The Minister contextualised the budget by stressing that reducing poverty depends on giving South Africans a better education – this is what makes education the apex priority.

The budget for 2011/2012

The budget for the 2011/2012 financial year is R13,868 billion (an increase of R6,369 billion from last year).

Report on 2010 commitments and follow-up action in 2011

• The Minister reports on progress made on the development of an education Action Plan to 2014: Towards the Realisation of Schooling 2025.
• The revision of the National Curriculum Statement will be implemented from January 2012, commencing with the Foundation Phase and Grade 10.
• NEEDU is to be implemented – a performance evaluation system. NEEDU is an external agency set up to evaluate the entire education system and to report to the Ministry and the public on the state of education in South Africa schools. NEEDU was launched in March 2011. “Its core mandate is to identify the critical factors that inhibit or advance school improvement and to make focused recommendations for redressing the problem areas that undermine school improvement.” NEEDU will therefore help to establish frameworks for school accountability, establish the causes of poor school performance, learn more about the factors underlying school functionality and excellence, make policy recommendations on improved school functionality, and disseminate good practices.
• There is commitment to improving the performance of Grades 3, 6 and 9. In February 2011, assessments of Grades 1-6 and Grade 10 started, and the report will be released on 29 April 2011.
• Improved teaching will be facilitated by having at least 8,000 principals and deputy principals completing the Advanced Certificate in Education: School Leadership and Management.
• Early Childhood Development was advanced in 2010 by training more than 10,000 ECD practitioners. The Department has committed to expanding access to Grade R and to ensuring the provision of quality programmes “to compensate for socio-economic deprivation and low family literacy”. It will be universalised by 2014.

Priorities for 2011

• Delivery in education in 2011 is the arch priority, and to this end, the department will establish a Planning and Delivery Oversight Unit. It will be mandated to take forward the department’s obligations and will in this regard work with and through the provinces to “weave together all the current initiatives so as to allow for a coherent value chain from policy to implementation in the classroom.” The Unit’s four functions will be: bringing back the focus on instruction; providing coherence and linkages that will bind strategies and cross-border activities into a holistic whole; setting up an effective value-chain across the system; and helping to build an integrated and transparent system.
• Maths and science will remain a priority. A Maths and Technology Strategy is being developed to reinforce the Dinaledi Schools Programme.
• Literacy will be improved by improving competency in languages, especially in English First Additional Language.
• Priority will be given to ensuring a textbook for every learner.
• Teacher development will be prioritized to advance the Triple Ts – teachers, texts and on time.
• The Planning and Delivery Oversight Unit’s initial task will be to improve performance of 18 poorly performing districts in the Eastern Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
• Improving infrastructure at schools will be achieved by establishing close working relationships with communities, encouraging their participation and facilitating community ownership of school buildings. More specifically the department commits to: eradicate mud and unsafe structures; provide water to at least 807 schools; provide sanitation to 391 schools; provide electricity to 286 schools; for free-standing facilities without adequate resources, 29 administration blocks, 25 libraries and 6 laboratories will be built; working with provinces, by 2014, 3627 schools will be brought to basic functionality and safety levels.
• The National School Nutrition Programme will continue with more involvement of beneficiation to the community. The 2011/12 budget has increased to R915 million to cater for the implementation of the NSNP in Quintile 3 secondary schools.
• In 2010 the Health Screening Programme was conducted through two School Health Weeks. It commenced with Foundation Phase learners in quintile 1 schools. In 2011 it will be rolled out to Grade 1 learners in all quintile 1 primary schools.
• The department will work with the police to improve the safety of children at schools and combat sexual abuse, criminality, violence and alcohol and drug abuse. To this end, the department will develop a social protection programme for children at risk working closely with the Department of Social Development and local municipalities.

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