Members of the National Assembly (NA) were united in calling for quality education during the budget vote debate of the Department of Basic Education, which took place in a mini plenary at Parliament yesterday. The department received R32.3 billion from the National Treasury for the 2024/25 financial year. The budget has increased by 7.4% compared to the 2023/24 financial year.
Participating in the debate, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education (DBE), Ms Joy Maimela, said increased investment at early childhood development (ECD) level will impact on literacy. She promised: “We will monitor the implementation of ECD; that learners from poor communities have the same opportunities as learners in better areas.”
Ms Maimela also commended the DBE for its National School Nutrition Programme. “… at times that is the only meal our vulnerable learners have,” she said. She also called on the DBE to work with the Department of Higher Education to ensure appropriate training for educators in coding and robotics, which are being introduced in public schools. Ms Maimela also called on the DBE to prioritise the employment of Funza Lushaka bursary holders.
In tabling the budget vote, the Minister of Basic Education, Ms Siviwe Gwarube, outlined some of the department’s upcoming plans, saying it is important to uplift and empower every child in South Africa and not just a select few. She emphasised that going forward she will not implement policies or programmes without evidence of their value to improve the education system’s quality outcomes.
She prescribed the establishment of an advisory council representing the basic education system as soon as possible, to include all key stakeholders across the sector, as well as experts in key disciplines. “This council, once up and running, will be an invaluable resource in ensuring that our efforts to strengthen our education system are targeted, evidence-based and informed by best practice,” said Ms Gwarube.
She also noted that the DBE is committed to building a solid foundation for a quality and efficient basic education system, from ECD, through the foundation, intermediate and senior phases, to the further education and training (FET) band.
Ms Gwarube highlighted five key priorities of the department. Firstly, to intensify efforts to improve access to and quality of early childhood development, recognising that the formative years are critical to laying a strong foundation for our children’s education journey. Secondly, the department is committed to improving literacy and numeracy skills across all phases of schooling.
Thirdly, to increase efforts to improve access to and the quality of inclusive education for learners in the most vulnerable communities and learners with special education needs, to ensure that the education system is accommodating and supportive of all learners. And fourthly, to intensify efforts to improve access to and the quality of training and professional development opportunities available to school management teams and teachers.
Ms Gwarube said teachers are the backbone of the schooling system. Given the many and varied challenges that teachers and principals are required to respond to in their daily work, the department needs to ensure that they are supported to achieve the quality learning outcomes we so desperately need. Finally, the DBE is committed to improving the safety and quality of the schooling environments for our learners and teachers.
Ms Delmaine Christians from the Democratic Alliance raised concerns about the disempowering of school governing bodies in relation to the selection of the language policies at schools. Ms Christians emphasised the importance of improving the quality of teaching and learning and broadening the school nutrition programme to include breakfast for qualifying learners.
Ms Pretty Ncube of uMkhonto weSizwe Party called for coding and robotics to be taught from an early age in schools. She further called for Grade R teachers to immediately be employed as educators.
Ms Mashabela from the Economic Freedom Fighters claimed that the DBE had consistently neglected its priorities. She said the existence of pit latrines was just one example of this.
The African Christian Democratic Party’s Mr Wayne Thring called on the new minister to leave no stone unturned to improve scores in reading with meaning. He also called for universal quality education.
Mr Vuyo Zungula from the African Transformation Movement called on the DBE to address the inequalities in the public education system. He called for no pit toilets, compulsory subjects like computer skills at primary and computer applications technology at high school. “The country needs for this department to succeed,” he said.
Rajaa Azzakani
16 July 2024
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