Chairperson, Mr Gamede, thank you for raising this important issue.
The Department of Basic Education is monitoring the implementation of inclusive education in our provinces. The department monitors the implementation in the following ways. Firstly, provinces provide reports on progress made in the implementation of inclusive education at provincial, district and school levels. The reports highlight successes as well as challenges faced in the implementation of inclusive education.
Secondly, specialised audits are conducted to measure progress made and make recommendations for interventions at both full-service and special schools.
With regard to where the implementation has taken place, the first stage of the policy implementation took place in 30 districts, 30 full-service schools and 34 special schools in the poorest part of all nine provinces between 2002 and 2009. During this phase, the Department of Basic Education aimed to introduce a number of systemic measures that would lay the foundation for a system-wide implementation of the policy for inclusive education in South Africa.
With regard to progress achieved, I will just name a few things. The budget for implementing the policy was expanded by the National Treasury from zero to R1,5 billion over a period of three years, that is from 2008 to 2011. More than 7 000 educators and officials have been trained on the key policy implementation guidelines. These include guidelines for inclusive teaching and learning and the National Strategy on Screening, Identification, Assessment and Support. Guidelines for full-service or inclusive schools and guidelines for quality education in special schools and special school resource centres have been distributed to managers throughout the system of education, and they are also used by universities as material for teacher development.
The principle of environmental access has been included in the national school infrastructure norms, and no new schools that are not accessible will be built. Officials in 30 districts in the country have been trained on the requirements of running an inclusive education system. Special schools know what the implications of the changing role are within an inclusive landscape. At least 30% of the budget allocated by the National Treasury has been made available to raise standards of physical infrastructure in curriculum delivery in special schools to improve quality education, quality teaching and learning. A total of 912 children in 34 schools have received appropriate assistive devices, which will enable them to have access to education. We spent R20 million in the current year, and more money will be spent for this particular purpose.
With regard to progress in KwaZulu-Natal, this province has developed a provincial strategy for the implementation of inclusive education. The roll- out of the provincial strategy to establish schools as inclusive centres of learning, care and support commenced in 2008. The strategy shows that the first phase of implementation would span the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF, period 2008 to March 2012. This would cover the establishment of 50 full-service schools, the piloting of a provincial model of a special school as a resource centre and the strengthening of 16 special schools identified to be potential SSRCs, or special schools as resource centres. These identified full-service schools and SSRCs are allocated in all 12 educational districts within the province. The exact location of these schools can be obtained from the provincial education district offices.
In conclusion, we recently had a mini World Cup, and we had 6 884 schools participating. I'm very proud to stand here and say that amongst the categories of learners - the under-18 and under-16 boy and girl learners - we had a special category for our special schools. Amongst the 96 games that were played in the finals, there was a category devoted, to learners with disabilities. This means that they are caring. A humane society would pay particular attention to learners with special needs. Yet, the challenges are great. But together we can do more. Thank you, Chairperson.
Chair, I would just like to ask the Minister to forward a copy of the response, if possible.
Chairperson, I appreciate the response from the Deputy Minister. The concern I want to raise hinges on other provinces and certain towns. This is mostly in the rural areas, where you find that there are certain pockets in towns and provinces where inclusivity and access are not promoted. We, still have some schools using residence, fees and language to exclude others.
I'm looking mostly at the principle of the transformation of our schooling system to ensure that it becomes inclusive of both the disabled and various nationalities without any discrimination. I want to know if we have a process within the Ministry that has begun to outline steps that could be taken, particularly against schools, or rather some rules that could be applicable, to ensure that the problem of inclusivity and access to schools becomes something that all South Africans can enjoy. Thank you.
Thank you very much, hon member, for raising this concern. Indeed, we share the concern. It's for this reason that there has been a paradigm shift. Chairperson, you would probably be aware that, prior to 1994, special schools were located principally in white areas, cities and towns. So, you would have them in Pietermaritzburg, Cape Town and Johannesburg, and hardly inside a rural area. We have moved quite a long way in this regard in order to ensure that we provide access.
In fact, the 30 districts that have been identified are all rural, with particular needs. The special schools that have been established are all in those areas that are rural by nature and where there were no facilities available. The conversion of schools into full-service schools is also in areas where there has been no access in the past. So, there is a particular bias in terms of equity and opportunity for access to our historically disadvantaged areas. Therefore, this indeed is a paradigm shift in terms of what we have to do.
But the challenges are great. In fact, if there is one difficult area, it is the area of disability. You cannot look at individual deficits, but you have to look at this systematically. Because of its very diverse nature, there are very complex arrangements that have to be taken into account. There are issues of mainstreaming wherever possible, screening, facilities, resources and training. This in itself is a largely complex area.
What I can share with the hon member in the House is that we have moved forward. Yet, as I indicated before I satdown, the challenges are still great, and we have to do much more in order to achieve that. But as for the concern with regard to where the emphasis is, this is certainly in the rural areas, amongst the poorest of the poor, particularly with a view to ensuring that people are not discriminated against on the basis of class, language or culture. Thank you very much, Chairperson.
Chairperson, I want to raise a concern, especially with regard to the situation we are facing in Bushbuckridge. We only have one FET college in Acornhoek. Up to now, this is the only institution of higher learning in an area of about more than 1 million people.
Now, I want to know from the Deputy Minister whether there is any further bias towards these kinds of FET colleges, where there are not even other universities or residences as compared to towns, where there is a choice to go to an FET college or a university or a technikon. The situation in Bushbuckridge is that this particular FET college is the only one in the area. Is any attention being given to this so that the people can get ... [Interjections.]
Chairperson, on a point of order: May I just assist the hon member. Question 31(a) has been asked to the Minister of Higher Education and Training. I believe that he will be able to adequately deal with the matter. Thank you.
I was going to rule this question out anyway.
Funding for further education and training colleges for learners from rural areas, and programme for learner applications
31. Mnu D D Gamede (ANC) ubuza uNgqongqoshe weMfundo ePhakeme noku- Qeqesha:
(1) Ingabe izikole zokufundela amakhono nazo zizoluthola yini uxhaso lwezimali zabafundi abantulayo, ikakhulukazi labo abahlala emakhaya, njengako Gingindlovu, Nkandla, Mbonambi, Mnambithi, njalonjalo; uma akunjalo, kutheni; uma kunjalo, ithini imininingwane;
(2) ingabe luzoba nini uhlelo lokuthi abafundi bafake izicelo zokufunda esikhungweni esisodwa vo, bese kubhaliswa lezo zicelo kwezinye izikhungo, ukuze abafundi balekelwe ekukhokeni kakhulu befaka izicelo nje kuphela? CO234Z
[31. Mr D D Gamede (ANC) asked the Minister of Higher Education and Training:
(1) Whether the further education and training (FET) colleges will receive funding for learners from rural areas such as Gingindlovu, Nkandla, Mbonambi and Mnambithi who cannot afford to pay for their fees; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(2) when will there be a programme for learners to send in their applications to one institution, which will then send those applications to other institutions in order to help them save the money that they spend on sending applications to many institutions? CO234E]
UNGQONGQOSHE WEZEMFUNDO EPHAKEME NOKUQEQESHA: Ngibonge bab'uMahlangu, uSihlalo waleNdlu ehloniphekile, ngibonge nakwiLungu ubab'uGamede ngokubuza lo mbuzo. Impendulo yethu ithi uhulumeni uvele uyayikhipha imifundaze yokusiza abafundi abantulayo futhi abazimisele ngokuqhubeka nezifundo zabo emakolishi.
Bonke abafundi abafunda ezikoleni zokufundela amakhono ezandla bathola umxhaso womfundaze, okungumfundaze okhishwa wuMnyango Wezemfundo Ephakeme Nokuqeqesha. Kodwa ke umfundi silindele ukuthi uma sikhipha leyomali ukuba akhombise ukuzimisela ekuphaseni izifundo azibhalisele, ukuze akwazi ukuthola usizo lomfundaze wokuqhubekela phambili.
UMnyango Wezemfundo Ephakame Nokuqeqesha uyaye ukhiphe umfundaze ukuxhasa abafundi abantulayo. Leyo mifundaze iyiswa emakolishi bese kuba yiwo amakolishi ashoyo ukuthi-ke ngokukhethwa kwabo abafundi kuzonikwa baphi abafundi, yibaphi abafundi abadinga lolu sizo. Abafundi bangabhalisa kunoma yiliphi ikolishi abalithandayo ukuthola lo mxhaso w omfundaze. Ngaleyo ndlela abafundi abahlala ezindaweni ezifana noGingindlovu, Inkandla, KwaMbonambi kanye naseMnambithi ababhalisele ukufunda ezikoleni zokufundela amakhono ezandla bayasizakala kumfundaze wamakolishi okhishwa yilo Mnyango wethu.
Mayelana nodaba lokuthi kube khona indawo eyodwa lapho abafundi bethumela khona izicelo zokuya emakolishi, Alikakabi bikho lolu hlelo njengamanje kodwa-ke umsebenzi esiwenzayo ukuthi besifuna ukuthi uma kuphela lo nyaka ozayo sibesesibhekene nale nkinga. Into eyenza ukuthi kuze kube ukuphela konyaka ka-2010 mningi umsebenzi wokwenza lento.
Siyakubona kunesidingo impela ukuthi abafundi abacela ukuya emaNyuvesi noma ukuya emakolishi ukuthi ibe yinye indawo lapha beyocela khona. Bangalokhu bekhokha izimali bebhalela izikhungo eziningi. Into eyenza ukuthi ithathe isikhashanyana, sinenkinga ukuthi uzothola ukuthi yileyo naleyo Nyuvesi, yilelo nalelo kolishi linohlelo lwalo lokwenza lezi zinto esithi: ulwazi Lwezobuchwepheshe. Kusho ukuthi kofanele ukuthi senze isiqiniseko sokuthi wonke amakhompuyutha lawa ayasebenzelana, ayakwazi ukuxhumana ukuze kube lula ukuthi sikwazi ukwenza lolu hlelo.
Kodwa-ke umbono omuhle lona ovezwa ubab'uGamede okuyinto nathi esiyibhekile. Sizosebenza-ke futhi singoNgqongqoshe beZemfundo sobabili nomam'uMotshekga ukubhekelela ukuthi lento singenza kanjani ukuthi yenzeke ngendlela eyiyo, ukuze kubukisiswe ukuthi uhlelo olufanayo lokufaka izicelo zabafundi luyazeka kanye nasezikoleni ukuze sazi ukuthi lolwazi lukhona ukuthi umfundi uma esesikoleni izokwenzeka kanjani yonke leyonto. Ngiyabonga Sihlalo.
Sihlalo, Ngqongqoshe, Mphephethwa siyabonga ukuthola impendulo nokuzwa ukuthi kuzothatha isikhashana.
Kodwa-ke mhlawumbe ukuzama ukubuza ukulandelela Ngqongqoshe, ukuthi kulesi sikhashana kungakalungi, ngoba abafundi abahlala ezindaweni zasemakhaya bayahlupheka. Njalo uma kuqala unyaka, abanye nje bayashoda ngemali yokuthi bangene ezikoleni. Lukhona yini mhlawumbe olucatshangwa yilo Mnyango ukwazi ukusiza ukuthi bangene nje ezikoleni, bese kuqhubeka ngoba basuke bembondelane ndawonye ngesikhathi esisodwa. Ngiyabonga Sihlalo.
UNGQONGQOSHE WEZEMFUNDO EPHAKEME NOKUQEQESHA: Lungu elihloniphekile, bab'uGamede okunye engikhohlwe ukukucacisa embuzweni wakho ukuthi abafundi abacela ukuyofunda emakolishi, abakhokhi mali ngokwenza izicelo. Imali abayikhokhayo kuphela kuba yile yokubhalisa, kodwa kusukela kulonyaka njengoba ilungu elihloniphekile lazi. Sithe laba bafundi abantulayo abavele bezothola uxhaso lukahulumeni abangalindelwa ukuthi kubekhona imali enye abazoyikhokha phambili.
Lizokhumbula-ke futhi ilungu elihloniphekile ukuthi njengamanje siphezu komsebenzi wokucubungula izincomo ezenziwe yilela komidi engangilikhombile ukuthi keliphenye mayelana nesikhwama esisiza abafundi "i-National Student Financial Aid Scheme". Ezinye zezincomo ezenziwa yileliya komidi engingasho ukuthi sengizamukele kodwa esizibukayo. Abafundi abantulayo abaya emakolishi bangakhokhi ngisho isenti, sisazokucubungula lokho ukuthi kusho ukuthini ikakhulukazi emakolishi.
Nanokuthi emaNyuvesi nakhona lolo hlelo siyoluqala kanjani. Zonke lezi zinkinga ubab'uGamede akhuluma ngazo zikulosomqulu wombiko wekomidi leli engangilikhombile. Njengamanje nje siwuMnyango siphezu komsebenzi wokuyibuka lento siyifakele izibuko ngendlela yayo, ngenhloso yokuthi izincomo zethu sizithathe sizise kwiKhabhinethi, iSigungu sikahulumeni esiphezulu ukuze sikwazi ukuba sithathe isinqumo esiphelele ngenhloso yokunciphisa zonke lezi zinkinga ilungu elihloniphekile ubab'uGamede akhuluma ngaso.
UMntwana M M M ZULU: Ngibonge Mphephethwa, ngithi silamulele ngoba kukhona abantu abafundile laba okuthiwa abasebenzi bezikhungo zemfundo ephakeme ngenkathi sifika emaNyuvesi sasingafaki izicelo ngezigaba zemfundo enyuvesi noma ngokwezindawo lapho kufundelwa khona imikhakha ehlukene.
Kodwa manje sekwanele kwaba nemikhakha ehlukene eNyuvesi kwase kubakhona abasebenzi bezikhungo zemfundo ephakeme base bethatha umsebenzi wokwengamela. Usuyabona ukungena kwabantu ukuthi sekuhlungwa kakhulu benzela ukuba babenabafundi abanele ekilasini.
Angazi Ngqongqoshe ukuthi lo msebenzi wokwengamela ungehluka kanjani ukuthi izifundiswa lezi zethu zingathathi phela umsebenzi wokwengamela. Akwenziwe umsebenzi wokwengamela ubonakale ukuthi iNyuvesi mhlawumbe mayithi ifuna abafundi abasha abayizi-15000 noma izi-7000 kungenwe ngalolo hlobo. Abasebenzi bezikhungo zemfundo ephakeme banciphise amandla abo okugwamandela ngoba bona bengabafundisi. Ngiyathokoza.
UNGQONGQOSHE WEZEMFUNDO EPHAKEME NOKUQEQESHA: Lungu elihloniphekile uMageba, kuzokhumbuleka ukuthi kungekudala sike saba nengqungquthela kaZwelonke yeZemfundo Ephakeme, ebesihlanganise kuyona yonke imikhakha, amaNyuvesi, sibize abafundi, abasebenzi, abafundisi, nabaphathi bamaNyuvesi kanye namakolishi. Esinye sezinqumo esathathwa lapha okuyisona esibaluleke kakhulu, ake ngithi nje zimbili. Esokuqala, ngesokuthi izikhungo zethu Zemfundo Ephakeme kufanele zazi ukuthi umsebenzi wazo wokuqala ukwenza impilo yabafundi ukuthi ibe lula uma befunda. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[The MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING: Thank you, hon Mahlangu, Chairperson of this august House, and thank you too, hon Gamede, for asking this question. The response is that the government does grant bursaries to assist needy students who want to further their studies by attending a college.
All, the students who attend classes at the technical colleges also receive bursaries that are granted by the Department of Higher Education and Training. But we expect a student to show commitment to his or her studies by passing all the subjects that he or she has registered for so that he or she can receive another bursary to further his or her studies.
The Department of Higher Education and Training usually grants bursaries to needy students. The colleges are tasked with identifying students who qualify to receive these bursaries. Any student can receive these bursaries, irrespective of which college they are registered with. In that way, students who live in areas like Gingindlovu, Nkandla, KwaMbonambi and Mnambithi and have registered at technical colleges can receive these bursaries granted by this department.
The proposed programme, which is aimed at students sending their applications to attend college to a central place, is not in place yet but we are working on it. We are certain that by the end of next year we will face that challenge. We set our deadline for the end of 2010, but there are so many issues that we need to address before we come to that point.
We really see a need for students to send their applications to a central place when they want to go to college or to university, rather than spending money by sending applications to different institutions. Another thing that causes this process to take longer is that each and every university and college has its own programmes to deal with what we refer to as information technology. This means that we need to ensure that all these computers are compatible with each other - that they can be connected to each other for us to be able to apply this programme.
Anyway, this is a good idea that is suggested by hon Gamede, which we will also keep a watchful eye on. As the Minister of Higher Education, I will work together with hon Motshekga to see how we can make this programme work properly. So we can consider using the same programme for schools to ensure that students also know about it and that they have access to this information. Thank you, Chairperson.
Chairperson, hon Minister Mphephethwa, thank you for the response and for informing us that it will take a while to implement this programme.
Just as a follow-up, hon Minister: I want to know what will happen in the meantime, while the programme is not in place yet, as the learners who are living in the rural areas are still impoverished. At the beginning of each year, most of them do not have enough money for registration at schools. Is there anything that this department is thinking of that can be of assistance to these learners, so that they can gain admission to schools without paying anything, whilst you are still sorting out this issue, because they are just crowded into one place? Thank you, Chairperson.
Hon member Mr Gamede, the other thing that I forgot to clarify for you is that students who are applying for admission to colleges do not pay anything for doing that. They only pay money for registration, but starting from this year, as the hon member knows, we said that the needy students who already qualify to receive this bursary are not expected to pay any money upfront.
Again you will remember, hon member, that we are currently reviewing recommendations that were made by the committee that I appointed to look into the affairs of the bursary fund known as the National Student Financial Aid Scheme. I have accepted some of the recommendations but we are still reviewing them. The needy students who want to go to college do not have to pay even a cent, but we are still going to look at the implications this might have for colleges in particular.
We will also look at how we can implement this programme at the universities. All the challenges that hon Gamede is talking about are contained in the report of the committee that I appointed. As the department, we are at present looking closely at this issue as you wish to see it happening, with the aim of taking these recommendations to the Cabinet, the government's executive council, so that we will be able to take a decision with the sole objective of minimising all the challenges that the hon Gamede is talking about.
Thank you, Mphephethwa. I am appealing to you to come to our rescue because there are these learned people who are lecturers at the institutions of higher learning, who do not indicate the different levels at which learning will be taking place when applications reach the universities.
But I think everything is going well now because there are different levels at universities as we speak, although there are some lecturers at the institutions of higher learning who are taking over the managerial duties. They do the sifting and decide which of the students are admitted to these institutions so that there can be a smaller number of learners in the lecture hall.
I do not know, hon Minister, how these managerial duties can be separated out from lecturing so that our learned lecturers need not perform managerial duties. Let the managerial duties be performed by the university's management - say the university announces that it needs 15 000 or 7 000 new students, then admission must follow that procedure. The lecturers should minimise their powers of intervention because they are just lecturers. Thank you.
Hon member Mageba, you will remember that not long ago we had a conference on national higher education here, where we brought together all the different stakeholders in education - we invited universities, students, staff members, lecturers, and university and college managers. The most important resolution taken at this conference - no, there are two - was that the institutions of higher learning must know that their main objective is to make the lives of the students easy while they are studying at these institutions.]
We want student-centred institutions.
Into yesibili enye esayisho ukuthi siyazi yebo nokho ukuthi abafundi bethu uma bephuma ezikoleni okwamanje njengoba kuhulumeni sisazama ukunyusa izinga. Abanye babo abalungiselelekile kahle. Kodwa-ke futhi sasesithi akwenele nje ukuthi silokhu sikhomba abafundi ngenjumbane.
Zona izikhungo Zemfundo Ephakeme kufanele zizibuze ukuthi, uma ngabe sithola lolu hlobo lwabafundi, thina siyizikhungo sizilungiselela kanjani ukukwazi ukubhekana naleyonto. Ngaleyo ndlela ngicabanga ukuthi lezi zinqumo zizohamba indlela ende ukubhekana nalento oyishoyo bab'uMageba, ukuthi senza kanjani, ukuthi abafundi impilo yabo yenziwe ibelula, nanokuthi bathathwa kanjani ezikhungweni Zemfundo Ephakeme, nanokuthi bangena kanjani kwimikhakha eyahlukene njengoba ubeka nje. Ngiyabonga Sihlalo. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[The second issue we mentioned is that we know that there are still no jobs for school leavers, but the government is in the process of improving the situation. We are aware that some of these students are not well catered for. We also said that it is not appropriate to always blame the students.
The institutions of higher learning should also ask themselves what they are going to do to face that challenge when these learners come to their institutions. In that way, I think, these resolutions will go a long way in facing the challenges you have mentioned, hon Mageba - how to implement this, how to make the students' lives easy while studying, how they are going to be admitted to institutions of higher learning and how they can access different levels of tertiary education, as you have just mentioned. Thank you, Chairperson.]
Chairperson, I just want to ask the hon Minister if he doesn't believe in striving to achieve effectiveness in the bursary system and the fact that it would be better to have one bursary fund in South Africa. I am referring to the issue that, at many levels in the provinces, there are premiers' bursary funds and in some departments there are bursary funds that are allocated to serve the interests of the students.
I am asking this question specifically regarding its practicality. In many instances, students apply for bursaries but for various reasons, be it administrative difficulties or whatever, they don't succeed in getting the necessary bursary funds to go to an institution of higher education at the right time at the beginning of the year. So, the question relates to the effectiveness of the system. Thank you, Chairperson.
Thank you, Chairperson, and thanks to the hon member. Of course it would be ideal if we could have a single loan and bursary scheme in the country, wherein everything that is a bursary could be centrally administered. We are not yet there now. This is because, for example, a premier's office might want to offer bursaries in line with what that premier regards as priorities in that provincial government or in the province as a whole.
The challenge we have, which we have begun to grapple with, is to try and create a framework for national bursaries and loans without necessarily having a single centre. For example, the work that I have asked the department to do now is to harmonise bursaries that we receive from many countries overseas - for example the European Union and United States of America - particularly at a government-to-government level, so that we would be able to say how we use these bursaries to advance our goals.
At the same time, this won't be possible. Many governments, private institutions in other countries and other universities from outside the country directly call for applications and say, for instance, that they have bursaries for 15 South African students and that those students should apply directly to them. So, this is a big challenge, including bursaries that are given by private companies.
We are engaged in this so that we can have a bursary system in the country that will give us a complete picture of what is going on, even if it is not from the same source. We should at least have a complete picture. In this way we will be able to direct resources in a manner that would enable them to have the maximum possible impact. Thank you.
Monitoring by SA Social Security Agency of services of medical practitioners signing for social grants, and toll-free fraud number
32. Mr D D Gamede (ANC) asked the Minister of Social Development:
(1) Whether the SA Social Security Agency monitors the services of medical practitioners who are contracted to sign for social grants, especially in the rural areas like Gingindlovu; if not why not; if so, how;
(2) whether his department will have a toll-free fraud number for this matter; if not, why not; if so, when? CO235E
Hon Deputy Chairperson, in response to Question 32, I would like to respond as follows. There is a unit called the Disability Management Unit within Sassa that manages and monitors activities of contracted medical practitioners who are doing evaluations throughout the country.
We manage these activities and evaluate them through the following activities. One, we ensure that the contracted doctors remain registered within the Health Professions Council of South Africa. This means that they have to do what the council or the professional body wants them to do, as professionally as possible. Two, we ensure that there is provision of continuous training and that seminars and refresher courses are attended by these doctors dealing with people with disabilities. Three, we ensure that continuous quality assurance is completed by these doctors when they do medical assessments and that they complete relevant medical forms. Four, we also ensure that meetings are held regularly to discuss concerns and issues emanating from the work of contracted doctors. This is what we also do when continuing to monitor them. We also ensure that there is a focus on the cancellation of contracts of those doctors who do not comply with their contractual obligations regarding assessment procedures and that there is appropriate conduct when dealing with clients.
The performance contracts of doctors serving in Gingindlovu are being evaluated through the Inkanyezi local service office, which is near Eshowe. They are being monitored on a continuous basis by Sassa's in-house doctors within this unit as well.
With regard to the last question, we would like to indicate that Sassa does have a toll-free fraud number. We would also like to indicate that it is not really cost-effective to have a toll-free number for every service that is provided throughout the department as well as Sassa itself because of the number of services we have to deliver to our people in that regard. We therefore use one toll-free number for all the services at Sassa even though we actually call it a toll-free fraud number. For the purposes of those of us who may not have ever had this number - if I may just indicate - the number is 0800601011. That's the number that everybody has to use when lodging complaints with Sassa, even about the services of these doctors. Thank you very much.
Deputy Chairperson, I thank the Minister for the response, which is very helpful. Fortunately the Minister touched on grants for people with disabilities. There are people who are classified as permanently disabled. They would also have a challenge with these doctors, irrespective of the fact that initially they had been classified as permanently disabled. Would the aggrieved person go the same route to complain? This is because the situation won't change with regard to doctors. They would normally identify another illness, which would then require a person to continuously pay for a headache or whatever illness, so that there are continuous visits to the doctor. Would this be the same office for laying complaints such as this - the fraud line?
Hon Deputy Chair, indeed, the route to follow will be the same. However, there is a question down the line that relates to this matter, which we are still going to cover.
Let me just be as economical as possible at this point. We have a process within Sassa where we do reviews of all our beneficiaries of grants. As we speak now, this is the time when we do these reviews. When these reviews are done, even people with permanent disabilities would have gone through them.
In other words, they would have been rechecked as to whether the disability has increased, grown or decreased. Even if it was a temporary disability, that would also be checked. So, this process is an ongoing one. This also helps in determining whether there are problems within the sector of people with disabilities as much as with every other person. Yes, if there is any other issue that needs to be dealt with urgently, that is the number to call. Thank you.
Effect on some farm schools in Mamusa of persons moving to townships and plans in this respect
33. Ms M W Makgate (ANC) asked the Minister of Basic Education: (1) Whether she has been informed of the effect caused at some farm- schools, in Mamusa by persons moving to townships, causing a drop in farm-school, enrolment and overcrowding in schools in the townships; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details;
(2) whether her department has any plans to ensure that the department does not end up with (a) farm schools not being utilised and (b) a shortage of classes in the townships; if not, why not; if so, what plans? CO241E
Chairperson, thank you to Ms Makgate for the question. The issues of migration, as I indicated earlier, are a huge problem that government faces, whether with regard to health, education or any other service.
Whilst we did not receive a formal report in relation to what the situation is in Mamusa, we have received reports from the North West province in relation to the challenge of migration, which results in the depleting of numbers in rural schools and an increase in numbers in urban and township schools.
This phenomenon expresses itself not only in the North West province but across the nine provinces. This calls for an innovative approach. The North West, together with the Free State, has been in the lead in doing several things. Amongst them is the merging of schools. As we speak today, if my memory serves me right, some 2 000 schools have fewer than 100 learners making up the learner population. This results in multigrade teaching, and difficulties in retaining staff and providing adequate infrastructure.
In terms of what provinces are doing, Limpopo is also looking at this more closely because in the past many of our learners from the urban areas and our townships would go to Mpumalanga and Limpopo, where there were hostels and where quality education was provided. We are now reverting to that. Hostels have been established in the Free State and in some parts of the North West. This would address problems in those areas where there is a drastic reduction in learner numbers in order to ensure that they go to a facility that is adequately resourced, has good infrastructure and where good learning and teaching takes place.
So, provinces are looking at creative ways of doing this. As indicated earlier, the learner tracking system will assist us a great deal in ensuring that we are able to monitor the migration of learners from one area to the other.
One of the challenges that we face as the Department of Basic Education is to ensure that we continue to retain good educators in rural areas. Some of the reasons for migration are that parents send their children to urban and township schools in order to ensure that they receive a better quality of education.
We have incentives for educators and rewards for teaching in the rural areas and for teaching scarce-skill, subjects such as mathematics, science, accountancy and languages. We thought this would assist in retaining educators. We are also looking very closely at the possibilities of providing accommodation in rural areas to ensure that we are able to retain those educators. In that way we will ensure that the number of learners in our rural schools are not dramatically reduced. These are some of the measures that have been taken.
Migration is a problem that faces not only South Africa, but countries throughout the continent and across the world. It is something that we have to be very attentive to at all times. Thank you.
Action to be taken by department to solve problem of double allocation of Reconstruction and Development Programme houses in Dr K Kaunda region
34. Ms M W Makgate (ANC) asked the Minister of Human Settlements:
What action will his department take to solve the problem of double allocation of the Reconstruction and Development Programme houses in Dr K Kaunda region, where one person has a key and another has a letter indicating the ownership of the same house?