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I welcome you all to this briefing!

Firstly let me acknowledge that my visit to this province along with my Deputy Minister Enver Surty, acting Director-General Gugu Ndebele, senior officials of the Department of Treasury and DPSA has been useful in providing us with information on the steps already taken to confront the challenges facing this province.

We came here on a fact finding mission, to assess the state of education in the Eastern Cape, identify those that we can address immediately and pledge our support where it is needed. I met with the MEC Mandla Makupula and senior management of the provincial department this morning, and what we gather is that the state of education in the province can be turned around, if better systems are put in place.

Many of these challenges we discussed are not new. We have noted a clear distinction between challenges that are systemic and structural, and if not attended to immediately, pose a potential of crippling the entire system.

But let me be quick to point out that despite the challenges, I am encouraged by the cooperative spirit of school principals, many of whom worked under extremely difficult circumstances to achieve a remarkable increase of 7 percent in the 2010 NCS results. But last year’s pass rate must and CAN be sustained. In order to do this, we must address these challenges that threaten to derail us from achieving our maximum potential in this province.

But how are we going to turn around the situation to ensure that we carry our core business: that of providing quality basic education to children in this province? Indeed we have to address some of the critical matters now. For this reason, we gathered you here today, to announce very decisive interventions that we have agreed to put in place immediately.

I would also like to acknowledge and express appreciation for the support provided by the MEC for Education, the Superintendent General, the Office of the Premier, the Treasury department of the province as well as the Executive Council for their continued quest to find long-lasting solutions to challenges facing the education department in the province.

I now turn to the following matters that will receive our immediate attention:

Temporary Teachers

The recent termination of contracts of temporary teachers has posed a serious challenge to teaching and learning. The provincial department has assured me that a process is in place to address this situation, such that our school get a minimum number of teachers. The province will present the report to the next EXCO by Wednesday for a final decision.

The cases involving displaced teachers, who have been occupying office jobs at the district office, have reported for work this week. I urge those still not back in schools to do so immediately to assist us to alleviate the pressure created by the termination of the temporary teachers.

Infrastructure

The province still has over 300 mud schools, and has recently been affected by floods that ravaged the country. I am indeed relieved to announce that the province will provide 400 temporary classrooms to provide immediately relief. This is a preliminary measure over and above the national decision to replace all mud and inappropriate structures in the province, beginning in April this year.

I have appointed a team at national office to work full time on the Accelerated Infrastructure (ASIDI) along with Treasury, to ensure that we begin the process of addressing our infrastructure backlogs.

Scholar Transport

Except for learners in farm schools, the province suspended all scholar transport since the beginning of 2011 due mainly to lack of funds. This means in some rural outlying areas learners were unable to attend school.
I am indeed pleased to announce that the province is ready to lift the suspension of scholar transport in certain categories of schools, especially in outlying rural schools.

School Nutrition

The Eastern Cape offers school nutrition for learners in all quintiles. The policy caters for quintiles 1 to 3 primary schools, and has added quintile 1 and 2 in high schools.

I have agreed with the province to restart school nutrition with immediate effect to learners who qualify through the conditional grant. These will only be in quintile 1, 2 and 3.

Human Resource Development

Reports coming out of the province indicate that there are areas where we experience challenges. I have agreed with the province that we will identify additional capacity to assist the province.

Those are some of the interventions that together with the province and the office of the Premier will make with immediate effect.

I have met with senior managers of the province who have committed themselves to implement these interventions. This is proof that indeed, all of us want to see a turnaround in the performance of the Eastern Cape department of education.

I thank you

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Posted by Kumha - 08:07 on 12 February 2011

Eastern Cape Education problems are already solved. All foreign temporal educators contracts are terminated to get back the R 1.57 Billion Rands because they do not eat which means foreign workers do not need money.

Posted by Worker - 12:58 on 10 February 2011

Aag Angie,stop scoring brownie points,it will not solve the problem.You are a struggle veteran,not an educational specialist.That's the norm when the ANC appoints people.They don't solve the problem,they just rotate them,including the MAYORS across the country.Lets be realistic,Education is messed up,cause ANC policies comes first @ the expense of the people of this country.The democratic government had ample of time to fix mud schools,if you did 10 a year,over a 15year period you could have completed over 150 across the country or more.Butt all that matters is obtaining Investors to pump money into the ANC's election campaigns.What a tsunami !!!!

Posted by yebo yes - 07:55 on 10 February 2011

What a presentation Minister. We are used to this as SA. If Brenda Fassie was alive I would have personally asked her to sing that song of "I'm tied of promises". What are the Seniors Managers doing. These mud school have been here for years before democracy. It seems that the Department enjoys going to court and lose. Where is innovation. Skills is a mess to mention, their (TTMA)plan is not in line with our short falls that we mention in our quarterly reviews, I do'nt even want to mention PMDS who is an international disaster is there is a such. If you can just look around you can see that the staff is demotivated. Members are applying like anything else. Please leave these turn around strategies, call a spade a spade and work.

Posted by wellwisher - 20:37 on 01 February 2011

you are talking about plans in place to address the issue of temporal teachers. The province's plan is already out although they wanted to keep it as a secret. They started chasing all the foreign educators who have contributed a significant role in the grade.12 results. this is xenophobia at the higher levels. how can you chase a qualified educator who extended valuable services to the community for a period of 5 years. You will regret for your actions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by mfumfu - 19:37 on 30 January 2011

This clearly shows that there is no planning at all levels above the victims of this mess -teachers- who want to do their job well but are frustrated by the poor managers and system of education.It is clear that you,the govt&DoE are failing the country in general&education in particular.Now I see the goals of the govt&DoE, that is, TO DESTROY THE NATION.Yeyona nto imgulisayo notat'uMandela sele ekhohlwe kukuphefumla nje ntonje uneentloni zokulikhupha litsole elithi ningabona bantu badiliza eli lizwe ngaphezu kwangaphambili nibe nihlawulwa iimali ezinkulu.All this talk should have taken place at least 3months back and strategic plans be put for implementation by December 2010 but for people who do not have vision - Ag!I'm fooling myself! - you do have vision - to destroy the nation. Continue destroying the nation, some teachers are committed to do a wonderful job and they are doing well without you.They pop-out of their pockets to achieve quality teaching and learning as you are too far from adressing the subject curriculum, teaching,learning&assessment.No labs,no libraries not even infrastructure.Gosh! kukude engqinibeni,loo nto ayidiki nje into yokubonisa ucebise umntu ongasentla ekulindeleke ukuba abe unolwazi oluphangaleleyo.All you guys deserve to be taken to the highest labour court to account for all this mess.It's high time that the unions charge you and call you into order.Umntu xa engazinto ngomcimbi makatsho kungenjalo uyakuthothoza laa 27 years katat'uMandela for failing the society intentionally.May be you will be able to think properly when you are there,penniless.Kukho izithuko ezikhulu endikhe ndizive, zinifanele kule imeko nangona zizincinci nje kuni.How far are you with teacher laptop initiative?