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Good morning to members of the media and thank you for joining us.

Let me start by announcing formally that I have finalised the establishment of a Ministerial Task Team which will look into the alleged selling of post within the education sector.

I wish to re-emphasize that the allegations brought to my attention through the media are being taken very seriously, and therefore the task team will be chaired by an accomplished and esteemed independent education expert: Professor J Volmink. He will be supported by experts in the legal, HR, Auditing, and education felids as well as a representative from the Department of Justice, The Public Service Commission and the DBE. We are awaiting final written acceptance from all the members identified and they will all be published accordingly.

I have requested Task Team look into, not only the allegations made via the media of the irregular appointment of educators and the role played by members of unions or department officials, but also:

-       Challenges pertaining to the advertising and filling of posts

I’ve asked the team to advise me on the appointment and placement policies applicable to educators as well as other school staff which may require amendment.

-       I’ve also asked the team to refer any irregular or illegal activities to the relevant department for further investigation, if criminal to the SAPS and should disciplinary action be required to the appropriate authority for example the DBE or Provincial Education Departments.

-       However further to this I have also insisted that the team provide me with interim reports on any such activity.

BUDGET VOTES

Last week I tabled Budget Vote 15 to Parliament, where I highlighted the department’s plans for the financial year ahead.

Later today at 2 O’clock I will be conducting a similar exercise to the NCOP.

It is no easy task to holistically unpack all of our plans in the short space of time allocated for this task, especially taking into account the size and calibre of the DBE. It is for this reason that we are here to engage with you further on some of the topics.

One of the main focus areas highlighted in the Budget Vote 15 for the new administration will be on improving the QUALITY AND EFFIENCY of the entire education system.

In the next 5 years we will make more aggressive, radical changes and appropriate interventions to turn our education system around.
We have moved boldly, therefore, to reconfigure the Basic Education department internally for even better performance.
In line with heightening accountability and enhancing service delivery the department is invoking Sections 3 and 8 of the National Education Policy Act of 1996 to hold districts and provinces that are not performing accountable. The time has come to place responsibility and accountability where it belongs.
TEACHER DEVELOPMENT
To ensure this one of the major focus areas will be on teacher development. This will include conditions of service, their recruitment, deployment, utilisation and development including their general professional development.

All of us involved in this sector know very well that in order for us to improve the quality of our education outcome, instruction has to improve and that every child has to succeed, ensuring that no child is being left behind.

Within the next 180 days a full report of how this is going to be done will be made public: these will include ramping up support services for learners such as remedial classes, psychosocial support, improved library and information services and other interventions.

WORKING TOGETHER

If we hope to improve education quality and efficiency we need to work together to move South Africa forward. This includes a seamless working relation between National and Provincial Education Departments.
At a two day CEM meeting, the first of the new term, all education MEC’s agreed that the time to radically transform the sector is now. A two-day education Lekgotla with all provinces will be held on August 1 and 2 in KwaZulu-Natal to detail and align our plans to improve quality and efficiency.
We will discuss, among other issues, the tracking of learner performance in order to ensure we decrease the drop-out rate and increasing retention levels in our schools.

MST

Due to our focus on quality and efficiency, the recommendations of the Ministerial Task Team’s on Reading and Maths, Science and Technology have been integrated into our plans and excellent progress has already been made in implementing these recommendations.

The MST directorate and the office have been established in this regard.

We are focusing on raising the success rate and quality of passes in MST through various strategic interventions and partnerships.

LTSM

The department spends huge amounts of the budget on text books and workbooks every year in a bid to ensure that every child has a text book for every subject in every grade.

However, low retention and retrieval of these valuable resources has militated against this goal at the commencement of the school calendar year.

Budgets provided in PEDs for are therefore used to provide top-ups for damages, non-return and shortages as a result of the inward migration of learners.

Following a national screening process a single core textbook will be listed for each subject on the national catalogue to ensure universal coverage. There will no longer be eight titles per subject, simply because the high costs involved demand a more rational and cost-effective approach.

INFRASTRUCTURE

We will continue to eradicate mud schools and other inappropriate structures particularly in the Eastern Cape, andprovide the necessary resources needed for proper schooling to take place.

We will continue to work to ensure the implementation of the acceptable norms and standards for school infrastructure, more especially ensuring all schools have water, sanitation and electricity within the next three years.

NOTING

I have noted that media did pick up on some of the points raised in last week’s Parliamentary Budget Vote speech. More especially around issues of ECD, the History Curriculum and the planned de-worming school health plan among others.

ECD

In respect of Early Childhood Development, the National Development Plan underlines the need for access for all children to at least 2 years of pre-school education. The ANC in its manifesto echoes this sentiment of making two years of pre-school education compulsory, and due to success in rolling out early childhood development programmes, legislative review to make schooling for young people aged 5 to 15 years compulsory is on the cards.
The first ever impact evaluation of Grade R on learning outcomes was conducted in 2013 with the support of the Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation. The report was presented to Cabinet of 19 March 2014.  In response to the recommendations made, a management plan has been approved to strengthen the quality of implementation and provision of Grade R schooling in our country - especially in relation to teaching.
The National Curriculum Framework for children under 4 (four) years will also be rolled out in registered Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres from January 2015, after a pilot starting in September 2014 is completed. All preparations like practitioner training and supply of resources have already started and will be completed this calendar year.

HISTORY

A country that chooses to hide its heritage and historical footprints from its children takes the risk of having them repeat the mistakes of their predecessors.

We are currently conducting comparative studies and research on countries offering History as a compulsory subject. Research has shown that as a subject, History has a number of positive effects such as contributing to nation building, national pride, patriotism, social cohesion and cultural heritage.

SCHOOL HEALTH PROGRAMME

Although the Department has made strides to meet the basic right to nutrition to millions of learners in schools, it has become necessary to consider a national de-worming programme linked to the NSNP, to maximise the health and cognitive benefits of school meals.
We will continue to enhance learner safety and well being by fighting drugs and substance abuse as well as youth criminality in our schools and communities in general.
CLOSING

The Department of Basic Education is one of the biggest and most important departments that contribute to the holistic development of the country, and taking this into account it is simply too big a challenge to wrap everything up into one statement. I hope I have managed to touch on the most important developments; however I would like to offer the opportunity to for questions of clarity and perhaps other issues you would like to discuss from the BUDGET VOTE 15 before we head to the NCOP where these will be further thrashed out.

I thank you.