NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION 339
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 08/03/2013
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 06/2013)
Mrs J M Maluleke (ANC) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
Whether she is aware of the challenges of the current post
provisioning model in that (a) it does not allow for the
diversification of the school curriculum and (b) there are not enough
teachers for all the subjects covered by the specified model; if so,
what steps does she intend to take in this regard? NW484E
REPLY
Whether she is aware of the challenges of the current post provisioning
model in that (a) it does not allow for the diversification of the school
curriculum and
a) The current post provisioning model does allow for the
diversification of the school curriculum. Norms for provisioning for
each of the subjects and learning areas are weighted and factored
into the model. These norms are based on the principle of equitable
distribution of a limited resource (teachers) and schools, especially
secondary schools, which offer a complex curriculum. This may
invariably disadvantage some schools e.g. the offering of subjects
that are not weighted and result in a much lower than the average
learner educator ratio. This places stress on teacher provisioning.
Allocating teachers to such schools may mean taking posts from other
schools. Schools that need to change their curriculum need to request
permission from the Head of Department to ensure that all relevant
factors are taken into consideration before approval is granted.
These factors include compliance to the curriculum policy, the number
of funded posts and the viability of offering subjects that require
low learner numbers.
(b) there are not enough teachers for all the subjects covered by the
specified model; if so, what steps does she intend to take in this regard?
As explained in the question (a) above, the overall basket of posts
declared is constrained by the budget available. The post distribution
model can only distribute the number of posts that have been declared. The
larger the basket of posts created overall, the more posts will be
allocated to each school and greater are the possibilities of catering for
highly diversified curriculum offering. The Department is aware of
shortages in certain subjects mainly mathematics, physical sciences, home
language teachers in the foundation phase and senior phases generally and
more acutely in indigenous languages. However, we believe that initiatives
such as the Funza Lushaka Bursary Scheme and provincial bursary schemes
with their focus on scarce skills are making a significant contribution
towards ensuring the supply of teachers in scarce skills. For the first
time since its inception the number of teachers that graduated through the
Funza Lushaka Bursary Scheme has exceeded 3000 and each of these educators
is qualified in one or more of the scarce skills.