NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION 233
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 04/06/2010
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 15-2010)
Mr M J R de Villiers (DA-WC) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) Whether any schools were found to be dysfunctional in 2009; if not,
what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) how many in each
province, (b) which schools and (c) what were the reasons for this in
each case;
(2) whether the district managers informed her department in this regard;
if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the
relevant details;
(3) whether any action has been taken against district managers who
failed to inform her department; if not, why not; if so, (a) what
action, (b) against whom was the action taken and (c) what steps were
taken to address the problems in each case? CW304E
RESPONSE
1) The Department of Basic Education assessed the performance of schools
in the 2009 National Senior Certificate Examinations. The findings
indicated that there were 506 schools that achieved between 0 -20% in
the NSC. Of these 19 schools achieved 0%. In response to this
investigation the DBE developed the Rapid Assessment and Remediation
Initiative to decisively respond to schools that have dramatically
underperformed. This was with a view to diagnosing the challenges that
have contributed to the underperformance in schools and introduce short
term interventions that address these problems. The assessment
indicates that these schools are dysfuntional and require major
interventions in terms of infrastructure, management, human resource
development and teacher development.
a) The following table shows the number of schools in each province.
|PROVINCE NAME |CENTRE NAME |
|EASTERN CAPE |108 |
|FREE STATE |4 |
|GAUTENG |11 |
|KWAZULU-NATAL |119 |
|LIMPOPO |186 |
|MPUMALANGA |70 |
|NORTH WEST |5 |
|NORTHERN CAPE |2 |
|WESTERN CAPE |1 |
|TOTAL |506 |
b) The list of schools per province is attached at ANNEXURE A.
c) The provincial reports have identified the following factors to have
contributed to the reported underperformance of the schools.
1. The lack of leadership by principals at schools demonstrated by
the lack of management competences and the lack of supervision
of the work of teachers and learners.
2. School management teams which do not understand their roles and
responsibilities and are unable to monitor curriculum delivery
in schools.
3. Vacant and unfilled teacher posts which hamper curriculum
delivery in schools.
4. The prevalence of teacher absenteeism, limited teaching and
contact time and late coming, all of which compromise curriculum
delivery.
5. Learnersâ problems associated with absenteeism and truancy, drug
and alcohol abuse, ill discipline, and teenage pregnancy and in
places habitual late coming of learners to school.
6. Curriculum planning at the level of the school which results in
inappropriate subject offerings and combinations, as well as
ineffective time tabling
7. Teachers subject knowledge gaps have also contributed to the
underperformance.
8. Lack and/or shortage of textbooks and relevant learning and
teaching support materials.
9. Lack of support to schools from the School Governing Bodies and
parents
Although not mentioned by provinces, the Department of Basic
Education has also noted that there are instances where district
support of schools is inadequate. Schools have been left to
implement school improvement plans yet they do not have the
necessary capacity to do so.