Pretoria - While acknowledging that there is a lot to be corrected to normalise education delivery in the Eastern Cape, President Jacob Zuma says he is pleased the biggest hurdle has been overcome.
"I am very happy that the biggest stumbling block has been removed, that of delineating roles, responsibility and accountability," Zuma said.
The President held a meeting this week with the Presidential Eastern Cape Education task team to assess progress made in restoring education to normality.
The task team was established by the President following his education monitoring visit to the Eastern Cape on 7 June 2011, and against the backdrop of a Section 100 (1) (b) intervention being invoked by Cabinet, aimed at achieving a turnaround in education in that province.
The President is personally monitoring the turnaround plan to ensure effective delivery and urgent attention.
During the meeting, the team of National Cabinet Ministers and Provincial MECs presented a clear plan of action on the major areas of deficiency to the President.
It was agreed that the Eastern Cape Provincial Government, through the provincial Department of Education, would take full responsibility for the implementation of the intervention with the national government, with the Department of Basic Education taking responsibility for monitoring the implementation and providing the necessary support.
National Treasury and the Department of Public Service and Administration are also involved, while the Minister for Basic Education Angie Motshekga and the Eastern Cape MEC for Education, Mandla Makupula, will be the focal and communication points for the intervention.
"Now that these have been clarified, all teams must get down to serious work. There is a lot that must be corrected to normalise education delivery in the province.
"We are very optimistic and determined to make this intervention a success and as of now, everybody must focus on preparing children for the coming matric exams. They must not be further disadvantaged. They deserve the best quality service like all other children," said President Zuma.
Service delivery areas that were identified as needing urgent attention include the provision of resources and support to all districts to implement the 2011 Grade 12 learner support programme for spring, and weekend extra classes until learners finish writing the final exams.
Strengthening the decentralised National School Nutrition Programme, in terms of quality and quantity of food, sound financial management and accountability; finalising the 2012 schools post establishment; ensuring that stationery and textbooks are supplied to all learners, and also providing school furniture to all schools were noted matters of extreme urgency.
Other areas identified include the provision of proper and sustainable learner transport to all learners who qualify; filling of all critical vacant posts for schools of learners with special education needs; implementing reversal of irregular salary increases; filling of substitute posts on time; redeployment of excess teachers to where they were needed most, as well as the merger and closure of schools that were not educationally viable. - BuaNews
