The main goal is to achieve quality education. You will not achieve this objective as long as schools have become - to borrow a phrase - "black boxes", where nobody knows what is happening in the classroom. Even the Minister doesn't know what is happening inside the classrooms. The department becomes ambivalent when it comes to introducing inspectors.
Two to three weeks ago, unions expressed their rejection of the call by the President in his state of the nation address for the re-introduction of inspectors of schools to inspect teachers and learners. What is the Minister going to do about this rejection? Are you going to wait for collective bargaining? [Time expired.]
UNGQONGQOSHE WEMFUNDO EYISISEKELO: Baba uMpontshane angikhulume ngesiZulu, mhlawumbe ngizophendula kahle. Ekuqaleni kukaMbasa i-Needu izongena isebenze. Sivumelene ngalokho futhi ayikho inkinga nengxabano kulokho. I- Nedo izoqala ukuhlola othisha kanye nalo lonke uhlelo. Ngoba ezinye izinkinga ezikhona, akuzona izinkinga zothisha kepha yizinkinga zohlelo njengokuthi uma izincwadi zingafikanga kuthi kanti nezikole azilungisiwe. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.) [The MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION: Hon Mpontshane, let me speak isiZulu - maybe I will respond well. Nedo will start operating at the beginning of April. We agreed about that and there are no problems or conflicts regarding that. Needu, the National Education Evaluation and Development Unit, will start assessing teachers as well as the whole programme. Some of the problems are not created by teachers but are operational problems, like when books are not delivered on time and when schools are not in good shape.]
Therefore, we are saying, we are going to assess and evaluate the whole system and have a development.
Into yabahloli, mina nawe sike safundisa siyazi ukuthi leya nto ayizange isebenze, sesiyayithanda ngoba ingasekho. Ngike ngafundisa iminyaka, umhloli ubeza kanye nje. Mina ngiyakhumbula ukuthi ngahlolwa kanye nje futhi ngihlolwa ngumuntu ezongihlola ngento angayazi, engazi nokuthi ngifundisani kodwa ngoba kuthiwa nje ungumhloli kwakufanele abe lapho. Ayizange isebenze leyo nto. Ayilahlwa nje ngoba ingathandwa noma ngoba singafuni ukuthi othisha bahlolwe, cha. Yalahlwa nje ngoba abanye babeyisebenzisela ukuzihlangula, ... yinto engazange ilethe ... (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
The inspectorate system has never worked - you and I know this very well since we were both educators at some stage. We know that that system has never functioned; hence we like it now that it is no longer in use. I have been a teacher for years and the inspector used to come only once in a while. I remember that I was assessed only once by someone who did not know what he was doing and did not even know what I was teaching, but because he was an inspector he had to be there. That system could not function. It was not discarded just because we did not like it or because we do not want teachers to be assessed. No. It was discarded because others were using it as an excuse for not performing ... it did not bear any ...]
... ke hore ha e a tlisa molemo o itseng. [... that is, it did not bring any results.]
Asethembe ukuthi mhlawumbe i-Nedo izosebenza kangconywana ngoba uma isiqede ukuhlola izohlala, ilethe intuthuko. Ngaleyo ndlela sicabanga ukuthi iyona ezolungisa lolu daba. Asiyilahli ngoba mhlambe othisha bengayifuni noma silinde ukuthi kuvume bona - asilindanga lokho. NgoMbasa iyaqala i-Nedo, izobe inkulu ngaphezuzulu kokuhlolwa - ukuhlolwa kothisha ngenye nje ingxenye yalokhu kuhlolwa. Ngiyabonga. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
Let us hope that maybe Needu will function better because after it has completed the assessments it will remain on the site and bring development. In that way, we think it is the body that will correct this situation. We are not discarding this system just because the teachers are not in favour of it or maybe we are waiting for them to first agree - no, we are not waiting for that. Needu will start operating in April and it will be bigger than the inspectorate - assessing teachers is just a part of this inspectorate. Thank you.][Applause.]
Criteria regarding exclusion of patients from dialysis treatment in state hospitals and state-supported dialysis centres
44. Rev H M Dandala (Cope) asked the Minister of Health:
Whether the impoverished background of a person was used in state hospitals and state-supported dialysis centres to exclude renal patients from accessing dialysis treatment; if not, what has been the situation in 2009 at state hospitals and state-supported dialysis centres nationally; if so, (a) how many patients from an impoverished background were denied entry into the dialysis treatment programme in 2009 and (b) at which centres?