policy recommendations · 2014. 9. 3. · oecd organization for economic cooperation and...

Policy Recommendations:

Improving the quality of education in KwaZulu-Natal

Acknowledgements

This report has been a collaborative project which has involved many different individuals and teams ofresearchers.

The Provincial Treasury, KwaZulu-Natal is acknowledged for its role in initiating the project, and in particular project originator, Simiso Magagula, and project manager Jayanthri Naidoo.

The process of conceptualizing, driving and structuring the report was led by a core team of Professor Wayne Hugo, Margaret Jack, Professor Volker Wedekind and Daniel Wilson with contributions from Jabulani Ngcobo, Dr Nonhlanhla Mthiyane and Professor Nithi Muthukrishna.

A dedicated group of academics, students and assistants were involved in the research aspect:

Field research, data capture and analysis was done by a team managed by Dr Nonhlanhla Mthiyane, Dr Carol Bertram and Professor Iben Christiansen. The team included Professor Nithi Muthukrishna, Professor Volker Wedekind, Jabulani Ngcobo, Dr Thabile Mbatha, Dr Tabitha Mukeredzi, Makie Kortjass, Tim Houghton, Gugu Mthembu, Mbongiseni Mtambo, Siyanda Khoza, Sikhumbuzo Khumalo, Nkosinathi Khumalo, Mbongeni Cebekhulu, Olawale Olaopa, Jairos Hlatywayo, Zanele Mkhize, Tyler May, Thamsanqa Mahlangu, Mbongiseni Mtambo, Sibusiso Hlela, Alice Msibi, Simphiwe Mntambo, Rosemary Brown, Tarryn Strang and Zolile Zungu.and Thobeka Mbatha.

Administration of the process was done by Wesley Naidoo and Sikhumbuzo Khumalo.

Editor: Jane JacksonTypesetting and layout: Kim Jones - Landmark Media

These publications are the intellectual property of the Provincial Treasury, KwaZulu-Natal. To obtain access to the reports contact:

Jayanthri Naidoo or Simiso Magagula Treasury House145 Chief Albert Luthuli RoadPietermaritzburg3201

Policy recommendations:

improving the quality of education in KwaZulu-Natal

Report 3 of the Provincial Treasury study on improving the quality of education

in KwaZulu-Natal

Presented by the School of Education and Development,

University of KwaZulu-Natal

PROVINCIAL TREASURY KWAZULU-NATAL

September 2010

Policy Recommendations iv

v

Table of Contents

List of tables and maps ........................................................................................... ivAbbreviations .......................................................................................................... vExecutive summary .................................................................................................. 1

Policy recommendation 1: ................................................................................................ 5Increased staff resources for improved data quality (EMIS and SA-SAMS)

Policy recommendation 2: ............................................................................................... 10A comprehensive, publicly accessible and up to date information system for schools in KwaZulu-Natal

Policy recommendation 3: ................................................................................................ 14Short course on planning for quality education in KwaZulu-Natal

Policy recommendation 4: ................................................................................................. 16A high level co-ordinating committee on human resource development with a specific focus on teachers

Policy recommendation 5: ................................................................................................. 20Prioritize clear and specific job descriptions that respond to the challenges at District level

Policy recommendation 6: ................................................................................................ 25Establish a research community engaged in researching education in KZN

Policy recommendation 7: ................................................................................................. 27Language of learning and teaching (LOLT)

Policy recommendation 8: ................................................................................................. 30 Research on the effectiveness of consolidating rural schools

Policy recommendation 9: ................................................................................................. 33Research and evaluation unit on curriculum, pedagogy and assessment

Policy recommendation 10: ................................................................................................ 41Improve PPN and RAM

Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 44

Appendix: ............................................................................................................................ 46Reducing the size of the Districts

Policy Recommendations vi

List of tables and maps

Tables

Table 1: EMIS and SA-SAMS staffing requirement for Districts 8

Table 2: Annual costing for enhanced data quality - EMIS and SA-SAMS 9

Table 3: District ranking data 22

Table 4: Schools per Local Municipality and District – Scenario 1 49

Table 5: Schools per district – Scenario 2 (local government wards) 51

Maps

Map 1: Alternative education district demarcation scenario based on combining local municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal 50

Map 2: Alternative education district demarcation scenario based on combining local government wards in KwaZulu-Natal 52

vii

Abbreviations

ACE AdvancedCertificateinEducation

CHE CouncilonHigherEducation

CPD Continuingprofessionaldevelopment

DHET DepartmentofHigherEducationandTraining

DUT DurbanUniversityofTechnology

ECD Earlychildhooddevelopment

ELRC EducationLabourRelationsCouncil

EMIS EducationManagementInformationSystem

FET FurtherEducationandTraining

HEMIS HigherEducationManagementInformationSystem

HTML HyperTextMarkupLanguage

IQMS IntegratedQualityManagementSystem

LER Learner-educatorratio

LOLT Languageoflearningandteaching

LURITS LearnerUnitRecordInformationTrackingSystem

NDBE NationalDepartmentofBasicEducation

NEIMS NationalEducationInfrastructureManagementSystems

NQF NationalQualificationsFramework

NVC NationalCertificate(Vocational)

OECD OrganizationforEconomicCooperationandDevelopment

PERSAL Personnelsalarysystem

PMDP Principals’managementdevelopmentprogramme

PPN PostProvisioningNorms

RAM ResourceAllocationModel

SACE SouthAfricanCouncilforEducators

SA-SAMS SouthAfricanSchoolAdministrationandManagementSystem

SETA SectorEducationandTrainingAuthority

SEM SeniorEducationManager

SGB Schoolgoverningbody

SMT Schoolmanagementteam

UCT UniversityofCapeTown

UKZN UniversityofKwaZulu-Natal

UNIZULU UniversityofZululand

Policy Recommendations viii

Vision

An information rich,

knowledge based,

evidence driven,

empowered KZN

education system

striving for sustainable

quality in a developing

context

1

Executive summary

The ten policy recommendations made here have synergy with existing and new policymovementsatnationalorprovinciallevel.ConsideringtheresearchdoneontheTreasuryProject,thereforminitiativesoftheNationalDepartmentofBasicEducation(NDBE)andtheKZNDepartmentofEducation(KZNDoE)canbeviewedverypositively.Muchofthereformisdrivenbytheattempttosetminimalstandardsacrosstheeducationalsystemandtoensurethatthesestandardsareadheredto.Thiswillplacetoughdemandsontheeducationalsystematalllevels.Thesetenrecommendationsrespondto,andalsobolster,theabilityoftheKZNDoEtodealwiththesedemands.

Thefocusoftherecommendationsmoves,inorder,fromsimplesolutionstosolvableproblemsto complex solutions to intractable problems. A commonmistakemade when working outhowtoimprovequalityineducationistostartwiththebiggestobstaclestoimprovingqualityandthepossiblesolutionstotheseproblems.Thiscanresultinamassivewasteofenergyandresourcesasoftenthesebigproblemsarepoorlyunderstoodanddonothavesimplesolutions.The Treasury recommendations avoid this danger. The first four recommendations set outsimple practical solutions to specific problems: solutions that can leverage reform quicklyatminimalcost.Recommendationsfiveandsixsetout the longer termandmoreexpensiveinterventionsthatareneededtoensurethatthemomentumgainedbyimplementingthefirstfourrecommendationsisnotlost.Recommendationsseventotendetailfourinterventionsthatneedextensiveandintensiveworkduetothecomplexnatureoftheproblemandthelackofreadilyavailableanswers.

Recommendationonedealswiththeneedforincreasedandreliablefeedbackontheoperatingstatusofthesystem.Poordatacollection,capture,distributionandanalysisresultinallsortsofproblemsacrossthewholesystem.Westilldonothaveaccurateinformationonbasicinputssuchasthenumberoflearners,qualificationoftheteachers,passratesandconditionsofschools.Bynextyear(2011)theNDBEwillimplementstandardisedliteracyandnumeracytestsinallschoolsatgrade3,6and9levels,resultinginamassiveincreaseintheamountofdatawewillhaveontheperformanceoflearners,teachers,schools,wards,districtsandprovinces.Properlydone,theseassessmentswillprovidedetailedtrackingofhowthesystemperformseachyear,enablingfocusedinterventions.Establishingeffectivefeedbackmechanismsacrossthesystem-feedbackbasedonreliableinformationandsoundprinciples-isthesinglebiggestinterventionthatallows foran immediate impactonefficiencyandquality. It is alsooneof thecheapestandmosttangiblewaystomakeameasurabledifference,mainlybecauseitenablesanexplicitviewoftheactualperformanceofthesystemandofanyimprovementsthatmayhaveresultedfrominterventions.Itprovidesthekeyleveragepointfromwhichtoeffectthemostchangeforthe leasteffortand lowestcost.At thesimplestandmostbasic level, thedatacollectionandanalysisarmoftheKZNDOEmustbestrengthened,especiallyastheirworkloadhasrapidlyincreasedandwillcontinuetodoso.Inaccuracyatthislevelwillresultinfundamentalweaknessthroughoutthesystem.Astrengthenedresource,staffandskillsbase fordatacollectionandanalysisthereforesitsasthefirstandkeyrecommendationoftheTreasuryProjectandcomesinatacostofR18400000peryear.

Policy Recommendations 2

Thesecondrecommendationcalls forapubliclyavailableeducationinformationsystemthatfacilitatestheengagementofallinterestedgovernmental,civicandcommunitymemberswhodoeducationalworkorhaveaninterestineducation.Itwilldetailthegeographiclocationofallschoolsintheprovincealongwithspecificinformationoneachschoolsuchascontactdetails,teacherandlearnerratios,statusoftheschool,quintilelevel,educationalperformanceofthewardanddistrict,budgetreceivedfromtheKZNDoE,etc.Itwillenablecivicandcommunityparticipationinlocaleducation.ThiswouldcostR250000tosetupandrunatanupkeepcostofR150000peryear.

ThethirdrecommendationrevolvesaroundashortcourseonPlanningforQualityEducationinaDevelopingContext, thathasspecificreferencetoKZN.Thiswill targetmiddle levelsofmanagementwithintheKZNDoEandworkinapracticalwaythatenablesbestpracticesbasedon existing research. A first cohort of 40KZNDepartmentmanagerswill be identified andengagedinthecourseatacostofR15000perhead(R600000).Thiswillimprovethecapacityof human resources within the KZNDoE and setmomentum towards a knowledge driven,evidencebasededucationsystem.

The fourth recommendation calls for a high level committee to be set up between highereducation,tradeunionsandtheKZNDoEtoimproveplanningwithregardtoteachereducationanddevelopment.TheannualbudgetforthecommitteeisR100000peryear.

Theneteffectofimplementingthesefourrecommendationswillbeimproveddatacapturingandanalysis,thefacilitationofwidercivicandcommunityengagementwitheducation,anenhancedunderstandingofhowtoimprovethequalityofeducationwithintheKZNDoEandeffectivehighlevelplanningbetweenthemajorstakeholdersworkingwithimprovingthequalityoftheteachingworkforce.Theserecommendationsalsoprovidetheseedsfordevelopingaknowledgebased,evidencedriven,empoweredKZNeducationsystemstrivingforsustainablequalityinadevelopingcontext.

Inorderforthisvisiontogrow,however,thehumanresourcecapacityoftheKZNDoEneedstobeextensivelyimprovedanddeveloped,asdoestheabilityofthesystemtoaccessandutilizeevidence todrivepolicyandprovide feedback. Improveddatacaptureandmanagementwillplace enormous demands on the districts to act on the performance levels of its learners,teachers,principals,schools,wardsandcircuits,especiallyoncesystemicevaluationsatgrade3,6and9becomeentrenched.ResearchdonebytheTreasuryProjectpointtospecificdistrictsbeingbothunder-resourcedandpoorly structured.At the same time,however,district levelofficialsdonothaveclearjobdescriptionsorperformanceagreementstohelpthemidentifytheworktheyareactuallysupposedtodo.Recommendationfivesetsoutmechanismsforworkingouttheresourcedemandsofspecificdistrictsaswelltheneedtospeeduptheprocessofjobdescriptionsatdistrictleveltoensureworkiseffectivelydone.Itisimportantnottogoaheadwithbolsteringdistrictresourcesbeforeclearjobdescriptionsareinplace.Thiswillenableaclearerpictureofthespecificshortfallstoemerge.

3

Recommendation six calls for a research communityofpractice tobe setup that is focusedspecifically on education in KZN. Although the Treasury Project has set out some of theparametersofeducationintheprovincethereisarealdangerthattheresearchoutdatesitselfand/or gets shelved. The Project has been valuable not only because of its deliverables butbecauseofprocesses,practicesandexpertiseithasenabledandputinconversation.Theseneedtobesustained,nurturedanddevelopedtoenableagenuinelyresearchledandevidencedrivenprovincial education system.Amodel similar to thatofUmalusiandCHE is recommended,wherebyappointmentsaremadeattheupperlevelsoftheKZNDoEtomanage,requisitionandco-ordinateresearchoneducationinKZN.Therearebothsalaryimplications(R600000)andbudgetimplications(R4000000)fortheKZNDoE.ThisistobecombinedwithextendingtheshortcourseoneducationplanningintoHonours,MastersandPhDlevels,thusdevelopingandextendingexpertiseandresearchinimprovingthequalityofeducationinKZN.Tokick-starttheprocess,bursariesshouldbemadeavailableforstudentsatMastersandPhDleveltoresearchissuesraisedbytheTreasuryProjectandspecificallyfocusedonKZN.

Recommendationsseventotendealwithcomplexproblemsthatcausemajordisruptionandinefficiencywithinthesystemanddonothavesimpleclearsolutions.Forexample,weknowthatlearnersneedtostayforaslongaspossiblewiththeirhomelanguageasthelanguageoflearning and teaching.Nevertheless there are powerful reasons and forces that prevent thisfromhappeningacrossKZN.MajorlongitudinalresearchneedstobedoneonthisissuebeforeapolicymoveonisiZuluasthelanguageofteachingandlearninginprimaryschoolsismade(recommendationseven).Therearesimilarissueswiththeresearchintotheconsolidationofruralschools(recommendationeight),introductionofworkableandresearchedstrategiesatthelevelofthecurriculum,pedagogyandassessment(recommendationnine),andthereworkingoftheresourceallocationmodelandpostprovisioningnorms(recommendationten).Thebasicinsightmotivatingthelastfourpolicyrecommendationsrevolvesaroundthelackofinformativeresearchintoeffectiveeducationalpracticesandtheresultingmassivewasteofresourceswhennew ideas are put in place without careful research. These recommendations dovetail withthe establishment of an education research community of practice dedicated to researchingeducationalpracticesinKZNandhowtoimprovethemwithinadevelopingcontext.Thiswilladdressthepaucityofreliableresearchthatcanbeusedtomakepolicyandplanningdecisions.ItwillalsoresultinimprovedinformationonthecurrenteducationpracticesinKZNandthusdovetailswiththefirsttworecommendationsarounddataqualityandfeedback.

Inanappendixwehaveincludedasetofradicalsuggestionsaroundthere-organizationofthegeographyofKZNeducationbasedontheincreasingdemandsthatwilldevolvetodistrictlevelwiththenewreforms.Thisentailedexploringdifferentdistrictmodelssuchastheincreaseofdistricts from12 to 18and the realignmentofdistrict circuitswithmunicipalboundaries toimprovecrosssectoralignment.

Thereisadangerwithpolicyrecommendationsthatawholeraftofpoliciesaremootedthatdonotseethelightofdayduetobudgetconstraints,theinabilitytofindwellqualifiedpersonnelorthefailuretosecureproperinfrastructuralrequirements.Theseconstraintscanresultinpoorly


qualifiedpeoplebeingemployed,atgreatcostbothfinanciallyandintermsofeffectivepractices.Itcanevenresultinexistingeffectivepracticesbreakingdownandapoorimagetakingtheirplace.Wewouldseektoavoidthesedifficultiesandrathersetupcommunitiesofpracticewithinthesystemthatareinformationrich,evidencedriven,researchledandcommittedtoworkingatalocallevelwithexistingpractices.

5

TheEducationDepartmentneedstorecognizethecriticalrolethatanaccurate,comprehensiveand up to data EducationManagement Information System (EMIS) can play in supportingeffective decision-making in the province aswell as the crucial contribution of SA-SAMS inenhancingschool-basedinformationsystemsanddataaccuracy.

A conscious decision should bemade to increase staffing resources for both EMIS and SA-SAMS,withmore resources for larger andmore challenging districts, instead of the under-resourcedandoverstretchedone-size-fits-allsituationwhichprevails.Similarly,theprovincialEMISunitshouldbestaffedtoitsfullcomplementsothatitcanrealizeitsfullpotential.TheexistingcapacityofEMISshouldberadicallytransformedatprovincial,districtandwardlevelthroughtheemploymentofadditionalspecializedpersonnelwiththerequisitedataanalysisandITskills.Considerablesavingscanberealizedthroughmoreaccuratedata(e.g.reducedlearnernumbers)andmoreefficientresourceallocation.

1.1. Justification of policy recommendation

Therearehugechallengesassociatedwith thequalityofeducationdata in theprovince.TheDepartment’sOperational Plan indicates that the percentage accuracy in the compilation ofstatisticaldata iscurrentlyonly85%,andthat it takesamonth forsubmissionofsurveys tooccurplusovertwomonthstocaptureschooldata(KZNDoEOperationalPlan2010–2011.p.27).Thereareproblemsthereforewithdataqualityandefficiency,whichhasleadtoalevelofscepticismregardingthedataprovidedbyschools.

Self-reportedenrolmentdataarepronetoinflation,leadingtoinefficientresourceallocation.The time required for school information to be captured, verified and analysed for effectivedecision-making is too long.TherolloutofSA-SAMSandLURITS iscurrently tooslowand,

Policy recommendation 1

Increased staff resources for improved data quality (EMIS and SA-SAMS)

An appropriate resource, staffing and skills base for EMIS and

SA-SAMS/LURITS in KwaZulu-Natal.


atthepresentpace,willtakeyearstobeproperlyimplementedindistricts.Inthemeantime,schoolsmaybecomefrustratedatthelackofsupporttheyarereceivingwithSA-SAMS.

SA-SAMSprovidescrucialmanagement,administrationandgovernancesupportforschools.Itwillhelpschoolstomanagethemselvesbetter,raisetheirawarenessofmanagementanddataaccuracyissuesandimprovetheirselfesteem.Itishoweveraresource-intensiveundertakingto get it up and running to the stage where schools are comfortable with it. It cannot beimplemented,supportedandmaintainedbystafferswhoalreadyhaveEMIStocontendwith.Thenetresultisthatitmaytakeyearstoimplementandcanneverbeproperlysupportedatcurrentstaffinglevels.

Finally,thereisacompellingfinancialreasontodevotemoreresourcestoimprovingEMISandschool information systems. If, as theKZNDoEOperationalPlan estimates, thepercentageaccuracy of statistical information is currently 85%, itmeans that the department could bespendingupto15%ofitsbudgetunnecessarilyoratleastmisallocatingfundsbythisamount.Thereasonforthisisthatlearnernumbersdeterminemostofthekeyfinancialallocationstoschools:howmanyeducatorstheyqualifyfor(postprovisioning),theirnormsandstandardsallocation,physicalinfrastructureneedsetc.This15%‘inaccuracy’representsuptoR1.2billionofexpenditure(the2009/10BudgetSpeechbytheMECforEducationSenzoMchunuputsthetotalbudgetatR24.6billion)thatcouldarguablybeputtobetteruse.TheimplementationofSA-SAMSisalreadyshowingthatlearnernumbersintheprovincearedroppingdramatically.ThisisbecausethesystemislearnerID-based,makingitdifficulttoartificiallyinflateenrolmentfiguresthroughinventinglearners.

A key question remains whether the department, by fully implementing SA-SAMS and animprovedEMIS, can realize the savings resulting frommoreaccuratedata. If, as suspected,itresultsinlowerlearnernumbers,therewillbeopportunitiesforredeploymentofeducatorsand for reducing expenditure on some schools in favour of genuinely needy schools.Manyresourcingdecisionswouldbeaffectedsuchaspostprovisioning,resourcetargeting,quintiles,physicalinfrastructure,booksandstationery,butthedepartmentwillneedtotakeconcertedactiontore-deployresources(includinghuman)infavourofrealneed.

1.2. Prior efforts

District-basedEMISpersonnelhavebeenappointed(oneperdistrict)andsomeadditionalstaffhavebeenassistingwiththerolloutofSA-SAMSandLURITS.TheDepartment’sOperationalPlan2010-2011indicatesthattherewere1800schoolsusingSA-SAMSin2010/11withatargetof6160(100%)by2014/2015.Italsoindicatesthatthereisanestimated85%accuracyinthecompilationofstatisticalinformation,withatargetof100%by2014/2015.Therearesimilarlyambitioustargetsforreducingtheturnaroundtimeforsubmissionofsurveys,datacaptureandreturnrateofsurveyforms.

7

It is clear that someworkhasalreadybeendone to improve the functioningofEMIS in theprovincebuttheaddedchallengesofSA-SAMSandthecontinuedunderstaffingoftheprovincialEMISsectionaretakingtheirtoll.ThereisanopportunitytotakeaboldnewleaptowardsbetterqualitydataandplanningwithSA-SAMS,butthiscannotbedoneatcurrentstaffingandskillslevels.

The one-year operational plan refers to 3 EMIS officials per district but at this stage thereonlyappearstobeone.Theone-size-fits-allapproachtostaffingdistrictsisinappropriate.AdistrictsuchasVryheidwith752schoolsshouldclearlyhavemorestaffthanAmajubawhichhasonly242.

1.3. Challenges

Resources are scarce and the department is under pressure to reduce administrative costs.There may be some resistance to increasing the number of EMIS staff due to competingprioritiesaswellasgate-keeping.Thereisarealriskofthewrongstaffbeingappointedandbeingunproductivee.g.staffwithnodataanalysis,databaseorITskills.Itiscounter-productivetomakeappointmentsbasedonfavourorpoliticalinfluencesincesuchpersonnelareunabletotakeproperownershipofthejob.Itiscriticallyimportantthattherightpeopleareappointed:peoplewhotakeapersonalstakeinimprovingdataqualityintheprovinceandwhowilltakeresponsibilityfortheirschools.ThiswillfacilitatetheirprovisionofaccuratedataandsupportthefullimplementationofSA-SAMS.

1.4. Implementation strategy and options

Oncethenewstaffinglevelsperdistrictandfortheprovincehavebeenagreeditwillbeessentialtodevelopaclearsetofjobdescriptionsandashortandlong-termEMISplanperdistrict.Thegoalisclear:toachieve100%accuracyofschooldataandtomakethisdatawidelyavailablefordecision-makersandstakeholders.Theskillsofexistingstaffshouldbecapitalisedupon,andinmanycasestheycanmentornewstaffmembers.Inadditiontostaffing,therewillbeaneedfor intensive training sessionson software tools fordata captureandanalysis,mappingandbasicreporting.EMISstaffshouldbecometrainedinformationprofessionalswhoknowtheirschoolsthoroughlyandcanreportwithauthorityonschool-relateddata,includingtheuseandinterpretationofeducationindicators.

Theroll-outofSA-SAMShasgivenrisetoanurgentneedforschool-basedsupportanditwillbenecessary toundertake school visits to resolve technicalproblems, toprovide additionaltrainingandsoftwareupdates.Thiswillrequiretransportandrecognitionthatstaffmemberswhoworkinruraldistrictshavetotravelgreaterdistances.


1.5. Costing

ThepointofdepartureforstaffingofEMISandSA-SAMSatthedistrictlevelisabasicminimumoftwopeopleperdistrict,oneforEMISandanotherforSA-SAMS.Thisshouldbeincreasedbyadditionalstaffbasedonaweightingthattakesintoconsiderationthenumberofschools,thenumber of learners and thedistances fromdistrict offices to schools. In otherwords, itisexpected thatadistrictwith largenumbersofruralschoolswillhave toworkagreatdealharder to turnEMISsurveysaround, toverify thedata, toensure thatSA-SAMSisproperlyimplementedandtodealwithday-to-dayschool-basedSA-SAMSqueries.

Staffing Recommendations:

Table1belowsetsoutaproposedscenarioforstaffingdistrictswithregardtoEMISandSA-SAMSpersonnel.Theschool, enrolmentanddistance factorsareequallyweightedandusedtodetermineanadditionalstaffcomplementthatwouldallowfordistrictstobemoreevenlymatchedinhumanresourcesformanagingEMISandforsupportingaperschoolimplementationofSA-SAMS.

Table 1: EMIS and SA-SAMS staffing requirement for Districts

District Schools Enrolment

2009

Average

Distance

from District

Office to

Schools (km)

Base EMIS

& SA-

SAMS Staff

Complement

Recommended

additional Staff

required due

to enrolment,

school numbers

and distance

considerations

Total

EMIS &

SA-SAMS

Staff

Complement

Amajuba 242 130 000 23 2 0 2Empangeni 661 292 767 48 2 3 5Ilembe 429 162 040 30 2 1 3Obonjeni 538 228 164 61 2 3 5Othukela 444 184 469 40 2 2 4Pinetown 499 317 920 16 2 2 4Sisonke 444 158 651 61 2 2 4Ugu 491 215 284 38 2 2 4Umgungundlovu 503 219 807 26 2 1 3Umlazi 461 303 606 11 2 1 3Umzinyathi 481 176 686 64 2 2 4Vryheid 752 298 096 67 2 4 6Total 5 945 2 687 490 24 24 48

9

InadditionitwouldbenecessarytostaffProvincialEMISfully.Theorganogrammakesprovisionfor11staffmembers,butonly4positionsintheprovincialEMISofficearefilledatpresent.LikethedistrictEMISpersonnel,theyareoverstretchedandcannotprovideaprofessionalserviceatpresentstaffinglevels.Toomuchemphasisisplacedonmeetingdeadlinesforsurveyturnaroundandnotenoughondataverification,analysisandmanagementsupport.Theywouldalsobenefithugelyfrommorejudicioususeoftheinternetasadatadistributionmeans.

Costing:

Thecostingbelowassumesadistrictbasedstaffingcomplementof48,plusatotalof11staffattheprovincialoffice(aspertheorganogram)aswellasfourtrainingsessions/technicalmeetingsperyearandtransportationforSA-SAMSrelatedvisitstoschools.

Table 2: Annual costing for enhanced data quality - EMIS and SA-SAMS

Item Cost

Total salaries R 13 870 000Workshops, training sessions and inter-district collaboration meetings R 2 520 000

Transport R 2 100 000

Estimated Annual Cost R 18 490 000


InthiswaytheDepartmentofEducationcantakealeadingandproactiveroleintheprovisionof relevant education information to stakeholderswithin andoutside thedepartment.Localcommunitieswillbeempoweredwithcrucialinformationaboutschoolssuchasperformance,


A comprehensive, publicly accessible and up to date information system for

schools in KwaZulu-Natal

A comprehensive and up to date information system on

KwaZulu-Natal schools is developed and made available on the

Internet for public and departmental access. The system should

provide high quality maps showing schools and health facilities

in relation to roads, towns, rivers and administrative boundaries

for the use of service providers, trainers, department personnel,

MECs etc. There should be a facility allowing users to zoom to an

area of interest, find a specific school, clinic or town and display

increasing levels of detail: this can be used for spatial planning.

The ability to click on a specific school or clinic and display

critical attribute information such as the number of learners and

educators, Section 21 status, quintile or Matric. results is also

essential, together with being able to view photographs of the

school (where available) and display more detailed

school or clinic information.

11

fundinglevelsandenrolment.Governmentdepartments,NGOs,fundersandotherstakeholderswillhavefreeaccesstoinformationaboutschools,learnerperformanceandmatriculationresults.The distributionpotential of the Internet canbe fully utilized.Over time the system canbedevelopedtoprovideinformationaboutteacherssuchasbiographicaldetails,qualificationsandtheresourcesprovidedtoschools.Itmaybenecessarytorestrictaccesstocertaincomponentsof the informationsystemif thedata isdeemedtobetoosensitive,but thegeneralprincipleshouldbeoneofopenaccessandtransparency.


Manypeopleare in thedarkaboutwhat isgoingon in theDepartmentofEducationandatschools.Informationremainsbehindcloseddoorsonthebasisthatitisconfidential,unreliableand/ortoosensitiveforrelease.Itisalmostimpossibletogetsomethingassimpleasanaccurateaddress list of schools or school level data on Matric. results or recent enrolment data orinformationonthepublicfundinggiventoschoolsormapsshowinghowtogettoruralschools.Thisdatashouldbefreelyavailableinthepublicdomainsothatstakeholderscaninteractwithit,interrogateandanalyseit.Itisamatterofpublicrecordandapowerfulwayofensuringthatthequalityofeducationinformationisimprovedovertimeandinconsistenciesareironedout.

TheeffectiveuseofanInternet-basedinformationsystemwouldmeanthatEMIScouldspendless timedealingwithmundaneday to day queries andmore time on strategic informationmanagementandanalysis.Thiswillhavepositivespin-offsfordecision-makingintheprovincesincetherewillbeagreaterfocusonkeyeducationindicatorsandlongitudinaltrends.

2.2. Prior efforts

TheDepartment of Education has a website but it is out of date and poorlymaintained. Itdoesnot indicateanunderstandingof thekindsof information thatpeoplewouldfindmostinterestinganduseful todownload.Therearenomaps, indicatorsorkeystatisticsavailable.EMISinformationisburiedinthemaindepartmentalwebsiteandtakestoolongtoaccess.Manyof themore interestingdataelements (suchasMatric. results,Section21 statusand learnernumbers)arenotmadeavailable.Therearenophotographsofschools.

TheDepartment’sOperationalPlan(KZNDoEOperationalPlan2010–2011)statestheyareaiming to ensure that ‘information is available andaccessible to all target audiences’ (p.74).Theyarealsoplanningto‘developtheDepartment’sintranetandinternet’(p.73).Thereisnoindicationofhowthiswilltakeplaceandofwhatkindsofinformationwillbemadeavailable.There are references to multi-media presentations, media statements, radio interviews,newspaperarticlesand ‘publicitycampaigns’(p.73)buttheneedforprovidingreal, tangibleinformationonschoolperformance,fundingandinfrastructuretostakeholdersseemstohavebeenoverlooked.


In short, very little information is available or shared either within or beyond the Department of Education. No effort has been made to capitalize on the benefits offered by the Internet.

2.3. Challenges

TheDepartmenthasbeenreluctanttosharedataforfearthatitcouldopenitselfuptocriticismorthattheveracityofthedatawouldbequestioned.Thereareconcernsaboutlabellingpoorlyperformingschools,stigmatizingteachersordenigratingcertainareasoftheprovince.Itisfarbettertoopeneducationupfordebateandtogivepeoplethemeanstoseewhatisgoingonintheprovincesothattheycanhelpandcontribute.


ThereareOpenSourcesolutionstoprovidingmapsanddataviatheinternet.Theseofferfreesoftwarewithahighlyprofessionalmeansofdesigninginformationsystemsthatareinteractiveandscalable.

Theinformationsystemshouldhavethefollowingminimumcapabilities:

• MapsofthewholeofKwaZulu-Natalshowingschools,healthfacilities,towns,roads,rivers,administrativeboundariesandkeylandmarks.Theseshouldbedownloadableandfreeofcharge

• Dataforschoolssuchasschooltype,ownership,Section21status,numberoflearners

• Anuptodateaddresslistforschools

• Planningmapsforeachdistrictthatshowthedistributionofeducationwards,circuitsandadministrativeoffices

• Afacilitytouploadandviewphotographsofschools

• A one-page profile for each school providing key statistical data e.g. enrolment trends,learner-classroomandlearner-educatorratiosandinfrastructureneeds

Over time the system could be developed to provide more analytical information such aseducation indicators, trendanalyses and commentary.A series of information leaflets couldbedeveloped that areprovided toall schools andcommunities (via libraries). Thesewouldsummarizelocaleducationwardsandtheschoolstherein.Thematicinformationandanalysis

13

could also be provided to various stakeholders within the Department, such as Personnel,FinanceandPhysicalPlanning.

2.5. Costing

IfanOpenSourcesoftwareplatformisusedtherearenoongoinglicensefeestobepaid.Themaincostistheinitialdevelopmentofthesystemandthereafterongoingmaintenanceanddataupdatecosts.Thesystemcanthereforebedevelopedandmaintainedatafractionofthecostofacommercialsoftwaresystem.

Development costs: R250 000 – includes software development, Map Server and HTMLprogramming, data acquisition, development of user interface,mappreparation and layout,loadingofschoolanddistrictprofiles,linkingofphotographs,uploadingofallmaps.

Ongoing annual update costs: R150 000 – includes liaison with District EMIS personnel,identifyingandeffectingchangesinkeydatasets,modifyingmaps,modifyingschoolprofiles,loadingnewphotographsetc.Alsoincludesongoingdevelopmenttothesystem.



Thedevelopment of organisational human resource capacity and enhancement of skills is acrucialfactorinservicedelivery.Thedevelopmentofthecapacityofoffice-basedpersonnelwillcontribute to theaccomplishmentofstrategicgoalsand, in turn,servicedelivery.This focusareacouldalsocontributetotheeffectiveutilizationoftheSkillsDevelopmentLevy.DevelopingsuchacourseattheUniversitywillresultinimprovedunderstandingofeducationalplanningattertiarylevelandenablethebeginningsofaspecializationinthisfield.

3.2. Prior efforts

ThereisalreadyanACE-levelqualificationforschoolprincipalsfundedbytheDepartmentofEducation.However,thereisnospecificcourseinterventionforoffice-basedemployeeswithinmiddlemanagementlevelsoftheKZNDoE.ThereisnospecializationoneducationplanningavailableinKZN.


Short course on planning for quality education in KwaZulu-Natal

Introduction of an accredited in-service educational planning

course for middle management, aimed at: bringing about change,

i.e. working within shared norms, ethos, vision and goals on how

to improve the quality of education in a developing context; and

improving capacity to plan, implement and monitor quality of

education in a provincial context.

15

3.3. Challenges

TheKZNDoEworksinsilosanddoesnothaveaclearworkingunderstandingoftheprinciplesbehinddeliveringqualityeducationwithinadevelopingcontext.Nor is thereaconsolidatedunderstandingofexistingpracticesandresearchineducationalplanningwithinadevelopingcontext(provincially,nationallyorregionally).Thereislimitedexpertiseineducationalplanningwithintheprovincebothprofessionallyandacademically.Therearenoexistingmodelsintheprovincetobuildon.


The course shouldwork onprinciples that have alreadybeen established as effective in thePrincipals’ManagementandDevelopmentProgramme.Cleardeliverablesthatcentrearoundthe existingdemands andmaterialswithin theDoE shouldbeusedas a startingpoint.Theactualpracticesof theKZNDepartmentofEducationmiddlemanagementmustbeengagedwithandthevariouslevelswithinmiddlemanagementputincontactwitheachother.

3.5. Costing

ThecostingofashortcourseinEducationPlanningisR15000perstudent.Theinitialcohortwouldbe40students(R600000).ThiscanbecoveredbytheKZNDoEortheskillslevy.



Thereislittledoubtthatthehumanresourcesinthedepartmentarethecentralleveragepointforenhancingqualityineducation.Theinternationalandlocalresearchshowsclearlythatitispeoplethatmakethedifference,notbuildingsorothermaterialresources.Whilethedrawingofdifferentdistrictboundaries,settingupofdirectorates,buildingclassroomsandlaboratoriesordevelopingnewmaterialscanallenhancequality,theydosoonlyifthepeoplethatpopulatethestructures,manageschoolsandresourcesoruse thematerialsaremotivatedandskilledenoughtoutilizetheseresourceseffectively.Thispointisoftendemonstratedbythedifferentperformanceofschoolswhereallotherfactorsareconstant.Investinginthepeopleisthesinglemostlikelyenhancerofquality. Clearly,with90000educatorsintheemployoftheKZNDepartmentofEducation,thefocusneedstobeontheexistingstaff.ButtheKZNDoEhasaturnoverofsome3000–4000teachersperannumanditiscriticalthatthereisafarmoresystematicattempttoreplacetheseteacherswithqualityteachers.Therecannotbeapassiveapproachthatreliesonthehighereducationsystemtoproducethefutureemployees.Thereneedstobeastrong,coordinatedandlongtermplanthataddressesthesupplyaspectofqualityteachers,asthenewteachershavethepotential


A high level co-ordinating committee on human resource development with a specific focus on teachers

A comprehensive staff development strategy whose

implementation is centrally coordinated and utilises a range of

partners needs to be developed, implemented and managed.

The focus should, in the short term, be on system integration and

support of the teaching-learning endeavour.

17

tochangethequalityoftheteachingandthecultureoftheschoolsiftheyaretrained,recruitedandretainedinasystematicmanner.

Fromafinancialperspective,staffcompensationaccountsforthebulkoftheexpenditureinthedepartmentanditisafixedcostthatremainslargelyoutofthecontroloftheprovince,giventhatlabourrelationsaremanagedcentrallythroughtheEducationLabourRelationsCouncil.Theprovince’sopportunity is tomaximize thevalue that employeesadd to themissionandvisionofthedepartmentthroughbetterdeploymentandmanagementprocessesandthroughsystematicandlongterminvestmentinthetraining,recruitment,retentionanddevelopmentofthepeopleinthesystem.

SouthAfricahasverysophisticatedskillsdevelopmentpolicyarchitectureandtheinfrastructureandexpertise todeliverqualityprogrammes.TheNationalSkillsDevelopmentStrategy andtheSkillsDevelopmentActprovideapolicyandstatutory frameworkwhichdetermines thataminimum1%ofthesalarybillisspentontrainingandskillsdevelopment.Thisisalreadyasizeableamountoffundingearmarkedforthisactivity.Inaddition,specificnationalfundsarecommittedtotheprovisionofbursariesandfinancialaid,andtargetedinterventions.Throughthepubliclyfundedhighereducationsystemthecostsoftrainingnewandexistingeducatorsarefurthersubsidised.Andcapacitydevelopmentandtrainingareareasofworkthatareregularlyfundedbydonorsandotherfunders,includingothergovernmentdepartments.Inshort,thereisalreadysubstantialinvestmentintrainingandthepotentialtoleveragefunds,sothatthereisnosignificantpressuretodivertfundsfromotherbudgetlines.

4.2. Prior efforts

TheDepartmentofEducationnationallyandinKZNhastakenthedevelopmentofitshumanresources seriously at a number of levels. There has been ongoing investment in trainingspecifically at the school level, both through supporting current employees to improve theirqualificationsand throughchanging the supply sidedynamics.Someof themost significantinitiativeshavebeen:

• The introduction of the Funza Lushaka bursary scheme for the training of new teachers

• The enrolment of large numbers of teachers in teacher upgrade and retraining programmes such as the National Professional Diploma in Education and various Advanced Certificates in Education

• Short courses offered to school principals, circuit managers and subject advisors

• KZN DoE’s own continuing professional development unit known as Ikhwezi.


4.3. Challenges

Currenthumanresourcedevelopmentstrategiesinthedepartmentarelargelyuncoordinatedanddrivenbyindividualchampionsorsectoralinterests.Inaddition,therehasbeenlittlealignmentbetween thevariousbranchesandsections thatdealwithhumanresourcedevelopmentandtherehavebeensignificantblindspotsorseeminglyclashinginitiatives.Thebiggestchallengeistocoordinatesuchalargeorganization.

The second challenge is ensuring that the human resource development strategy iscomprehensive.Theapproachthusfarhasbeendrivenlargelyby‘priorityareas’determinedbynationalandprovincialimperativesthat,whileworthwhile,haveresultedinaskewedemphasisthathasprioritizedmathsandscienceandmanagementtothevirtualexclusionofmanyothercriticalareas.Ofparticularconcernisthatsomecriticalareasrequiringdevelopmenthavebeenignoredintheallocationofresources.Thisisespeciallytrueforsmallbutspecializedfields.

Athirdchallengeislinkedtotheabove,butisrelatedtosupplyanddemand.SupplyislargelybeingmanagedthroughtheallocationofbursariesadministeredbythenationalDepartmentofEducation,withlimitedprovincialbursariessupplementingthis.Thepriorityareasonceagainareprivilegedintheallocationofbursariesandsoanumberofsubjectsaresimplynotsupported.Because theyare smalleror less fashionable these subjectsarenotflaggedasproblems;butincreasingly,newteachersofthesesubjectsarenotenteringthesystem.

Partoftheproblemisthatthedatathatcanassistinmodellingtheeducators’needsandthedemandsidesimplyisnotavailable.Thustheimprovementofdataandbetteranalysisofthedatawillbecrucialtoasuccessfulstrategy.

A final and ongoing challenge is that this proposal is highly dependent on collaborationand system-wide responses. It requires coordinationacross a rangeof internal andexternalstakeholders,includingprovincialandnationaldepartments,theSectorEducationandTrainingAuthority(SETA),theSouthAfricanCouncilforEducators(SACE),highereducationinstitutionsandprivateproviders.Coordinationacross somanystakeholders is extremelydifficult, evenwhenallpartiesarecommittedtotheprocess.Iftheyarenot,thenitisalmostimpossible.

4.4. Implementation options

Ahighlevelcommitteeneedstobeconstitutedthatwilloverseetheworkoftheskillsdevelopmentdirectorate.CurrentdiverseactivitiessuchastheindividualbursariesallocatedbytheHumanResources section, skills funds allocated to specific sections and general skills developmentinitiativesneedtobecoordinatedwithexternalexpertisetoassistintheprocessofprioritization.

19

Acomprehensiveandevolving5year,10yearand15yearplanneedstobedevelopedbasedonananalysisofallaspectsofthesystem.Thiswillneedtofactorinpredictabledatasuchastheretirementdatesofeducatorsinthesystemaswellasmacro-trendssuchasurbanizationtomakeprovision for the changing supply needs. The continuing professional development(CPD)ofstaffneedstotakeaccountofallareasofthecurriculumandwidersystemicissues,sothatalleducatorsaregivenopportunitiesforCPD.Theskillslevymoniesandbursariesshouldbetieddirectlytotheplanandmonitoredbystaffintheofficeoftheseniorgeneralmanagerresponsibleforhumanresources.

4.5. Costing

Thecostsoftrainingarealreadyfactoredintothestatutoryrequirementsof1%onthesalarybill,withtargetedexternalfundingthroughtheSETAandotherdonors.The setting up of the high level committee and support for the committee will require resourc-es, including staff directly responsible for the development and implementation of the plan as well as costs related to travel and accommodation. Estimated annual cost R100 000.


Onceproperlyimplemented,adistrictsuchasVryheidshouldbeinapositiontoestimatewhatits resourcingdemandsare (school visits, subject advisory services etc.) inamanner that isconsistentwithadistrictsuchasUmlazi.Theconceptof‘spatialjustice’issignificanthere–thedepartmentshouldaspiretowardsprovidinglearnerswiththesameeducationalopportunitiesirrespectiveofwheretheygotoschool.AtpresentitisclearthattheaveragelearnerinObonjeniorSisonkedistrictisconsiderablymoredisadvantagedthanoneinPinetownorUmlazi–andtwiceaslikelytofailMatric.iftheyreachgrade12.


Prioritize clear and specific job descriptions that respond to the

challenges at District level

A new set of staffing and resourcing norms are adopted for district

offices that reflect the challenges they face such as large numbers

of schools, large distances from schools to district and circuit

offices, and high poverty levels. The new norms acknowledge the

difficulties faced by large rural districts and ensure they are staffed

appropriately, so that each district has the capacity to provide

a consistent level of professional and management services to

schools in order to enable them to improve teaching and learning.

This will only be possible once clear and explicit job descriptions

and performance indicators are formulated and implemented at

district level.

21

The staff complement should enable an optimum number of visits by SEMS and SubjectAdvisorstoschools.WardManagersshouldvisiteachschoolintheirWardatleastonceeverysixweekstoprovidesupportandtodiagnoseproblemsthatrequireurgentattentionsuchastheneedforsubjectadvisorsormanagementtraining.Subjectadvisorsshouldvisiteachschoolintheirjurisdictionaminimumofonceperterm.TheEducationDepartmentshouldalsoconsiderprovidingsalaryincentivestomakeitattractiveforstafftoworkinruraldistricts.

If the department is unable to staff districts differentially then it should investigate thepossibilityofcreatingsmallerdistrictsinordertomakethemmoreequalintermsofworkload(seeAppendixonsmallerdistricts).


ItisawellknownfactthateducationdistrictsinKwaZulu-Natalareunevenlymatched,yettheyareexpected toprovidea consistent levelofprofessional service to their schools.Theyhavevastlydifferingnumbersofschoolstocontendwith(rangingfrom242to752),differinglearnernumbers(from130000to318000),differingproportionsof ‘poor’ (Quintile1&2)schools(from84%tojust3%)andmajorvariationsintermsoftheaveragedistancesthatpersonnelhave to travel fromadministrativeoffices to schools (67kms compared to 11kms).TheyalsoperformverydifferentlyintermsofMatric.results-thebestdistrictisatalevelequivalenttoGautengprovince,whereastheworstisamongstthelowestofalldistrictscountrywide.Clearjobdescriptionsandperformanceindicatorswillprovidethefirststepenablingtheprocess.

Table3overleafillustratesthesedifferencesbetweendistricts.Arankinghasbeenassignedtoeachcriteria,withacombinedrankingtorepresenthow‘challenging’adistrictisintermsofsize,povertyanddistancecriteria.Thisisnotanobjectivemeasure,butitdoesprovidesomeindicationofthedifficultyofadoptingaone-size-fits-allapproachtodistrictmanagementandstaffing.Longerdistancesmeanmoretimespenttravellingtoschools,oftenonpoorerroadsinruralareas.Poorerschoolsmeanagreaterneedformanagementsupportandsubjectadvisoryservices, andpotentiallymore visits to ascertain progress. Larger numbers of schoolsmeanmoredemandsonexistingstaff.

5.2. Prior efforts

StrategicObjective3.2intheDepartment’sOperationalPlan(KZNDoEOperationalPlan2010–2011.p. 21) states that the aim is to ‘ensure equitabledistributionofhuman resources intheDepartment’.Partofthisinvolvesensuringthatallofficesare‘providedwithadequateandsuitablyqualifiedpersonnel’but thebaseline indicates thatonly60%ofdistrictsandofficeswereadequatelystaffedin2010(p21).Theaimistoensurethat85%ofschools,districtsand


officesareadequately staffedby2014/15. It isnot clear from theOperationalPlanhow thisisgoingtobeachieved-whetheradifferentiatedstaffingmodelwillbeadoptedfordistricts,orwhether theywillbe treatedmoreor less thesame in termsof staffingneeds.AseparateobjectiveintheOperationalPlanstatesanintendedNationalSeniorCertificatepassratetargetof80%in2014/15-upfromthepresentlevelof61%.Thiswillnotbeachievedunlessspecialattentionandresourcesaregiventotheweakerdistricts:theyarewherethemostprogressinlearnerperformanceandprogresscanbemade.

At present, there is an approximate norm of 30 schools per educationward that is appliedthroughout the province. Thismeans that districtswithmore schools havemore educationwardsandthereforemoreSEMs(SeniorEducationManagers)attheirdisposal.VryheidDistrictforexamplehas24wardsandtherefore24SEMscomparedtoAmajubawhichhasonly8.Thenumberof circuits is also loosely basedon schoolnumbers andVryheidhas 5 compared toAmajubawhichhas2.Thisratiosystemensuresthatthestaffingofwardsandcircuitsisbasedonschoolnumbersandroughlyequitableatfacevalue.

District

Schools Enrolment in 2009 Proportion of schools that

are poor (Quintile 1 or 2)

Average distance from District

Office to schools (kms)

Combined ranking 1 = Most

challenging district Number

Rank

1 = largest,

12 =

smallest

Number

Rank

1 = largest,

12 = smallest

Number

Rank

1 = largest,

12 = smallest

Distance

Rank

1 = longest,

12 = shortest

Amajuba 242 12 130 000 12 42% 9 23 10 12Empangeni 661 2 292 767 4 70% 6 48 5 3Ilembe 429 11 162 040 10 69% 7 30 8 11Obonjeni 538 3 228 164 5 84% 1 61 4 2Othukela 444 9 184 469 8 57% 8 40 6 9Pinetown 499 5 317 920 1 4% 11 16 11 7Sisonke 444 9 158 651 11 82% 3 61 3 6Ugu 491 6 215 284 7 75% 5 38 7 5Umgungundlovu 503 4 219 807 6 40% 10 26 9 8Umlazi 461 8 303 606 2 3% 12 11 12 10Umzinyathi 481 7 176 686 9 82% 2 64 2 4Vryheid 752 1 298 096 3 79% 4 67 1 1

Table 3: District ranking data

23

Whatthissystemdoesnottakeintoconsiderationisthefactthatthedistancesrequiredtoreachschoolsvaryhugelyfromdistricttodistrict,asdotheconditionsunderwhichschoolsoperate.ItcaneasilytakeanSEMinoneoftheruraldistrictsthreetimeslonger(uptohalfaday)toreachoneofhisorherschoolscomparedtoanSEMworkinginanurbandistrict.ItislikelythattheseschoolswillbevisitedfairlyrarelywhentheyaresohardtoreachandwhereonlyoneSEMhastomanage30ormoreofthem.

LinkedtothisproblemistheapparentlackofaclearjobdescriptionforSEMsoraclear(andregulated)indicationofhowoftentheyaresupposedtovisitschools.Withouteitheroftheseinplace,andintheabsenceofaschoolinspectorate,thereisnowaytomeasuretheeffectivenessofSEMsortodeterminewherethecurrentsystemisworkingandwhereitisbreakingdown.Theseissuesneedtobeaddressedsothatmorehumanresourcescanbeappliedintheareasofgreatestneed,andtheunder-performanceofsomeSEMscanbeproperlydealtwith.

5.3. Challenges

Thepressure to reduce administrative costs in education remains a constant challenge.Thehiringofmoreoffice-basedstaffinruraldistrictswillincreaseadministrationcosts,andmaynecessitateadditionalofficeaccommodation. Itmaybedifficultattractingsuitablyqualifiedstaff to rural districtswhere social and economic opportunities areperceived tobe inferior.Unlessclearjobdescriptionsareagreedupon,thereisthelikelihoodthatadditionalstaffwillnotproveeffectiveinachievingtheaimofimprovingservicedeliverytoschools.Itisthereforeimportant to establish clear and detailed job descriptions before embarking on increasingresourcestothedistricts.


Aproperworkstudyneedstobeundertakenthatexaminestheresourceandstaffingrequirementsofeachdistrictandthedirectoratestherein.Allpersonnelshouldlisttheirjobsandthehoursspentundertakingtheirkeytasks.Laboursavingdevicesandinitiativestoimproveefficiencyshouldbetakennoteof.Clearjobdescriptionsshouldemergefromthisprocess.

5.5. Costing

Althoughsubstantiallongtermcostsareinvolvedinresourcingdistrictscorrectly,thisshouldnotbedonebeforethereisclarityonthejobdescriptionandperformanceindicatorsatdistrictandwardlevel.Neverthelessitispossibletoestimateroughlywhattheactualresourceimplicationsare.TheproposalsbelowareinformedbytheDraftNationalPolicyontheOrganizationRolesandResponsibilitiesofEducationDistricts,2008.Aminimumstaffing level foreachdistrictshouldbedetermined,whichisthenweightedbythenumberofschoolsandlearnersthatthe


districthastoserve,thepovertyofschoolsaswellasthedistancebetweenthedistrict/circuitofficeand its schools.Districts serving largenumbersofpoor schools shouldbegivenmoreresourcestosupportdisadvantagedschoolsasfollows:

• Districtswithmorethan70%ofschoolsinQuintiles1and2shouldreceive5%additionalposts.ThiswouldapplytoObonjeni,Sisonke,Ugu,UmzinyathiandVryheid.

• DistrictswheretheaveragedistancefromtheDistrictOfficetoschoolsismorethan60kmshouldqualifyfor6%additionalposts.ThiswouldapplytoObonjeni,Sisonke,UmzinyathiandVryheid.

• DistrictswheretheaveragedistancefromtheDistrictOfficetoschoolsisbetween60kmand40kmshouldqualifyfor3%additionalposts.ThiswouldapplytoEmpangeni,OthukelaandUgu.

The allocation of these posts should prioritise curriculum (subject advisory) support as well as school management services (SEMs etc).

25

6.1. Justification of Policy Recommendation

Thevisionofaninformationrich,evidencedriven,researchledKZNDoEcallsforafocusedandcoordinatedresearchcommunitythat isconcernedabout improvingtheexistingeducationalpractices inKZN.Thiswill result inbetterandmore informeddecisionsbeingmadeonkeypolicyinitiativesratherthantheoftenknee-jerkreactionswearecurrentlywitnessing.

6.2. Prior efforts.

TheTreasuryprojecthasenabledsuchacommunityoverthelasttwoyears,andlinkshavebeenmadebetweentheKZNDoE,UKZN,theTeacherTradeUnions,andvariousNGOs.Researchexpertisehasbeendevelopedandbasicdatasetsputtogetheronthesizeandshapeofeducationintheprovinceaswellaspracticesthatimprovethequalityofeducationinadevelopingcontext.AlthoughthereareexistingresearcheffortswithintheKZNDoE,UKZNandUNIZULU,NGOsand Trade Unions, these are uncoordinated, unfocused and have little impact on policy orplanning.

6.3. Challenges

Achieving coordination between KZNDoE, UKZN, UNIZULU, DUT and trade unions onresearch;maintaining themomentumbuilt upby theProject; fundingmore ambitious longtermlargescalestudies;andincludingtheFETsectorintheresearchgroup.


Establish a research community engaged in researching

education in KZN

A research division that coordinates research activities focusing on

education must be established within KZN DoE.


6.4. Implementation strategy and options.

Theresearchcommunityhastoextendacrossthreesectors:tertiaryeducation,theprovincialDepartmentofBasicEducationandNGOsengagedinresearchingeducationwithintheprovince.UKZNneedstousetheshortcourseonEducationPlanningasabasefromwhichtodeveloppostgraduatestudiesinthespecializationofEducationPlanning.TheKZNDoEneedsahighlevel focuson the latest researchoneducation inKZNandadedicated coordinatingpersonbothrequestingresearchandensuringtheKZNDoEknowsaboutandusestheresearch.NGOsneedtodevelopexpertiseinresearchingKZNeducationbybeingtaskedtodocertainkindsofresearch.

6.5. Costing

InitialcoststosetuparesearchbaseoneducationinKZNhavealreadybeencoveredbytheTreasuryProject.Toextendresearchandhumancapacitydevelopmentthreelevelsoffundingareneeded.ThefirstisbursariesatPostGraduatelevelforresearchintoKZNeducation;thesecond is funding for large scale, longitudinal studies set out in policy recommendations 7,8 and9; the third is the appointment of ahigh level researchofficer in theKZNDOEwitharesearchbudget.Full timedoctoralbursaries(R80000peryearoverthreeyears)andfulltimemastersbursaries (R40000peryear)willdevelopexpertiseand research. Itwouldbeadvisabletobeginatamasterslevelwith2bursarieseachforthethreekeyareasidentifiedbytheTreasuryprojectandoutlinedinrecommendations7,8,and9(6x40000=240000).AhighlevelresearchcoordinatorwithintheKZNDoEwillcostR600000peryear.Aresearchbudget of approximatelyR4 000000will be needed to co-ordinate and facilitate research.This portfoliowould be responsible for initiating and costing the researchprojects listed inrecommendations7,8,9and10.Itshouldbenotedthattheresearchprojectsareexpensiveastheyinvolveresourcing.

27


Researchclearlyindicatesthatdevelopmentofacademiccapacityinthehomelanguageresultsin better learning and understanding of subject content, the home language and additionallanguages.Englishneeds tobeeffectively taughtasasubject for6yearsbefore it isusedasLOLTbyisiZuluhomelanguagespeakers.Theshiftfromearlyliteracytoacademicliteracyisakeypointinalearner’sacademicliteracy;torequireashifttoanotherlanguageoflearningandteachingatthatpointistobuildfailureintothesystem.

However,communitiesandschoolswillnotmoveawayfromattemptingtointroduceEnglishassoonaspossible,becauseoftheperceivedbenefitsofEnglishasalanguageofpower.ThereisapoorunderstandingoftheactualimplicationsofattemptingtoextendtheuseofisiZuluastheLOLTintheintermediatephase.Awellresourcedpilotstudyover7yearswillenableamore


Language of learning and teaching (LOLT)

Primary schools with a majority of learners using IsiZulu as

their home language should be actively encouraged to use

isiZulu as their LOLT until at least grade 6, especially during

the shift from early literacy (grades 1-3) to academic literacy

(grades 4 onwards). Although this is well understood, there is

strong community and school resistance to such a proposal for

various reasons. More detailed longitudinal research is needed

to understand the complexities underlying these issues and to

address possible logjams in the system around resources.


detailedunderstandingofthedynamics,implicationsandcostsofamorewidescaleattempttoencouragetheuseofisiZuluastheLOLTinprimaryschools.

7.2. Prior efforts

Recent recognition of the importance of home language as LOLT has occasioned increasedtranslation of textbooks into isiZulu, increased production of isiZulu readers and increasedsystematizationoftheisiZululexicon.AnewOxfordisiZulu/Englishdictionaryhasjustcomeout–thefirstoneinover40years.Therearealreadystrongpracticesofcodeswitchinginschools.RecentpolicychangehasshiftedtheteachingoftheLOLTfromgrade2to1,meaningthatthelearnerwilllearnaboutthelanguagesheisusing.Englishisalsotobetaughtasasubjectfromgrade1.WealreadyhaveteacherswhoarebilingualandabletoteachinEnglishandisiZulu.IncreasingavailabilityofisiZuluonTV,inbooks,movies,andmagazineshasextendeditsreach.

7.3. Challenges

Therearemanychallengesstanding in thewayofnecessaryanddesirable languagepracticeinprimary schools, chief ofwhich is the belief in communities that learners should shift toEnglish as LOLT as soon as possible to ensuremore time learning the ‘language of power’.This is combinedwithabelief thatEnglishprimaryschoolsprovideabettereducation thanisiZuluschools.OtherchallengesareapoorlydevelopedisiZuluconceptuallexicon,andfewertextbooksinisiZuluasgradesgethigherandsubjectsmorespecialized.

TheteachingofEnglishasasecondlanguageinfoundationphaseisverytrickywhencombinedwiththelearningofisiZulu.Twoverydifferentphoneticsystemsareinvolvedandthiscouldconfuselearners.


TheNDBEhasrecentlymadethreepolicymovesthatcanbeusedtoadvantageinincreasingisiZuluasLOLT.Thefirst isthe introductionofsubjectworkbooksin literacyandnumeracyfromgrade1to6.ThesearecurrentlybeingwrittenandwillbeavailableinisiZulu.Thesecondistheincreasingspecificationofsubjectcontentenablingeasierandmorerigoroustranslationinto isiZulu.The third is the introductionofEnglishasanadditional language fromgrade1- thus addressingparents’ fear that their children arenot being introduced toEnglish soonenough.A concerted public awareness program is needed that alerts parents and teachers in ruralareastotheimportanceofhomelanguageforlearningandteaching.IsiZulureadersmustbemadewidelyavailable,andtextbookproductioninisiZulumustbemonitoredandencouraged.Diagnosticreadingtestsneedtobedoneatthoseschoolsperformingpoorlyingrades3,6,and9; and systemic evaluations and systematic reading programmesmust be introducedwhere

29

readingisnotfluent.Clearphoneticeducationinthesecondlanguagemustbecarefullyputinplaceoverasustainedperiodtoensureautomaticityandlackofconfusionbetweenphoneticstructures. The effectiveness of such interventions needs to be researched and reported onasoneof theprimary fociofaresearchunit.Post-graduatebursariesdirectedspecifically toresearchinthisareashouldbemadeavailable.

Onamoreambitious level, a comparative longitudinal studyon the impactof the extendeduseofisiZuluthroughprimaryschoolneedstobeconducted.Twoprimaryschoolsfromeachofthe12districtsshouldbeselectedtoimplementisiZuluastheLOLT.AnothertwoprimaryschoolsshouldbegiventhesameamountofresourcingassistancebutfollowtheusualshifttoEnglishasLOLTingrade4.Baselinetestsshouldbetakenforcomparativepurposes.Teachingandmaterialresourceswillbebudgetedfor(onamodelsimilartotheDinaledischools)andlongitudinalresearchdoneontheexperiencesanddevelopmentswithintheseschoolsover7years.Thisdevelopmentresearchprojectshouldbefullyelaboratedinaformalproposal(atacostofR50000)andfundingsoughtforit.Becauseitinvolvesextensiveandintensiveresourcesupportthecostswillbesubstantial.ItwillprovidethefirstdetailedresearchstudyonamatterofvitalimportancetothefutureofeducationinKZN.

7.5. Costing

BursariesatMastersleveltoresearchisiZuluasLOLT(R40000X2=R80000)

Proposalforlongitudinalcomparativecasestudythatiseffectivelyresourced(R50000)



Ruralareasarecharacterizedbymanysmallschoolsthatarenotviableandcannotfunctioneffectively.Although theKZNDoEhashad the consolidationof rural schools on its agendafor some years there has been no substantial movement in this direction. The benefits ofconsolidation are already well understood but implementation is difficult for all sorts of


Research on the effectiveness of consolidating rural schools

A pilot project exploring the effectiveness of rationalizing small rural

schools within a particular radius from each other and consolidating

them into bigger, well resourced schools is currently underway at

Sukuma High school outside Pietermaritzburg. This pilot project

needs careful qualitative research, so that the rationale and interests

of different communities and partners involved are captured and

expressed. This, along with a detailed review of current policies

and practices in rural schools across the country, will provide an

informed base from which to start the process of consolidating rural

schools in KZN. The option of boarding facilities for teachers in these

consolidated schools must also be explored. The intention is to research

the effectiveness of such a policy: whether it creates conditions for

maximum utilization of resources, broadens access to quality education,

and ensures the retention of teachers in rural schools.

31

complexreasonsthatneedtobeproperlyunderstood.Focusedresearchontheconsolidationofruralschoolswillenablemoreinformedandstructuredmovementtowardsconsolidation.Thisshouldincludeanexplorationofboardingfacilities forteachersandlearners.ThetragedyofHIV/AIDSorphanscanbepartlyaddressedthroughanextensionofboardingschoolfacilitiesinruralareas.Apilotstudyoftheconsolidationofruralschoolswillenablebetterpolicyandplanningdecisionsaroundthiskeyarea.

8.2. Prior efforts

The consolidationof rural schoolshasbeenon the agendaof theKZNDOE for someyearswithoutmuchmovement or success. The current pilot project at SukumaHigh school is auseful starting point to explore the complexities involved. Kwa-ZuluNatal has a history ofgoodmissionaryboardingschoolsandotherschoolswithatraditionofacademicexcellence.Manyoftheseschools,locatedinruralareas,areinadilapidatedstatebecauseofthereducedfunding,particularlyforboardingfacilities.TheKZNDoEhasstartedaprocessofrebuildingandreinvestinginsuchschools,asanattempttorevivetheiracademicexcellence.Usingandresearchingtheseexistingschoolsforpilotingtheconsolidationofsmallruralschoolswilltesttheeffectivenessofconsolidationbeforethehugeexpensesinvolvedinbuildingnewschoolsareincurred.Ifthepilotissuccessfultheroll-outofconsolidationcanthenfollow.

8.3. Challenges

Manyoftheexistingboardingfacilities inruralKZNaresecondaryschools.Primaryschoolsremainachallenge:howtheconsolidationwouldworkoutinprimaryeducationneedstobecarefullyresearched.

There are questions about the appropriateness of removing very young children from theirfamiliesandplacingtheminaboardingschool.Theneedsandinterestsofthechildrenneedtobecarefullyconsideredhere.Eachruralcontextwouldalsohavetobecarefullyassessed,andcommunityparticipationindecisionmakingneedtobesoughtbeforeanydecisionistaken.

Buildingnew,well-resourcedboardingschoolsinareaswherenonepresentlyexistwillbecostly.


ResearchonruralschoolsshouldbeinitiatedusingSukumaHighSchoolasafocus,aswellastraditionalboardingschoolsthatarecurrentlybeingupgraded.

A longitudinal research anddevelopmentproject on the consolidationof primary schools isneeded.Itshouldprovideforthefollowing:


• Anauditofallexistingboardingschoolslocatedinruralareasintheprovince

• Anauditofallschoolswithinapre-determinedradiusofeachboardingschool,withanaimofidentifyingsmall,non-viableschools

• An exercise establishing the cost-effectiveness of consolidating the small schools, andresourcingtheassociatedboardingschools

• Identificationofthefirstfewschoolsthatwouldbemostcost-effectivetoconsolidateandallocationofabudgetforthisprocess

• Communityparticipationandadvocacyfortheconsolidationofsmallschoolstobesought

• Theresourcingoftheboardingschool,informedbyacademicandothercommunityneeds

• Theapplicationprocessforadmissionintoeachboardingschooltobedecideduponandimplemented, with the full involvement of the local communities and all other relevantstakeholders

• Closing of the small schools and opening of the first boarding schools.Monitoring andevaluationoftheseschoolsconductedwithinanagreedupontime-frame.Resultsthereofinformhowthisrecommendationistakenforward.

8.5. Costing

Bursariesatmastersleveltoresearchruralschools(40000x2=80000)

Proposalforlongitudinaldevelopmentandresearchproject(R50000)

33

Existingresearchoncurriculum,pedagogyandassessmentinadevelopingcontextpointstothefollowingprinciplesindesign:

• Focusononetopicata time,pursue it indepthrather thanbroadly,anddonot includedistractionsandadditionsthatintegrateothertopics,othersubjects,orotherexperiencesasapartofthetopic.

• Ensureeachtopichasbasicassessmenttasksthatareclearandexplicit.

• Ensurethatthetopiciscoveredinanumberofdifferentwaystoimproveunderstanding.Select these topics carefully according to thekey concepts andprinciplesof the relevantsubjectsandensurethattheyfollowalogicalsequencethatcarefullybuildsupunderstanding.

• Eachyearmustfocusonsubstantiallynewmaterialratherthangoingoverthesamematerialsupposedlyinmoredepth.(Ratherdoitproperlyonce,thanagainandagain.Recalltestscanbeusedtoensurethatoldermaterialisembeddedinmemory).

Pedagogic interventions and training must focus on ensuring that the teacher actuallyunderstandsthecontentbeforeattemptingvariouspedagogicstrategies.Themostimportanttwostrategic(andrelated)featuresofpedagogyarepacingandfeedback.Ratherthanrushingthroughacurriculum,theteachermustselectkeytopicsanddothesetopicsslowlyandcarefully,ensuringunderstanding.Thismeansthattheteacherhastolearnthebasicsofworkingthrough


Research and evaluation unit on curriculum, pedagogy and

assessment

A research unit dedicated to evidence driven research on

curriculum, pedagogy and assessment which will align closely

with subject advisors and the curriculum section of the KZN DoE

to ensure the introduction of workable and researched strategies

to implement effective changes at the level of the curriculum,

pedagogy and assessment.


a textbook andusing feedback:workingoutwhere the learners are and responding to theirdifficultieswithstrategiesthatimproveunderstanding.Ratherthanintroducingawholerangeofsophisticatedpedagogictechniques,thefocusshouldsimplybeonwhethertheteacherhasspentenoughtimeonthetopictoensureunderstandingandhasgivenstrongenoughfeedbacktoguidethelearnersthroughthesteps.

Assessmentandevaluationmustbeexplicitaboutwhatspecificcontentwillbeassessedandhowitwillbeassessed.Assessmentmustnottestgenericskillsbutmustratherfocusontheissues,skillsandcontentofthesubject.Learnersmustgetproperfeedbackthatshowsthemwhattheydidwrongandhowtheycangoaboutfixingit.Thismeansthatformalassessmentsshould not be overused and over-carefully prepared for.More informal forms of evaluationcanbeusedthatsimplycheckwhere the learnercurrently isandwhat thenextstep is.Thisisachievedthroughthewayinwhichtheteachermarkslearnerworkbooksandrespondstolearnerquestionsandmisunderstandingsinclass.

InKZNeducationthereiscurrentlylittleunderstandingofsuchprinciplesandsimilarlylittleresearchontheireffectivenessorimplementation.


Althoughmuchoftheapproachdescribedaboveseemsobvious,itisnotcommonpracticenorhasitbeenthefocusofpolicy,implementationprocessesorresearch.Firstly,curriculummaterialshavetendedtobe ‘busy’,superficial,spreadoutandunfocused.Many different topics are covered. Often there is weak content specification, so that bothteachersandlearnersstruggletofindoutwhatisimportantinallthevarioustasksandboxesthatconfrontthem.Learnersandteachersneedclarityaboutwhatexactlytheyarelearningsothattheycanfocusonitandmasterit.Researchisclearthatlearnersfrompoorbackgroundsneedanexplicit,simpleanddetailedfocusontopics,exploringthemindepthfromanumberofangles.

Similarlywithpedagogy,therecommendationsareobviousbuthavenotbeenfollowed.Researchshowsclearlythatuseoftextbooks,feedbackandpacingarethethreemostimportantvariablesimpactingontheperformanceoflearnersfrompoorbackgrounds.Theselearnersneedtoworksystematicallythroughanorganizedandclearcurriculumandbegiventimeinclasstopracticeandmasterthetopicsandskillsthateachspecificsubjectdemands.Rushingthroughthelessonstocovercontentdoesnothelp,nordoes repeating the lessonnextyear in thehope that thelearnerwillfinallygetitright.Thiscallsforastrongfocusontheteacherusingatextbook.Theteachercannotjustbeafacilitator.

Oneof thebiggestdangers inassessment is losing focusonwhat thesubjectactually isanddemands as a specializing force. There is strong evidence that subject specific skills arenoteasilytransferableandcannotbelearntgenerically.Thismeansthateachsubjectmustbetested

35

according to its specificdemands.Attempts touse the subject formore generic skills or forcross-cuttingthemesmustbeavoidedasthisdistractsbothteachersandlearnersfromthemainfunctionofassessmentwhich is tospecializeconsciousness.Ourresearchhaspointedtothealmostcompletelackofproperfeedbacktolearnersintheclassroom.Nodecentevaluationoftheirresponsesisgiven.Teacherslackskillbothinidentifyingwhatthelearnerisstrugglingwith and also thenmaking recommendations on how to address the issue. This is the coreofevaluationandassessmentbut it isalmostcompletelyabsent inpreviouslydisadvantagedschools.

Curriculum,pedagogyandassessmentsitattheheartofimprovingthequalityofeducationinKZNyetchangesorinterventionsatthislevelaregenerallyimplementedwithoutanyresearchortrialling.

9.2. Prior efforts

Keyreformsatnationallevelareaimingtoensurethatminimallevelsofqualityinteaching,learningandassessmentareensured.Theseare:

• AfocusongradeRandthefoundationphase

• Asimplificationofthesubjectstructureoftheintermediatephase

• Reductionand simplificationof teachers’workloadby simplifyingassessment, especiallythroughstoppingthecommontasksofassessmentinGrade9andtheuseofportfoliosforassessment.Projectworkisalsotobecutdown

• Anincreasingrelianceonendoftheyearexamsratherthancontinuousassessmentfromgradetograde

• Useofthesamesubjectnamesandmarkstructurethroughoutbasiceducation

• TheteachingofEnglishfromgrade1asanadditionallanguageforlearnersusinganotherlanguageforlearning

• Eachsubjectineachgradetohaveclearandexplicitcontentspecified

• Clearpacingandsequencingrulesprovidedforwhenandhowthesubjectsaretobetaughtandassessed.Teacherswillknowwhattopicstoteachwhenandhow

• Appropriate textbooks for each subject in each grade will be provided, starting withfoundationphaseandmovingupwards.Anationaltextbookcataloguethatensuresqualityandpricingtobesetup


• Learnerworkbooksprovidedfromgrade1to6(inliteracyandnumeracy)providinglearnerswithclearspecifications,contentandtasksforwhattheyneedtodoeachday;inallofficiallanguages.

• Externalnationalassessmentsatgrade3,6and9levelsinliteracy/languageandnumeracy/mathematics.

EverysingleoneofthesenewnationalpolicystatementsresonatestronglywiththeresearchdoneontheTreasuryProject.

Keymoveshavealsobeenmadeataprovincialleveltoimprovethequalityofthecurriculumthroughitsdelivery,pedagogyandassessment.Inparticular:

Thereisaclearfocusontheclassroomandtheinteractionbetweentheteacherandthelearnerastheprimaryunitofdelivery.Ineffectthismeansapolicythatisdirectedtowardssupportforcurriculumdeliveryand learnerassessment, support forsubject specialistsand teachers,support for school management teams and support towards school governance. The KZNDoEhasundertakenareviewofitselftoreducethedistancebetweenitselfandtheclassroom.It recognizes that responding to the underperformance of teachers and learners throughallocatingmoreresourcesisnotadequateandthatadeeperunderstandingofthereasonsforunderperformanceneedtobebetterunderstood.Thetreasuryreportwillassist theminthisregard.

TheKZNDoEhasa10pointplanthatfocusesonMatric.improvement.TherehasbeenanotableimprovementinKZNMatric.resultsin2009.

TheKZNDoEhasplacedtheimprovementofschoolfunctionalityandoutcomesfirmlyonitsprioritylistofstrategicgoals.Itsfocuswillbeonthreestrategicobjectives:toimplementqualityassurancemeasures, assessmentpolicies and systems tomonitor the success of learners; todeveloptheprofessionalqualityandacademicperformanceofmanagersandeducators;andtoadministeraneffectiveandefficientexaminationandassessmentservice.

Systemicevaluationsatgrade3,6and9levelsinliteracy/languageandnumeracy/mathematicsacross the countrywill result in amassive improvement in ourunderstanding of howbasiceducationisfunctioninginthecountryandtheprovince.Thiskeydevelopmentwillallowfordetailed feedback on the performance levels of schools, teachers, learners, wards, circuits,districtsandprovinces that canbeusedasabaseline to improveperformance levels. It is ahighlyspecializedandcomplexendeavorthatneedsprofessionalanddedicatedresourcesbothtoanalysethedataandtorespondtothemanyissuesitisgoingtothrowup.

There is currently no research unit that focuses on these crucial interventions. There is nosystematictrialingofmaterialsorevaluationoftextbooks,norigorouscasestudiesorrobustcomparativestudiesthatassistinmaterialsdevelopment.TheKZNDoEdoeshaveacurriculum

37

unit that makes interventions through designing and distributing teaching materials. Thissectionstrugglestodistributeitsmaterialandnoresearchortriallingisdoneontheeffectivenessofthematerial.

9.3. Challenges

Curriculumandpedagogycontainboththequickestandslowestmechanismsofchange.Itispossibletochangeacurriculumandassessmentwithinacoupleofyears.Changingpedagogicpractices that have been deeply absorbed through years of schooling and teaching is verydifficult.Research on these areasneeds to beupdated continually as policies, curricula andeducationalpracticeschange.

The perception that the curriculum has been dumbed down and has taken freedom andprofessionaldiscretionawayfromtheteacherscouldresultinanapatheticworkforce.

The acceptance of poorly trained and educated gradeR teachers into the foundation phasepresents a major challenge. Foundation phase is a high priority area that is crucial to thefuturefunctioningoftheschoolsystemandlearnerperformance.AstronglinemustbedrawnbetweengradeRandfoundationphaseotherwisetherewillbeastrongnegativeimpactonbasicnumeracyandliteracyskills.

ThequickeradoptionofEnglishasthelanguageofteachingandlearningmustbediscouragedin schools that have a strong isiZulu home language profile. English is being taught as anadditionallanguageingrade1andthiswillencourageaquickermovetoEnglishasthelanguageoflearningandteaching.Thiswillhaveastrongnegativeimpactonlearnersasthelanguagestructureofthesubjectsbecomesmorecomplicatedaftergrade3.

There is a widespread tendency to teach to the test only, resulting in rote learning andmemorizationwithoutunderstanding.

Thereareincreaseddemandsonprovincialsystemsintermsofassessment,teachertraining,provision of materials, feedback, and material design, piloting and distribution based onfeedback.Thisstrainwillrunthroughthewholesystematprovinciallevel,district,circuitandwardlevels(seedistrictandinformationrecommendations).

Ineffectivedesignofworkbooksandtextbooksratherthandesignbasedonprinciplesthatarecrucialforsuccess,suchasmovingslowlythroughthecurriculumanddealingwitheachtopicindepth.

Teachersareomittingareastheydonotunderstandandteachingonlywhattheyarefamiliarwith.


TheKZNDoEsetsunrealisticgoalsforitselfintermsofeducationaloutcomes(improvementofnationalcertificateresultsfrom63%to80%in5years;a25%improvementinNCSmathematicspassratesover5years;andsimilargoalsinscienceandlanguage).Asimilartrendisnoticeableinitsfocusonenhancingtheprofessionalqualityandacademicperformanceofmanagers.Forexampleitexpectstoreducethenumberofdysfunctionalschoolsfrom200to2overfiveyearsand tohalve thenumber of underperforming grade 12 schools. In similar vein it expects toreducethenumberofdayslostduetoeducatorabsenteeismfrom15to0.


Thetimehasneverbeenmoreauspiciousforthepolicyrecommendationsmadeforcurriculum,pedagogyandassessmentinKZN.TheDepartmentofBasicEducationhasoutlinedastrongfocusongettingbacktothebasicsofteaching,learningandassessmentalongwithaclearandexplicitcurriculumthatspecifiescontent.TheKZNDoEhasprioritizedthesamesetofissuesinitsstrategicplan.ThisdocumentwillnotgooverterrainalreadycoveredbytheDepartmentbutlookatwhatelsecanbedonetoimprovethequalityofeducationinKZN.

Ourresearchclearlyshowsthatteachersmostlyteachonlywhattheyalreadyknowanddosowithoutmuch focus on understanding or feedback. In addition to the existing national andprovincialreformsthatnowspecifywhat teachersshould teach it iscrucial that this issue istackledwith focused care. The danger is that an attempt ismade tomove too quicklywithteachers already in the system. Teachers and learners from grade 1 to grade 6 are going toreceiveworkbooksthattakeboththroughtheliteracyandnumeracyexpectationsfortheyear.Thisisthekeyleveragepointinthesystem,especiallyforschoolsthatarestrugglingtoperformacademically.Itwillformthebasisforheadsofdepartment,principals,subjectadvisorsandwardmanagerstocheckiflearnersareactuallycoveringthecurriculumatanadequatepace.Itwillmeanthatteachersstarttolearnhowtoteachlessonsbeyondtheircurrentrange,thattheypacetheirlessonsmorecarefullyandstructurethesequenceoflessonsinamannerthatmakessense.

To replicate this massive national imperative locally will be to waste resources. Far moreimportant will be to treat these workbooks as a pilot structure, to find out where teachersandlearnersarestrugglingwiththeworkbooks,wherecontentisnotdetailedenough,whereinessentialandtimewastingactivitiesaresuggested,andwherethereisconfusionaboutwhatisexpected.Researchatthislevelwillenabledetailedandeffectivefeedback.

This focusmust be separated from the related attempt to ensure that teachers are actuallyteaching the curriculum.Subjectadvisorswillneed to intervenequicklyandeffectivelywithsupport at thispoint, eitherprovidingadditionalmaterials that clarify anddeepena crucialtopicorofferingstrongrecommendationsaboutwhatcanbeleftoutwithoutmuchlosstothesubject(sothatmoretimecanbedevotedtoadeeperunderstandingofcrucialconceptsandtopics).Thedesignofcurriculummaterialiscurrentlyundertakenbyaspecificsectionofthe

39

KZNDoE.Itstaskwillshiftfromcurriculumdesigntoinvestigatingtheproblems,difficultiesand successes of theworkbooks and how to augment them. It willmean a close alignmentbetweensubjectadvisors,thecurriculumsectionoftheKZNDoEandaresearchunitdedicatedtoevidencedrivenresearchoncurriculum,pedagogyandassessment.

This implementationstrategymustbecarefullyapplied.Schoolsthatarealreadyperformingexcellentlywillfindtheworkbookstobebothdamagingandlimiting.Attemptstoinsistthattheseschoolsimplementtheworkbookswilldountolddamagetotheirprofessionalpracticesandethos.TheDoEisimplementingtheworkbooksinQuintileoneandtwoschools.Theinterventionthatwillmakesomedifferenceinthe80%ofourschoolsthatareseriouslyunderperformingwoulddoseriousdamagetothe20%ofschoolscurrentlyproducingmostofourgoodresults.Oneway to determinewhich schools shoulduse theworkbooks as the driving force behindtheschools’pedagogicstructurecanbetheperformanceofschoolsinthesystemicevaluationsatgrade3and6levels.Thoseschoolsthatareperformingpoorlyintheevaluationswillhavetoadapttotheworkbooksasthestructuringmechanismfortheirteachingandlearning,withcarefulmonitoringoftheiruse.There isadanger thatuseof theworkbooksacross theboardat theseschoolsbecomesveryboringandresultsinallsortsofdisciplinaryandpedagogicissues.Itmustbeborneinmindthattheseworkbooksarecurrentlydevelopedonlyforliteracyandnumeracy.Othersubjectsmustensurethatteachersandlearnersworksystematicallythroughaclear,contentrich,carefullysequenced textbook.Overseveralyears thiswill result in improvementnotonlyof teachers’contentknowledgebutalsooftheirpedagogicskill.

Thetextbookcanbeaugmentedbyaselectionofkeytopicsinasubjectandacommitmenttodevelophighqualitymaterials that focus indepthonunderstandingandengagement.Theselessonscanformthebasisofinteractionsbetweenteachersandmasterteachers,andbetweenteachersandsubjectadvisors.Thedevelopmentoflocalcommunitiesofpracticethatfocusontheselessonsandhowtoteachthemwillresultinturninthedevelopmentofasubjectspecialistprofessional identity,whichwillpushteachers to teach inareas theyarenotcomfortable in.Thismustbeimplementedslowly,atthelevelofonekeytopicayearpersubjectandpergrade.


9.5. Costing

APlanningandSupportBranchexists in theKZNDOE.Thestaffworking in these sectionsshouldbeprioritizedfortheshortcourseinEducationalPlanning.Thecostofthishasalreadybeendealtwithinrecommendation3.TheKZNDoEneedstosetasidefundingforevidencedrivenresearchoncurriculummaterials, textbooksandworkbooksaswellastheanalysisofpedagogic practices and assessment practices thatwork across districts. Funding should bemadeavailableforresearchintheseareasatHonours,MastersandPhDlevels.TwobursariesatMasters levelwill provide for initial baseline research on the effectiveness ofworkbooks,the simplificationand increased specificationof the curriculum,and theeffectivenessof thesystemicevaluations.

Two masters bursaries (40 000 x 2 = 80 000)

41


The current allocation of resources to schools and districts is based on a combination ofhistoricalallocationsanda formula that isbasedonenrolmentsandtheclassificationof theschoolinaparticularquintile.Thissystemdoesnotdifferentiatebetweenschoolsintermsof:sizeofgrounds; infrastructure;proximitytotownsandcities; localgovernment;curriculum;servicesavailable.Consequentlyschoolswithlaboratoriesandcomputersdonotreceivemorefundingthanthosewhodonothavethese,despitetherunningcostsofthesefacilities.Similarly,schools thatoffersubjectswithspecificresourcerequirementsarenotcompensated for this.Thequintilesystemitselftakesnoaccountofthefactthatlearnerstraveltoschoolsandthattheimmediatesurroundingsoftheschooldonotnecessarilyreflectthesocio-economicmakeupofthelearners.

Theneteffectisthatthecurrentformuladoesnotrewardschoolsthatofferdiversecurricula,thattakeinchildrenfrompoorbackgroundsandthatmaintaintheirfacilities.Thisproposalwillenableschoolstoaccessresourcesthatarealignedtotheirneedsratherthanasimpleheadcount.

The staffing formula, or Post Provisioning Norm (PPN), is similarly based on headcountenrolment.Thisalsomakessenseonly ifonehasanotionofhighly standardisedschools inmind.Thisisnotthecaseontheground.Firstly,staffingofaschoolneedstobelinkedtoitsphysicalcapacitytoaccommodatestaff:moreteachersinaschoolwithoutclassroomswillnotimprovequality.Secondly, theneedsof secondary schoolswith specialisedcurriculaarenotaccommodated, and no account is taken of subjects where normal teacher: educator ratiosmaynotberealisticorwhereschoolsarerequiredtoofferthesubject.TheconsequenceisthatsmallerschoolsmaynotbeabletohavespecialiststeachingkeysubjectssuchasMathematicsbecauseofthePPN.ThereisalsonoallocationforpostssuchasaschoolcounsellororaschoollibrarianinthecurrentPPN.


Improve PPN and RAM

Redesign the Resource Allocation Model and the

Post Provisioning Norms to take account of variables

other than learner numbers.


10.2. Prior efforts

ThereisrecognitionatbothnationalandprovinciallevelthattheRAMandPPNisproblematicandtherehavebeensuggestions that thequintilesystembeadjustedorremoved.Acurrentproposalistomergeanumberofthequintilecategoriestodrawaclearerlinebetweenpoorandbetterresourcedschools.

TherehavealsobeenadjustmentstothePPNforpurposesofensuringthatallschoolshaveanisiZuluteacher.

10.3. Challenges

The greatest challenge is data quality. A RAM that is more sensitive to the actual needs of the school will only work if data on schools, educators and learners is accurate and reliable. Anychangetothesystemofresourceallocationwillresultinwinnersandlosers.Thishastobemanagedsensitivelyandcarefullysothattherearenotseriousandunforeseenconsequences.

10.4. Implementation options

Aphasedapproachisrecommendedinordertoreducetheshocktothesystem.

IntermsofthePPN:

• Distinguishbetweenprimaryandsecondaryschools

• Ring-fencespecificpoststhatarerequiredbythecurriculume.g.Mathematics,MathematicalLiteracy,Languages

• CreateamechanismfortheestablishmentofcertainschoolstobefundedoutsideofthePPN,wherethoseschoolshavespecialistfunctions:suchasfocusschools,fullserviceschoolsorschoolswithspecialisedcurriculumstreams

• Establish norms for specialist posts such as school counsellors and librarians andmaketheseprogressivelyavailable

• LinkthePPNto theavailable infrastructure,so thatschoolsdonotexpandbeyondtheirphysicalcapacity

43

IntermsoftheRAM:

• Distinguishbetweenschoolsthatarepayingformunicipalservicesandschoolsthatarenot

• Factorinapersquaremetrerateforroutinebuildingmaintenance

• Progressivelymoveawayfromaquintilebasedallocationtoonebasedontheschoolneedsandthesocio-economicstatusofthelearners

• Factor in specific requirements such as direct funding for hostel facilities, libraries,laboratoriesetc.

10.5. Costing

AfullreviewofPPNandRAMisacomplexissuethatneedsextendedandfocusedresearch.Italsocutsacrossnationalandprovinciallevels.Ahighlevelconsultantmustbeappointedtoreworkthemodelstoalignthemtothestrategydirectionsofthedepartmentandadequatelyresourcethesystem,takingaccountof the levelofdifferentiation,atacostofapproximatelyR800000.


Thecrisisineducationhasloomedlargeinournationalconsciousnessoverthelastcoupleof years and has formed the major impet

policy recommendations · 2014. 9. 3. · oecd organization for economic cooperation and...

Documents