PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE PRESENTATION

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PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE PRESENTATION

• ENSURING QUALITY THROUGH EDUCATION DISTRICTS
• by
• Palesa T. Tyobeka
• Deputy Director-General General Education and
  Training
• 09 November 2007

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The place of Districts in the Education System

• Education districts are the link between
  education sites and provincial education
  departments in the pursuit of quality education.
• They play a pivotal role in ensuring that
  education needs are understood and addressed and
  that national learning objectives are achieved.
• Districts have to date been organized according
  to provincial preferences/needs.
• Education district nomenclature and structures
  also differ from province to province.
• The intensity and quality of service delivery
  varies considerably from district to district
  across the country.

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Education district services pre1994
Ex Depart. Per capita expenditure Services provided Teacher/learner ratio
HoA R300 Curriculum, HR, Finances, Psych. Services 120
HoD R200 Same as above 130
HoR R150 Curriculum, HR, Finances 150
DET etc R50 As above 165
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Current profile of services

• Services still affected by pre 1994 provisioning
• Western Cape, Northern Cape and Gauteng top three
  provinces and also able to provide more district
  services
• Rest of provinces offering more limited basket of
  services in line with resources inherited from
  huge homeland administrations.

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The legal position

• An education district has no precise legal
  definition in South Africa
• Education districts have no original powers or
  functions prescribed by law
• In each province, districts are demarcated and
  named, and their staff complements established by
  the MEC for Education in terms of the Public
  Service Act of 1994.

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The changes that must be made

• District offices
• Must be established and defined in law
• as centers of support for quality learning,
  appropriately staffed for the purpose
• become centres of real authority and
• have the capacity to give professional support of
  high quality to educators and leaders in schools/
  education sites.

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Towards a policy framework

• Policy Development process started that
• Expresses a national vision for education
  districts in the transformation of education
  system,
• Determines standardized roles, powers and
  responsibilities
• Provides a normative framework for their
  management and operation including support to
  educational sites.

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Scope of the policy framework cont

• It will ensure a common understanding of
• The concept of an education district and related
  responsibilities
• The powers delegated to district managers
• The structural components of an education
  district office, represented in an organogram

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Basket of services delivered by districts

• A district office is responsible for delivering a
  basket of services to education institutions
• Such services have one overriding purpose to
  advance the implementation of quality education
  and improved service delivery in all education
  institutions

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Basket of services delivered by districts cont

• A districts basket of services comprises
• Planning and co-ordinating the roles, support and
  functions of Circuit Managers and
  multi-functional teams of educators and officials
• Co-ordinating, implementing and monitoring
  curriculum and development support services
• Co-ordinating and implementing institutional
  development, management and support services
• Facilitating and co-ordinating education services
  and programmes, including social and specialized
  functions
• Rendering financial and supply chain management
  services
• Planning, co-ordinating and implementing school
  psychological, guidance, life skills, social,
  remedial and therapeutic services for all learners

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Towards a policy framework for districts

• Policy development process advanced to ensure
• Uniformity of districts nationally in terms of
  roles and responsibilities and relationship to
  school management and governance
• Standardization of terminology, systems and
  structures, staffing, and operations of districts
  across the education system as detailed in the
  proposed Education Management Service manual
• An organogram that details the purpose and
  function of the various components that make up a
  district office and the number of posts that are
  required there

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Broad time-frames

• Final draft being discussed with Provincial HoDs
  on 13th November 2007
• Approval by CEM January 2008
• Costing of implementation needs and phasing in by
  January 2009