Date: 21/09/2004
Source: Ministry of Education
Title: N Pandor: Ikhwezi Festival


ADDRESS BY THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION, N PANDOR, MP, AT THE IKHWEZI FESTIVAL, Mount Ayliff, 21 September 2004

Premier of the Eastern Cape, Ms Nosima Balindlela
MEC for Education, Mr Mkhangeli Matomela
Mayor of Mt Ayliff
Swiss Ambassador HE Mr Victor Christen

"IKHWEZI - A PROJECT OF HOPE AND INSPIRATION"

I am delighted to join you this morning to take part in your festival. I believe the relationship between the provincial department and Ikhwezi and more widely between the Ikhwezi and the government as a whole has the potential to improve the quality of your lives in a very wide variety of ways.

Let me say a few words of congratulations to the stakeholders in this remarkable project. Ikhwezi is an initiative conceived of and implemented by the Eastern Cape Department of Education and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. In partnership with the Media in Education Trust (MiET) as a service provider, Ikhwezi has supported clusters of schools and their communities in the north-eastern corner of the Eastern Cape to improve the quality of their children's education, as well as the overall quality of their lives.

The Ikhwezi project is an excellent example of partnership between a government department, an international funder and a non-government organisation. In a couple of months its second phase comes to an end and, although I am sorry to hear that the Swiss Development Corporation has decided to end its involvement, I am extremely pleased to hear that the provincial education department is committed to continuing its good work.

So I should start by saying how grateful I am for the work of the Swiss Development Agency and its selected service provider in helping the provincial department to identify rural areas for local programmes and for their advice on how to modify a local programme to take into account particular challenges.

Ikhwezi: the project

I am going to say a few words, from the government's perspective, about how Ikhwezi fits into the education landscape.

The Eastern Cape has more schools (over 6,000) than any other province in South Africa. As far as schools go it is one of the big three, together with KZN and Limpopo. Together these three provinces have 61 per cent of all schools in South Africa. They also have 56 per cent of all pupils (KZN has 2,6 million, EC 2 million, Limpopo, 1,7 million). The big three school provinces are all predominantly rural provinces. It is not difficult to understand why this is so. Urban provinces have fewer schools, but higher pupil enrolment than rural provinces. Conversely, rural provinces have more schools, but with fewer pupils.

I do not mention these school statistics to satisfy idle curiosity. I do so because I want to assure you of the government's commitment to improving the quality of education in rural schools.

The former Transkei is one of the poorest areas of South Africa. It is rural and despite an improvement since 1994 in living standards - better water supply, better roads, and the introduction of electricity - jobs and resources are as scarce as they are in other rural areas.

Of the economically active population, many are migrant workers on the mines and in other industries in other parts of the country. In the region, people are dependent on cattle, maize and sorghum farming for their survival. Communities in this region devote much of their time to the business of day-to-day survival, collecting firewood and water and finding pasturage for their livestock. While education is now compulsory for all children in South Africa, some children in the region continue to take their turn to herd the family's cattle.

Yet herding cattle has not prevented some of the country's greatest leaders emerging from this area - Oliver Tambo for example.

A new democracy in South Africa has delivered a new order in the administration of education. A new curriculum has been introduced and a new vision for schools has been adopted. This vision draws in all those who have a stake in building excellence in our schools - learners, parents, teachers and education authorities alike.

Undoing the neglect of the past has proved a formidable task for the Eastern Cape Department of Education. In this corner of this vast Eastern Cape province, there are as many as half a million primary school pupils. Of the teaching staff available to schools, less than half are professionally qualified.

And this is where Ikwezi has made a difference. The first phase of the project focussed on improving the quality of primary education, trained certain members of the provincial department, trained teachers in outcomes based education (no it is not difficult, you just have to teach children to think for themselves), trained school governing bodies, and trained principals in the art and craft of school management.

However, it is one of the objectives in the second phase that I would like to spend a few minutes addressing.

Clusters

The second phase focussed on developing 12 school clusters into self-reliant, mutually supportive school communities with each cluster centred around a nodal school that has a multi-media resource centre. The centres are equipped with computers, television sets, and a foundation library of print resources for teachers.

The co-location of services seems to us an important means of trying to improve the outcomes for all our children, and clusters of schools is an obvious choice for the co-location of services where it can be achieved.

Clustering is one of the processes that we encourage in our education management policy framework.

Clustering schools has helped us overcome our problems with those learning areas like maths and science where we are short of qualified teachers. We are a developing country and we are short of certain skills. In particular, we are short of qualified maths teachers. We estimate that we need about 28,000 qualified teachers and we are short of 10,000 at the moment. Of course, we employ unqualified teachers and we do what we can to retrain them.

Our experience is that clusters encourage collegial working with the sharing of problems, solutions and ideas. This is particularly valuable in this area, where traditionally the district and regional education offices have been poorly equipped and staffed and so schools have been largely left to their own devices. This is still in part the case, although the provincial department is making a real effort to improve the situation.

Given such conditions the clustering of schools in a spirit of self-help is very sensible.

Further, clustering makes a lot of sense in an environment where schools are not well resourced and the costs of resourcing all schools well will be prohibitive. Therefore putting resources into a cluster centre or nodal school will allow for resources to be used to their full, and for all schools to have access to teaching and learning resources that they might not otherwise be able to access.

This model could be used much more broadly in South Africa to stretch limited resources, particularly where some schools are already better resourced than those around them. This area of the Eastern Cape also lends itself to such a solution, because the schools are scattered in the villages and so can be clustered relatively easily without participants having to travel great distances.

The model also does not require external input, and so deals with the problem of poor infrastructure and access to the more remote areas. It also means that department training could be brought to the nodal points and so stop the present situation of teachers having to travel long distances on poor roads to get to Umtata or other urban centres for workshops.

However, clustering is not a complete answer to limited resources and a shortage of teachers. There are problems. Clearly these are problems have not affected the Ikhwezi project, or if they have, the project has been robust enough to withstand them.

The main challenge is to give the cluster a clear purpose. Clustering for the point of clustering tends to fail quickly. The cluster needs a clear mandate from the schools and a focused or limited idea of what the partner schools do when they cluster and how resources will be shared.

If the clustering seems to benefit only the nodal school, then the cluster will die.

The projects undertaken by a cluster should be defined and if possible have systems built up around them. So if the management teams are meeting regularly they should have a standing agenda, a timetable of meetings and a set of targets that the meetings are aimed at attaining and monitoring. Clustering seems to work better if everyone can see tangible outcomes from the partnership that would not have been possible if individual schools had been working alone. These results need to be enunciated and revisited regularly, so all can celebrate success.

Within the context of the South African Schools Act the potential advantages of clustering are huge. Whether it is clustering of schools for fundraising, sharing resources, sharing management challenges, sharing the same School Governing Body, as the Act allows, you know that you are tackling that as a community and not an isolated school.

The Ikhwezi project, participating schools, and department officials should further be congratulated on not only producing this working model in an area where is very difficult to succeed - due to poverty, lack of resources, poor infrastructure, relatively high costs - but also for taking it in new directions. It is the first time that we in the Department have heard of a clustering model with a management focus, which is also bringing in a health and care component. The HIV and AIDS support role that the Sacred Heart node includes is admirable and should be emulated elsewhere.

I have no doubt that these schools benefit greatly by the access to more resources, the access to a greater range of services, the access to greater support and to a support structure. This must go for the management teams of the schools as well. Managing schools is not easy and being far from where policy is made makes that even harder. If all schools could cluster in this way, many of the problems related to sharing of information, curriculum implementation concerns, assessment and recording techniques, management of resources, introduction of new policies, and issues of school safety - to name a few - would be reduced.

Close

In closing, let me say once more how pleased I am that in the deep rural communities of Mt Frere, Lusikisiki and Bizana, the children of Ikhwezi now benefit from schools that are better managed, better governed by dedicated and enthusiastic parents, better connected to the digital world, better able to support and care for those affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and where children are excited and stimulated by the learning experience! It is truly a pleasure to be here.

Clusters in the Mt Ayliff mega-district

Gillespie cluster

The Gillespie cluster is served by a resource centre at Upper Cabazana Junior Secondary School, which is not far from the main road to the town of Mt Ayliff. The schools in this cluster are:

1. Cabazana JSS
2. Gillespie JSS
3. Govalele JSS
4. Gugwini JSS
5. Gxwaleni
6. Lower Broksnek JSS
7. Lubaleko JSS
8. Mvalweni JSS
9. Nkanji JSS
10. Nolitha JSS
11. Nonkqubela JSS
12. Pepeni JSS
13. Sahlulo JSS
14. Sidakeni JSS
15. Sipetu JSS
16. Tembisa JSS
17. Upper Cabazana JSS

Mt Ayliff cluster

The school of Mt Ayliff, with its resource centre, is located in the town of Mt Ayliff. It is visited often because of its easy access from Kokstad. The principal of Mt Ayliff JSS, Mrs Bam, is a member of the Ikhwezi Project Steering Committee. The School clusters caring for children affected by HIV/AIDS project, funded by the European Union through the National Development Agency, operates in this cluster. Cluster schools are:

1. Betshwana JSS
2. Dutyini JSS
3. Fikeni JSS
4. Lokwe JSS
5. Lugelweni JSS
6. Luxwesa JSS
7. Manzana JSS
8. Marwanqa JSS
9. Mbizweni JSS
10. Mbongweni JSS
11. Mjoli JSS
12. Mnikwa JSS
13. Mt Ayliff Hospital JSS
14. Mt Ayliff JSS
15. Ndakeni JSS
16. Ndzongiseni JSS
17. Nyosini JSS
18. Rode JSS
19. Santombe JSS
20. Sigagane JSS
21. Sikhemane JSS

Sirhoqobeni cluster

Sirhoqobeni Resource Centre, located high on a mountain, is a print media centre. Schools belonging to this cluster are:

1. Celinkungu JSS
2. Gogela JSS
3. Mapheleni JSS
4. Mashwabada JSS
5. Mbumbazi JSS
6. Mgano JSS
7. Mqhekezweni JSS
8. Mwaca JSS
9. Natala JSS
10. Ntsizwa JSS
11. Sirhoqobeni

Clusters in the Bizana mega-district

Dudumeni cluster

The Dudumeni Resource Centre, housed at Dudumeni JSS, is on the main road to Flagstaff. The School cluster communities caring for children affected by HIV/AIDS project, funded by the European Union through the National Development Agency, is being implemented in this cluster.

1. Camagu JSS
2. Dudumeni JSS
3. Enqabeni JSS
4. Galatyeni JSS
5. Lucwaba JSS
6. Luphilisweni JSS
7. Mapakathi JSS
8. Matshezi JSS
9. Mazeni JSS
10. Ncura JSS
11. Ntlalontsha JSS
12. Pakamani JSS
13. Rockville JSS
14. Swana JSS
15. Swane Ridge JSS

Ethridge cluster

Ethridge JSS and resource centre is on the road to Port Edward. The fact that this road, from Bizana, is tarred, makes it easy for cluster schools to get to the resource centre. Cluster schools are:

1. Cwaka JSS
2. Ethridge JSS
3. Geenville JSS
4. Imfolozi JSS
5. Langalethu JSS
6. Lindokuhle JSS
7. Lukholo JSS
8. Marina JSS
9. Mfuneli JSS
10.Monti JSS
11. Nikwe JSS
12. Nobamba JSS
13. Ntlakwe JSS
14. Ntsingizi JSS
15. Phatekile JSS
16. Plangeni JSS

Nompumalanga cluster

Nompumalanga JSS and resource centre are on the road to Bizana. The school is often used as a venue for training workshops and community functions. The Ikhwezi launch was held at this venue. Cluster schools are:

1. Bekameva JSS
2. Bonda JSS
3. Clarkville JSS
4. Dumsi JSS
5. Embhobheni JSS
6. Izibanzini JSS
7. Kantolo JSS
8. Ludeke JSS
9. Majavu JSS
10. Matwebu JSS
11. Mhlanga JSS
12. Mmangweni JSS
13. Mpetshwa JSS
14. Mt Zion JSS
15. Mzamba JSS
16. Ndunge JSS
17. Nompumalanga JSS
18. Ntola JSS
19. Sontsele JSS
20. Tandabantu JSS
21. Vukuzenzele JSS
22. Zamokuhle JSS

Mbongweni cluster

The resource centre for this cluster is housed at Qadu Junior Secondary School, which is in the heart of the rural area of Mbongweni. Schools in this fairly small cluster are:

1. Critshlow JSS
2. Eluthulini JSS
3. Mbekwa JSS
4. Mbongweni JSS
5. Mncwati JSS
6. Mtayisa JSS
7. Qadu JSS

Clusters in the Lusikisiki mega-district

Diliza cluster

Diliza Resource Centre is near the town of Flagstaff, in the Sipaqeni Reserve. There is good transport between Flagstaff and Holy Cross Hospital, which helps the following schools access this resource centre.

1. Diliza JSS
2. Emagquzu JSS
3. Gcinilifu JSS
4. Kwa-Diko JSS
5. Lujecweni JSS
6. Mketengeni JSS
7. Ndabankulu JSS
8. Sigcau JSS
9. Thabazi JSS
10. Mampondo JSS
11. Zwelivumile JSS

Lutshaya cluster

The road to Lutshaya JSS and the resource centre that is housed here is very bad and the resource centre can't be reached when it is raining. Schools in this small cluster are:

1. Dumezweni JSS
2. Lutshaya JSS
3. Makhwaleni JSS
4. Mantlaneni JSS
5. Mtimde JSS
6. Mvubu JSS
7. Norhatshaza JSS
8. Ntontela

Mamjoli-Sigcau cluster

The resource centre that serves this cluster is at Mamjoli-Sigcau JSS, which is not far from Chief Sigcau's homestead. Cluster schools are:

1. Bushula JSS
2. KwaDick JSS
3. Kwa-Zizamele JSS
4. Lingelethu JSS
5. Mamjoli-Sigcau JSS
6. Mvimvane JSS
7. Nkqubela JSS
8. Ntafufu JSS
9. Nyosana JSS
10. Redhill JSS
11. Siwali JSS
12. St Dennis JSS
16. Vellem JSS
17. Xuraview JSS

Mtontsasa cluster

The resource centre that serves the Mtontsasa cluster is at Mhlanga JSS. This school is on the road to the beautiful Mkambati Nature Reserve. Schools in this cluster are:

1. Edolopini JSS
2. Hlabathi JSS
3. Mampelazwe JSS
4. Mhlanga JSS
5. Mkamela JSS
6. Mtontsasa JSS
7. Ntabezwe JSS
8. Singembeni JSS

Sacred Heart cluster

The resource centre in this cluster is housed at Sacred Heart JSS, which is in a building owned by the Roman Catholic Church in the centre of Flagstaff. The School clusters caring for children affected by HIV/AIDS, funded by the European Union through the National Development Agency, is being implemented in this cluster. Schools in the cluster are:

1. Bekabantu JSS
2. Bisi JSS
3. Flagstaff Comprehensive School
4. Gabajana JSS
5. Ludiwane JSS
6. Mcelu JSS
7. Nomzamo JSS
8. Sacred Heart JSS

Issued by: Ministry of Education
21 September 2004