Hon members, with regard to follow- up questions I appeal to you that they be within the context of the question asked on the Question Paper.
Chair, the preliminary assessment of the impact of Dinaledi schools has been positive. We have 500 Dinaledi schools, which are principally based in rural and township areas with a learner population of approximately 7%. These schools contribute almost 24% of passes, which is about 50% in matric. This clearly indicates a positive result. Furthermore, there has been an increase in the participation of girl-learners in the learning areas of maths and science, which, again, was one of the objectives of Dinaledi schools.
Given the positive results of Dinaledi schools, the department has embarked on an in-depth study to ascertain the positive aspects which contributed to the success of Dinaledi schools and the extent to which they could be expanded. The answer to the next question is: Yes, the results of the study will be made available to interested parties and stakeholders when the study has been concluded.
The department has decided to keep the number of Dinaledi schools at 500 and to increase the support for these schools. We will increase the number after we have completed the assessment.
The choosing of the Dinaledi schools is done in collaboration with provinces. The national department only sets the criteria and, jointly, with the provinces, we choose the schools.
The Department of Education provides support and oversight over these schools. It monitors them, keeps a database of support for the schools and has provincial co-ordinators in different provinces. These schools are given extra textbooks, study guides, scientific calculators and science kits - and the teachers in those areas are trained in content knowledge which has, ostensibly, impacted positively on the results.
Learners from Dinaledi schools are also made to participate in the Mathematics Olympiad. Approximately 250 of these schools have been adopted by the private sector and parastatals, and this initiative has also impacted positively on and contributed to the success of the Dinaledi schools.
Thanks, Minister, but I won't say for the comprehensive response. The focus of the Dinaledi School Project was to enhance the performance of young South Africans in maths and science.
Yesterday we had the family of Ch Guevara and the ambassador of Cuba in the House. Cuba revolutionised their country's standing in maths and science within a matter of two years. My understanding is that it is not the job of revolutionaries only to sing praises to Cuba, but also to learn lessons from them. I want to know whether the department and the government have embarked on a programme to learn from Cuba.
We cannot have a pilot project forever. The number of Dinaledi schools has been frozen at 500, and this is therefore no longer a project because it has been running for five years now. Is there any programme to ensure that the teaching of maths and science is revolutionised along Cuban lines?
Mhlonishwa Kganare uyayilahla manje. [Hon Kganare, you are out of order.]
I will allow the Minister to respond if she wishes to do so, because in this question there is nothing that relates to Cuba.
LETONA LA THUTO YA MOTHEO: Ntate Kganare, bonnete ke hore o bua nnete empa se teng ke hore dikolong tsena, thutadipalo ha e etswe feela dikolong tsa Dihodi-naledi, e etswa dikolong kaofela. Kahoo, hore ha di a ata ho ba makgolo kapa sekete ha se tsietsi hakaalo mme dinaledi re e etsa dikolong tsa batho ba kobo di mahetleng mme palo ya makgolo a mahlano ha o e bapisa le dikolo tse ding tse ikgonang tseo di ntseng di etsa thutadipalo, o tla fumana hore ha re a ema hampe hakaalo.
Seo re sa batleng ho se etsa, ke hore re atise lenane la dikolo tsena re e so tebe ho fumana dintho kaofela tseo re di hlokang lenaneng lena. Kahoo le tla teba, re sa ntsane re etsa diphuputso re utlwisise hore di kgonneng jwang ho atleha. Ha re se re fumane maele ana kapa tsebo eo, lenane le tla ata ka tsela e nepahetseng. O se ke wa kgathatseha, le tla ata ntate. [Mahofi.] (Translation of Sesotho paragraphs follows.)
[The MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION: Hon Kganare, what you are saying is true, but maths is taught in all the schools and not only the ones that are part of the Dinaledi Schools Project. So, whether they do not increase to hundreds or thousands is not really a problem, because we carry out this project at previously disadvantaged schools with poor resources. If you look at the figure of 500, as compared to that of well-resourced schools that also do maths, you will find that it is really not that bad after all.
We don't want to increase the number of schools without knowing exactly what is needed in the project. We are still conducting research to understand how others have succeeded and then the project will expand. It will expand accordingly once we have received the necessary advice or knowledge. It will expand, sir, don't worry. [Applause.]]
Chairperson, of the 500 schools in the 9 provinces that are part of the Dinaledi Schools Project, only schools from four provinces, that is the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and Limpopo, made it onto the list of the 10 best state schools.
In the assessment that was done on the impact of Dinaledi schools, I want to know from the Minister whether any reasons were found why, in general, schools in the Western Cape are achieving better results than schools in other provinces, and whether her department is going to provide more support and resources to the schools in the other five provinces to ensure that there is a drastic improvement in matric results, so that very soon we have schools in all nine provinces appearing on the top 10 list.
UNGQONGQOSHE WEMFUNDO EYISISEKELO: Sihlalo, ubuke washo nje. Baba Mfundisi noma lungu,izikole eziyikhulu eziphezulu azihambelani neDinaledi, manje umhlonishwa uthatha ufaka into nje engahlangani neDinaledi uyayihlohla nje indaba yezikole eziyikhulu ezihamba phambili, azihambelani. Uma ufuna sixoxe ngezikole eziyikhulu asixoxe ngazo, uma ufuna sixoxe ngeDinaledi asixoxe, singazihlanganisi zingahlangani. Baba ngiyabonga. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[The MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION: Chairperson, like you said before, Reverend or hon member, the top 100 schools have nothing to do with the Dinaledi Schools Project. The hon member is just confusing the issues. The top 100 performing schools have nothing to do with the Dinaledi Schools Project. If you want us to talk about the top 100 performing schools, let us do that, and if you want us to talk about the Dinaledi Schools Project, let us do that. Let us not confuse two issues that do not go together. Thank you.]
Thank you, Chairperson. Hon Minister, with regard to performance in maths and science, I would like to agree with what the hon Meshoe said about the top 10 schools.
As the department provided the Sunday Times with that information to make those results known, I would like to ask the Minister whether there is any evidence from the department to say that the Dinaledi Schools Project is successful. Secondly, I would like to know whether the Maths911, which is also contributing to the improvement of maths in schools, isn't a duplication of the Dinaledi project.
Chair, perhaps the member didn't understand because I was speaking in isiZulu. I said the top 100 schools have nothing to do with the Dinaledi School Project. The reasons those schools succeeded have nothing to do with the fact that they are part of the Dinaledi School Project. Those are separate issues that have to be addressed differently with regard to schools that work and succeed.
The Dinaledi Schools Project specifically targets rural and township schools - I don't think even 10 of those 100 schools are township and rural schools. That is why I am saying that those are separate issues.
The Dinaledi Schools Project is meant to address rural and township schools where maths and science uptake has been very low. It is a special programme to intensify areas we would not have been able to succeed in had we not made the necessary interventions.
Hon member, you are quite right to say that it is important that we have maths and science. Unfortunately, you are linking two things which are not linked. If you want to talk about the 100 schools survey, then let's talk about it, but let us not link the issues because they are not linked.
Madam Chairperson, on a point of order: The Minister says schools that are part of the Dinaledi Schools Project are not part of the 100 top schools survey. Mbilwi High School is in Limpopo and it is part of the Dinaledi project. So, I don't think it is correct for the Minister to say that none of those schools in the top 100 are part of the project.
Hon Meshoe, I didn't hear anyone mentioning that school.
Chair, if you listened carefully to what she said, you would recall that she said that none of the 100 top schools was part of the Dinaledi Schools Project. And this school I am referring to is part of the Dinaledi project.
Hon member, the Minister has responded to those questions. Therefore let us proceed.
Chairperson, the ANC cannot ignore the fact that the Minister responded appropriately to all the questions posed by the hon Mr D A Kganare, and it must be noted that we applaud the Minister's well- informed leadership.
However, we note that all our schools could be transformed and be of Dinaledi quality if the textbooks and study guides supplied could replace the unnecessary duplication of the three levels of lesson planning, which overburden our educators, something the Minister also alluded to in her interaction with education departments. Does the Minister have any timeframes within which the supplied textbooks and study guides could be accepted as sufficient resources for teaching so as to enhance quality contact time and ensure timeous assessment of learners by educators? When can the department expand its supply of scientific calculators and science kits to all our rural schools and not just to Dinaledi schools? [Time expired.]
Chair, indeed, we intend to expand the resources that we are supposed to provide schools with. The Presidency has already given us more than R500 million to top up schools and make sure that we provide schools with textbooks and deal with all the problems the member has raised. In January we will be able to top up schools in order to provide more textbooks to 60% of all our poor schools to solve the problems those schools are experiencing. We are working on it. In January, when the schools reopen, we'll be ready with those textbooks and other resources for the 60% of our schools in poor areas.
Steps taken to remove the burden of the cost of education and to transform the NSFAS
191. Mr Z S Makhubele (ANC) asked the Minister of Higher Education and Training:
(1) What steps have been taken to remove the burden of the cost of education from poor families, especially in the light of the underspending by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS); and
(2) to what degree is the further expansion of the services and the transformation of the NSFAS receiving priority?