Playing politics in the Eastern Cape at the expense of millions of poor children would not take the province forward, MPLs from opposition parties said yesterday.The MPLs, on the education portfolio committee were reacting to plans unveiled by premier Phumulo Masualle for provincial education department MEC Mandla Makupula and his officials to resolve challenges faced by the department in order to improve matric results this year.
Other education stakeholders, including activist group Equal Education (EE) and an education expert, were also not convinced Masualle’s plans would succeed.
DA MPL Edmund van Vuuren said there was nothing new in Masualle’s plans. “The premier is saying things that we’ve been saying to the MEC in the committee, but our recommendations are not implemented because unions have too much power.”
Van Vuuren said officials tasked with monitoring schools were not doing their jobs because of a lack of accountability.
The department had no plans to improve teachers’ skills and no system in place to keep track of their performance in the classroom. “As long as these teachers are not assessed, as is done in the Western Cape, our results will never improve,” Van Vuuren said.
UDM MPL Thando Mpulu said the same issues raised by Masualle had been recommended to Makupula by the committee.
“All he is talking is rhetoric. It’s politics. It would be better if the premier was saying he is going to fast-track the service delivery model by looking at districts, and cascade that to a design of having feeding high schools, and cleaning the system to ensure that it is capable of running itself without the MEC.”
Mpulu said attention was no longer being placed on schools with pupils from poor households because middle-class parents had withdrawn their children from them. “None of us have children there, and I’m saying this out of my conscience. There is no vigour and attitude to help those poor children.”
EE provincial head Lumkile Zani said: “These challenges have been around for years, that’s why we have been underperforming....It’s clear that there is a challenge in the administration of the department.”
The department was not abiding by regulations on norms and standards for school infrastructure. “There is not even a single school that has been built in the Eastern Cape that conforms with norms and standards regulations.”
Poor children in deep rural areas were dropping out of school due to a lack of scholar transport.
“Principals at these poor rural schools are running them like independent islands with no support from the department,” Zani said.
Education expert Graeme Bloch, who was hopeful the province would register an increase in the matric pass rate last year, said: “I think the key issue is how hands-on the MEC will be. Early childhood centres help in the long term. Otherwise it is up to learners themselves and parents.” — msindisif@dispatch.co.za
Storm over education rescue plan
The MPLs, on the education portfolio committee were reacting to plans unveiled by premier Phumulo Masualle for provincial education department MEC Mandla Makupula and his officials to resolve challenges faced by the department in order to improve matric results this year.
Other education stakeholders, including activist group Equal Education (EE) and an education expert, were also not convinced Masualle’s plans would succeed.
DA MPL Edmund van Vuuren said there was nothing new in Masualle’s plans. “The premier is saying things that we’ve been saying to the MEC in the committee, but our recommendations are not implemented because unions have too much power.”
Van Vuuren said officials tasked with monitoring schools were not doing their jobs because of a lack of accountability.
The department had no plans to improve teachers’ skills and no system in place to keep track of their performance in the classroom. “As long as these teachers are not assessed, as is done in the Western Cape, our results will never improve,” Van Vuuren said.
UDM MPL Thando Mpulu said the same issues raised by Masualle had been recommended to Makupula by the committee.
“All he is talking is rhetoric. It’s politics. It would be better if the premier was saying he is going to fast-track the service delivery model by looking at districts, and cascade that to a design of having feeding high schools, and cleaning the system to ensure that it is capable of running itself without the MEC.”
Mpulu said attention was no longer being placed on schools with pupils from poor households because middle-class parents had withdrawn their children from them. “None of us have children there, and I’m saying this out of my conscience. There is no vigour and attitude to help those poor children.”
EE provincial head Lumkile Zani said: “These challenges have been around for years, that’s why we have been underperforming....It’s clear that there is a challenge in the administration of the department.”
The department was not abiding by regulations on norms and standards for school infrastructure. “There is not even a single school that has been built in the Eastern Cape that conforms with norms and standards regulations.”
Poor children in deep rural areas were dropping out of school due to a lack of scholar transport.
“Principals at these poor rural schools are running them like independent islands with no support from the department,” Zani said.
Education expert Graeme Bloch, who was hopeful the province would register an increase in the matric pass rate last year, said: “I think the key issue is how hands-on the MEC will be. Early childhood centres help in the long term. Otherwise it is up to learners themselves and parents.” — msindisif@dispatch.co.za
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