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STAFF REPORTER
THE Free Stater Department of Education has been given R128.778 billion to deal with projects in the province over the current financial period. The province had claimed top position in the 2022 matric results, and for this, National Treasury had allocated R109 million for infrastructure investment in the province.
This allocation was part of the performance-based incentive S programme aimed at improving effective planning and deriving efficiencies within the infrastructure delivery chain.
To build a capable, developmental and ethical state, for generations to come, the Free State was of the opinion that it should sustain investment in quality education.
The Department described its seven programmes, and the amounts allocated to each of them for:
Programme 1 for the overall management of the education system in accordance with the
relevant prescripts
Programme 2 provided for ordinary public education from grades 1 to 12
Programmes 3 and 4 provided support to independent schools as well as compulsory public
education in special schools
Programme 5 deals with early childhood education at grade R and Pre-Grade R levels
Programme 6 referred to its investments in infrastructure, and,
Programme 7 provided support for examination and other related education services.
Saturday classes were encouraged and implemented in large numbers in the Free State.
This programme assisted the learners immensely. Schools would also begin to benchmark themselves and had started their own extra classes programme.
Learners could be observed walking to school on Saturdays with their textbooks in their hands across the province.
Mzamo Jacobs, senior manager in the Free State Education Department, shared some statistics on the “Second Chance Matric Programme”. In one region, 524 people had written, and 466 had passed. This gave a pass rate of 88.9 %.
In Letshobela, 2 459 people had written, of whom 1 756 had passed. In Mangaung, 2 580 people wrote, of whom 2 095 had passed, and in Gariep, 908 wrote and 646 passed. In another region, 3 276 people wrote and 2 785 had passed. This gave the “Second Chance Matric Programme” a 78.9% pass rate. The performance was quite considerable.
According to Jacobs added, the ECD migration had been successful, and that Grade R practitioners had received training on CAPS, and pre-Grade R practitioners on the national curriculum framework.
There had also been up-skilling for advanced practitioners from Level 5 to NQF Level 6. This qualified practitioners as full teachers, and 450 had been absorbed into the Personnel Salary System (PERSAL).
Jacobs added that South Africans needed a paradigm shift where career prospects were concerned as there had been an over-emphasis on academia, yet vocational training was a valid alternative.
Non-performing schools were those schools which recorded a pass rate of 65% and less. The Department had now set the target at 75%, to encourage schools to maintain higher pass rates.
INSIDE EDUCATION
