A national appraisal team has been established . Subdirectorate: Educator In-Service Development Although the Subdirectorate: Educator In-Service Development only appointed staff as from November 1998, it commenced immediately with an investigation into the provision of in-service development programmes. A report was expected in 1999, which will be used to develop a policy document. Work in regard to teacher development and support has taken place under the auspices of the President’s Education Initiative (PEI), for which the Chief Directorate: Education Human Resources is responsible. The PEI has attracted over R200 million from foreign donors, which has been directed towards teacher development projects in the national and provincial departments of education, and more agreements are being processed. Regular reports are given to donors and departments on the status of the PEI programmes. One of the PEI funding agreements provided for the establishment of a national Teacher Development Center (TDC). The center has assisted the Department with the management of the numerous PEI programmes running in all provinces and has also taken steps towards building capacity in provinces to facilitate their own development programmes. In addition, the TDC is undertaking research into good classroom practice in the new educational environment and into the most effective modes of delivery for teacher development programmes. A database of such programmes is also being compiled by the TDC, which could be accessed by teachers wishing to pursue their own professional development. Library and Information Services Sector South Africa’s growing library and information services sector includes two national libraries and hundreds of public (municipal) libraries (most of which are affiliated to provincial services), special libraries, government libraries and university and college libraries. The Subdirectorate: Meta-information of the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology is responsible for macro-policy regarding meta-information, policy formulation regarding special libraries in the Public Service, and the rendering of information management advice. The sub-directorate also deals with matters pertaining to the South African Library for the Blind. The Legal Deposit Act, 1997 (Act 54 of 1997), came into effect in July 1998. There are now six places of legal deposit. These comprise the five former legal deposit libraries – the State Library, the South African Library, the Library of Parliament, the Bloemfontein Public Library, the Natal Society Library and now also the National Film, Video and Sound Archives. One copy of every document published must be deposited by publishers. In the Act, the term ‘publication’ has been replaced by ‘document’ which encompasses not only print media but also electronic publications, films and videos. Apart from the places of legal deposits the Act provides for official publications depositories. These are depots where members of the public can obtain access to government publications, supporting the ideal of an open and transparent democracy. They are being established in each province and will ensure that government information will be much more widely available. The sub-directorate has negotiated a beneficial contract with Sabinet Online to allow access to special libraries in government departments under the sub-directorate's co-operative control. Sabinet Online serves a wide range of government, academic and business institutional users in South Africa, neighboring countries such as Botswana and Namibia, and other international clients. More than 520 institutions, mainly libraries, make use of Sabinet’s services. South Africa, for historical reasons, has two national libraries – the South African Library in Cape Town and the State Library in Pretoria. National library functions are shared by these libraries in terms of the National Libraries Act, 1985 (Act 56 of 1985). In accordance with the recommendations of the Working Group on the National Libraries of South Africa (WGNL), the National Library of South Africa Act, 1998 (Act 92 of 1998), was published in the Government Gazette in November 1998. The Act provides for the amalgamation of the two national libraries into a single, dual-campus National Library of South Africa. The amalgamation date is subject to the decision by the Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology. The national libraries are custodians of the national information resource contained in material published in South Africa. In terms of the National Libraries Act, 1985, the object of a national library is to promote the rendering of information services to the population by collecting, preserving and making accessible published and unpublished material. Both the State Library and the South African Library have built up comprehensive collections of material from and about southern Africa, each concentrating on specific areas. The collections are processed and made available for use in various ways. The South African Library in Cape Town is the national preservation library for all South African legal deposit publications (including de luxe editions) and rare or unique material. Its Conservation Department renders a national preservation service. Its collections have been augmented by donations of books, private manuscripts, photographs and other research material. As the national reference library, the South African Library makes its collections available on-site and also deals with thousands of telephone and written research queries annually. Research material is further made available by means of bibliographical research done and published by the library. In addition, the South African Library publishes facsimile editions of rare Africana items. Microfilming of South African newspapers, both current issues and older files, is undertaken. The State Library in Pretoria is primarily the library for libraries. It facilitates access to the collections of material in southern African libraries by means of bibliographic processing systems and, inter alia, has the primary responsibility for compiling bibliographies of current material, exchanging bibliographic records with national bibliographic centers in other countries and promoting and applying bibliographic standards. In addition, it runs the national interlending system and acts as national center for southern African and international lending, making its collections available to users in other libraries. The nine provincial library authorities provide, in partnership with local governments, extensive public library services. Apart from their traditional lending services, public libraries are increasingly rendering community and general information services and providing study materials and facilities to students. Ten of the biggest cities, namely Pretoria, Johannesburg, Roodepoort, Germiston, Springs, Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Port Elizabeth, East London and Cape Town, are responsible for the public library services in their individual metropolitan areas. Resource centers provide information resources in a variety of media, arranged to facilitate information production and distribution, and the development of information skills. They are mostly funded by NGOs. Special libraries include the libraries of the two largest research organizations, namely the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), and the South African Library for the Blind. This library, founded in Grahamstown in 1919, provides a free national library service of audio and Braille books to visually impaired persons. The National Occupational Safety Association has the largest privately-owned video and publication library in South Africa with video titles on all aspects of occupational safety and health. The Library and Information Workers Organization of South Africa (Liwo) is a non-aligned organization committed to developing information services in response to community needs, and promoting the education and training of library and information workers. In July 1997, a new, unified body of information stakeholders and library associations called Liasa – the Library and Information Association of South Africa – was established. Liasa members represent many of the skilled and semi-skilled library and information workers spread across some 2 500 service points around the country. The Center for Educational Technology and Distance Education established a Research Working Group to investigate the development of national standards for school libraries. A discussion document entitled A National Policy Framework for School Library Standards was produced. The report proposes, among other things, a variety of models for school libraries and a generic standard to conform to. Links to Universities The Department of Education Postal Address: Private
Bag X895, PRETORIA, 0001 Minister: Prof
AK Asmal Our vision is of a South
Africa in which all its people have equal access to lifelong
education and training opportunities, which will contribute
towards improving their quality of life and building a
peaceful, prosperous and democratic society. MISSION To ensure that all South Africans receive lifelong education and training of high quality.
Source: GCIS: South Africa Yearbook, 1999
Last Revised: Tuesday, October 09, 2007
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