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Chairperson
Honourable Colleagues,

Thank you warmly for the opportunity to report to the National Assembly on the steps we have taken to swiftly address the challenges facing the Eastern Cape Department of Education.

We further realised that all efforts aimed at bringing about a sustainable turnaround of the provincial department had to effectively address all of the critical underlying challenges and really help in creating an enabling environment conducive for the efficient and effective delivery of educational services in the Province

In view of the seriousness of the situation, and at a critical time when we have committed to and are hard at work to provide an improved quality of basic education, it was resolved at the Cabinet meeting of 2 March 2011 that I as the Minister of Basic Education would assume responsibility for the areas in which the Provincial Department was struggling to meet minimum standards of service delivery.

·         Over-expenditure of the budget for compensation of employees, because the Province could not comply with policies and norms and standards relating to Educator Post Provisioning. This problem has placed an enormous strain on the overall budget for education in the Province and has impacted on the Province's overall budget and spending trends;

·         Failure to provide textbooks and stationery to Section 20 schools due to poor management of the procurement process (the provincial department supplies textbooks and stationery to Section 20 schools as opposed to Section 21 schools that procure their own);

·         Suspension of the scholar transport programme due to over-spending;

·         Termination of the school nutrition programme before the end of the financial year due to factors like non-compliance with policy; poor management of the budget and poor supply chain management; and

·         Inability to implement effectively the school infrastructure development programme. This has resulted in funding earmarked for school infrastructure being returned to the National Treasury, although the province is faced with serious infrastructural backlogs.

Since the Cabinet decision of 2 March 2011, the Deputy Minister of Basic Education and I have consulted extensively with the leadership of the Province and, in particular, with the Premier and the MEC for Education.

All our discussions with the provincial leadership have been conducted in a spirit of co-operation and support.

The Council has the duty, in terms of subsection 100(2)(b), to consider approving or disapproving the intervention. The Council has the duty, in terms of subsection 100(2)(b), to consider approving or disapproving the intervention.

In the event that the Council approves, it must review the intervention regularly and make any appropriate recommendations to the national executive. Should the Council disapprove, the intervention must end.

The intervention includes taking over the abovementioned functions and working collaboratively with the Eastern Cape Department of Education to address the current challenges.

I intend to build capacity in the Province to allow the Eastern Cape Education Department to resume its functions as soon as possible.

The Speaker of the National Assembly, Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education and the Chairperson of the Select Committee on Education and Recreation have been informed of the intervention.

I will provide regular reports on progress made with regard to the intervention.

The Cabinet decision of 02 March 2011 to invoke Section 100 (b) of the Constitution was taken consciously to resolve the challenges in the Eastern Cape Department of Education and to provide for the continued delivery of quality learning and teaching in the Province.

The ruling party has the responsibility to ensure that our clear goal of improved quality of basic education is met across the country. It is expressly for this reason that we have taken proactive steps better to strengthen the provision of educational services in the Eastern Cape.

I trust that the NCOP will approve this timely and crucial intervention and duly support it.

I thank ykou

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Posted by NOMGEGE - 19:33 on 03 May 2011

Libode-Mega District Educators are really hungry without salary. Please, what wrong has TEMPORAL teachers employed from 2006 - 2009 done that they deserve to be starved like this. Now Libode District Matric results is good so there is easy forgetful of the Educators.

Posted by NOMGEGE - 16:56 on 29 April 2011

Madam minister, How long will EDUCATORS get their salary as majority of TEMPORAL EDUCATORS spent Easter without money. Thus salaries be paid for Teachers.

Posted by Andile Mvezi - 20:08 on 27 April 2011

I want to make an input on seperated district in Eastern Cape, i know there some districts that surffering interms of school matrials, Bizana District is not only surffering for libraries,computers,etc, they also need furnitures like desks, as well as improvement for building. I kindly request the department of education to see and take into consideration this note.

Posted by Loyiso - 19:50 on 05 April 2011

As young person in the province I welcome the intervention done by the National level of Basic education,I hope there will be a grate improvement in the services at large,I call up for a unity in the leadership of the department.

Posted by wandile mbotho - 15:40 on 21 March 2011

Eastern Cape Department of Education is doing well except that most of the schools in Bizana District they do not have libraries,computers,ect.Iam talking from the expirience I only know how to use computer here in university. I would happy if this note serious.

Posted by noni - 20:24 on 20 March 2011

Are getting paid in April?

Posted by NOMGEGE - 07:30 on 20 March 2011

The Department of Eastern Cape is doing good to turn the education sector better. All the same Mr. Manya should bear in mind that ILO says that a worker working for an organisation for more than six months is not a temporal worker. Educators, some have worked for more than five years and now according to South Africa constitution they qualify for permanent post. My advice is that years of service to the department must be looked into else more legal battle ahead the department of education, Eastern Cape.