He says this includes a loss of months in teaching and learning.
KwaZulu-Natal Education MEC Kwazi Mshengu has delivered the Education Department’s budget during tough times.
His department is facing massive cost increases brought on by the coronavirus. These include employing additional teachers, procuring mobile classrooms and health and safety gear to ensure the protection of teachers and learners.
But despite these challenges, Mshengu believes the province can still achieve no less than an 80% matric pass rate for this year’s matric class.
“We are committed towards achieving nothing less than 80% in the National Senior Certificate (NSC) results. Today, it is common knowledge that indeed we met this target by obtaining 81.3% which was for the very first time in the history of this department in the province. What is even more pleasing is the fact that these positive results were coupled by the increase in Bachelor passes from 38 573 in 2018 to 44 153 in 2019 as well as an increase in Diploma passes from 31 222 in 2018 to 32 696 in 2019. This is indeed a sign that the education system is maturing.”
To address the shortage of mathematics and physical science teachers, the department will be employing qualified foreign national teachers on a contract basis. He says the department plans to also source qualified Cuban maths experts to up skill teachers.
“In order to mitigate this, the department is targeting learners who are doing well in gateway subjects and offers them bursaries to study to become teachers. We have also, carefully, resorted to employing the services of qualified foreign nationals on contracts pending the graduation of South Africans who then take up those positions annually. The department will, in due course, be joined by four Cuban Mathematics experts who will be utilized mainly for up-skilling our own teachers in Mathematics and Science.”
Budgets have also been increased for the school nutrition and scholar transport programmes.
“National School Nutrition Programme has been allocated R1.718 billion for 2020/2021 financial year for all learners in Quintiles 1 to 3 including some in Quintile 4 and 5 schools. The NSNP grant provides nutritious meals to approximately 2 336 282 learners in approximately 5 342 schools throughout the province. In the 2020/21 financial year, with allocation of R367 million, we were able only to provide transport to 58 908 learners. We have 117 248 learners who are on the waiting list, who are currently excluded from the learner transport programme as a result of budgetary constraints. The amount that is required to cover these learners is estimated at R910 million per annum.”
Opposition parties have raised concerns the about non-readiness of some schools to open next week.
The Inkatha Freedom Party’s Madlopha Mthethwa says many learners, especially those in deep rural areas, still walk long distances to school by foot. While the Democratic Alliances’s Doctor Imran Keeka says many schools have not yet received protective equipment and that proper toilets remain a pipe dream for many.
Below is the latest coronavirus stats in SA:
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