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Sudáfrica: Free higher education – President appeals for patience

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Sudáfrica/Noviembre de 2016/Fuente: University World News

RESUMEN: El presidente Jacob Zuma ha apelado a la paciencia, mientras que la comisión de comisiones nacionales que creó para investigar la viabilidad de una educación superior gratuita completa su investigación. La apelación sigue a la liberación la semana pasada del informe provisional de la comisión, criticado por la oposición Alianza Democrática como «una bofetada en la cara» para los estudiantes. Durante una sesión de preguntas y respuestas en el Parlamento el miércoles, Zuma apeló a la paciencia mientras que la comisión de honorarios dirigida por el juez Jonathan Heher concluyó su investigación. Zuma ha ampliado el plazo de la comisión, establecida en enero para investigar la viabilidad de la educación superior gratuita en Sudáfrica, hasta el 30 de junio de 2017. «Estamos apelando que el asunto sea considerado. Debemos ser pacientes. Espere y vea lo que sucede «, dijo Zuma al Parlamento. «No hay un punto de vista sobre el tema de que sólo se puede tener la educación gratuita al igual que. Hay otros procesos que se están llevando a cabo, que una vez que la comisión ha concluido su trabajo, tendremos que mirar «.

President Jacob Zuma has appealed for patience while the national fees commission he set up to investigate the feasibility of fee-free higher education concludes its inquiry. The appeal follows the release last week of the commission’s interim report, criticised by the opposition Democratic Alliance as “a slap in the face” for students.

Speaking during a question and answer session in parliament on Wednesday, Zuma appealed for patience while the fees commission led by Judge Jonathan Heher concluded its inquiry.

Zuma has extended the deadline of the commission, established in January to investigate the feasibility of free higher education in South Africa, to 30 June 2017.

“We are appealing that the matter be considered. We should be patient. Wait and see what happens,” Zuma is reported to have told parliament. “There is not one view on the matter that you can just have free education just like that. There are other processes that are taking place, which once the commission has concluded its work, we will have to look at.”

The eight-page report was described by the opposition Democratic Alliance or DA as a “slap in the face” for students. DA shadow higher education minister Belinda Bozzoli criticised the document for containing no evidence of any consultation of experts and for repeating what was already widely known.

“The report essentially says that there is no money and lots of work needed. This we already know,” she said.

Stating the obvious

“The report, which the government claimed would provide much needed direction on the current crisis, lacks any firm commitments and leadership. It merely restates the obvious and only confirms the ANC-led government is utterly rudderless and without any clue as to how to fix their self-made crisis,” Bozolli said.

The unresolved issue of student fees has prompted country-wide student unrest this year under the banner of the #FeesMustFall movement, with major disruptions to the academic programmes of all public universities, including the rescheduling of lectures and end-of-year examinations.

While the interim report notes that the commission had not “arrived at a stage” at which it could “identify and evaluate all sources of funding which might be made available for tuition fees… infrastructure and staff costs”, it had taken note of and proposed to interrogate a number of issues in greater depth.

These included:

 

  • Alternative proposals for provision of higher education and training through internet cafes erected in electoral districts;
  • Unused or underutilised funds deriving from various statutory and private obligations to contribute;
  • A range of taxation proposals;
  • More fruitful participation of the private sector including corporates, banks, industry and BBBEE [Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment] schemes;
  • Prospective savings in relation to wasteful government expenditure;
  • The role of providers of private higher education;
  • The possibility of establishing a community or co-operative education bank;
  • A voucher system for access to higher education facilities.

The interim report was prepared after only three of the proposed eight sets into which the commission has divided its work have been completed. The commission was established in January 2016 to investigate the feasibility of free higher education in South Africa.

The three sets covered by the interim report include: an overview by stakeholders of the terms of reference of the commission, post-school education and training in South Africa and the funding of institutions of higher education and understanding their operational costs.

Still to be investigated are: the nature, accessibility and effectiveness of student funding by government, the private sector and foreign aid; the meaning and content of ‘fee-free’ higher education and training; alternative sources of funding; the social, economic and financial implications of fee-free higher education and training; and the feasibility of providing fee-free higher education and training and the extent of such provision.

According to the report, the commission has received over 200 written submissions and has listened to over 50 oral representations from government, NGOs, individuals, private education providers, universities and colleges.

Poor private sector participation

“There has been regrettably little participation by the resource-rich entities such as corporates, industry, the banking sector or organised labour, all of which might have been expected to contribute as the production of graduates and an academically prepared workforce is to their direct benefit,” the report said.

On the issue of student participation, it said: “While a few students and student bodies have been prepared to engage with the commission, the great majority have either declined to do so or, in some instances, conducted themselves in an aggressive and anarchic fashion towards the commission and its work. However this has not resulted in any material disruption or delay.”

In its conclusion, the report notes that while the commission was not asked to address the “immediate problem” of the Fees Must Fall agitation, it notes that the interim measures taken by government to address the crisis “accord with the majority views of witnesses before us…”

In October, Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan announced during his mid-term budget speech that an additional R17 billion (US$1.2 billion) would be allocated to students and universities over the next three years to help address the funding crisis.

Fuente: http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20161125084021366

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Sudáfrica: Zuma Extends Fees Commission Deadline

Noticias

Sudáfrica/Noviembre de 2016/Fuente: All Africa

RESUMEN: El presidente Jacob Zuma ha prorrogado el plazo para que la comisión de comisiones complete su informe al 30 de junio de 2017, dijo la Presidencia el miércoles. Recibió la Comisión de Investigación sobre el informe interino de Educación Superior y Capacitación a principios de este mes. Se estableció en enero para investigar la viabilidad de la educación superior gratuita en Sudáfrica. Se esperaba que el informe final se completara en ocho meses. El mandato de la comisión fue modificado para prever la prórroga. El portavoz de la Presidencia Bongani Ngqulunga dijo que el presidente de la comisión, el juez Jonathan Heher, había presentado el informe provisional a Zuma después de que sólo tres de los ocho conjuntos propuestos en los que la comisión había dividido su trabajo se habían completado. La estructura se determinó en un esfuerzo para llegar a una comprensión completa de los factores que afectan a la educación superior y la formación en Sudáfrica. Su mandato incluye examinar la sostenibilidad financiera y la autonomía institucional de las universidades; Y evaluar las funciones que deben desempeñar el gobierno, las universidades, el sector privado y los estudiantes en el financiamiento de la educación superior.

President Jacob Zuma has extended the deadline for the fees commission to complete its report to June 30, 2017, the Presidency said on Wednesday.

He received the Commission of Inquiry into Higher Education and Training’s interim report earlier this month.

It was established in January to investigate the feasibility of free higher education in South Africa.

The final report was expected to be completed within eight months. The commission’s terms of reference were amended to make provision for the extension.

Presidency spokesperson Bongani Ngqulunga said that the commission chairperson, Judge Jonathan Heher, had submitted the interim report to Zuma after only three of the proposed eight sets into which the commission had divided its work had been completed.

The structure was determined in an effort to reach a full understanding of the factors affecting higher education and training in South Africa.

Its terms of reference include looking at the financial sustainability and institutional autonomy of universities; and assessing the roles government, universities, the private sector, and students should play in funding higher education.

Fuente: http://allafrica.com/stories/201611240233.html

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South Africa: UWC Blazes Possibly Arson

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South Africa/21 de Noviembre de 2016/Allafrica

Resumen: Se cree que dos incendios en la Universidad del Cabo Occidental (UWC) el viernes se iniciaron deliberadamente. Los bomberos estaban luchando contra las dos llamas, una en un área de conservación de la naturaleza y la segunda en el veld detrás del estadio del campus, el vocero de los bomberos de Ciudad del Cabo Theo Lane confirmó el viernes por la tarde.

Two fires at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) on Friday are believed to have been started deliberately.

Firefighters were battling the two blazes, one in a nature conservation area and the second in the veld behind the campus stadium, Cape Town fire services spokesperson Theo Lane confirmed on Friday afternoon.

Groups of students, as well as outsourced workers, were making their way around campus in a bid to mobilise others to join them, university spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo said.

Protesting students had also gathered at the university entrance, the main campus and at the residences.

Public order police were on the scene.

UWC #FeesMustFall leader Lukhanyo May distanced the movement from any destruction on campus, saying it is not behind the fires.

Victimisation

«We don’t condone violence. We have nothing to do with his. There are figures using our legitimate cause as a cover for their personal things,» he said.

Students and workers gathered on campus on Friday morning to discuss their support of security guards affected by the shutting down of the campus.

Many of those working for the campus security service provider were being victimised by their employer as they joined the students in their call for insourcing, May said.

«They have been summoned to their head office. But we have decided the company should come here to speak to them. The workers are being blamed for the shutdown, while we as students were responsible for it,» he said.

On Friday morning, their gatherings were disrupted by police who fired stun grenades at them without provocation, May insisted.

He reiterated that the movement had not been involved in violence of any kind, except when supporters were defending themselves against police.

 Tyhalibongo confirmed that the security service provider was involved in a dispute with its workers, but that the university had no part in the matter.

Earlier this week, UWC’s Centre for Innovative Educational and Communication Technology was set alight and gutted.

As the building burned on Tuesday, about 20 computers were also stolen from the Castinga Lab.

Free quality education

When exams commenced last Monday protesting students tried to stop shuttles transporting other students to exam venues.

Clashes broke out between police, campus security and students. A campus vehicle was overturned and graffiti was sprayed on buildings.

Protesters threw rocks during confrontations with police at student residences.

Last week, the education and residential services office was set alight, after it had been refurbished following an arson attack during protests in 2015.

In September, when a fresh wave of protests started, UWC students submitted a memorandum detailing their demands.

Top of the list was free quality black-centred education. They wanted all student debt to be cleared and registration and application fees to be scrapped.

Other concerns related to safety and the affordability of accommodation, study materials and clinics.

Insourcing of workers is also included in their demands.

Fuente: http://allafrica.com/stories/201611180850.html

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South Africa: UJ Journalism Students Victims of Alleged Intimidation

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South África/21 de Noviembre/Allafrica

Resumen: La Policía  y seguridad privada supuestamente amenazaron a un estudiante de periodismo de la Universidad de Johannesburgo que estaba en el lugar de un asesinato, así lo dijo el viernes la Asociación de Comunicación de Sudáfrica.

Police and private security allegedly threatened a University of Johannesburg journalism student who was at the scene of a murder, the South African Communication Association said on Friday.

Two police officers visited Magnificent Ndebele, 20, in his residence between 01:00 and 02:00 last Thursday and confiscated his equipment, including his cellphone and laptop without providing a warrant, Sacomm said in a statement.

Ndebele was on the scene when a private security guard allegedly shot and killed Kelvin Baloyi at a student residence in central Johannesburg in the early hours of Saturday, November 5. Ndebele recorded images.

«As journalism and media educators, we deplore the actions of police in their unlawful confiscation of a student journalist’s equipment and what is clearly targeted harassment of the student journalist after he captured scenes of a crime.

«We are deeply concerned about the ongoing intimidation, harassment, and abuse of both professional and student journalists.»

The university could not immediately be reached for commen.

While Ndebele was reporting on student protests at UJ in recent months, police and private security had allegedly threatened him on various occasions.

In addition, private security guards had prevented several UJ student journalists from entering campuses, Sacomm said.

In September, a group of journalists were allegedly beaten with batons and pepper-sprayed at UJ’s Doornkloof and Kingsway campuses.

Guards assaulted and pepper-sprayed filmmaker Sipho Singiswa without provocation on a UJ campus on September 28. He filmed the attack.

Sacomm reminded police of SAPS Standing Order 156, which instructs officers to treat media representatives with respect, courtesy and dignity, even when provoked. They may not delete a journalist’s photographs or footage, and may not confiscate equipment without a warrant.

In August, UJ academics held a picket calling for campus security to stop attacks on students. Students had called for private security on campus to be dismissed.

Fuente: http://allafrica.com/stories/201611190203.html

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Sudáfrica: Talking decolonialisation. Transformation of higher education is long overdue

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África/Sudáfrica/Noviembre de 2016/Autor: Charles Molele/Fuente: Mail & Guardian Africa

RESUMEN: Hace aproximadamente un año, estudiantes universitarios surafricanos enojados en el movimiento #FeesMustFall salieron a las calles y pidieron la inmediata introducción de una educación superior afrocéntrica en sus universidades. El llamamiento a una educación superior descolonizada sigue estando en el centro de las exigencias de una educación gratuita y de calidad. Mientras los debates filosóficos sobre la transformación de la educación superior se enfurecen, los académicos se reunieron en el Centro de Resolución de la Universidad de Johannesburgo el pasado fin de semana para discutir el contenido y el carácter de lo que una educación superior afrocéntrica y un currículo descolonizado serían en el futuro . El simposio, organizado por la División de Internacionalización de la Universidad de Johannesburgo, titulado Decolonising Knowledge Thought Leadership Series: The Curriculum and Future University, contó con la participación de decenas de estudiantes, profesores, miembros del público y partes interesadas.

About a year ago, angry South African university students in the #FeesMustFall movement took to the streets and called for the immediate introduction of an Afrocentric higher education in their universities. The call for a decolonised higher education remains at the centre of demands for a free, quality education.

While the philosophical debates on the transformation of higher education rage on, academics met at the University of Johannesburg’s (UJ) Resolution Centre this past weekend to discuss the content and character of what an Afrocentric higher education and decolonised curriculum would actually be like in the future.

The symposium, entitled Decolonising Knowledge Thought Leadership Series: The Curriculum and Future University, was organised by the University of Johannesburg’s Division for Internationalisation, and was attended by dozens of students, lecturers, members of the public and interested parties.

Professor Ahmed Bawa, chief executive of Universities SA, said the debate on the decolonisation of higher education in South Africa was long overdue. He pointed out that the transformation of higher education should have been resolved decades ago, soon after the ANC-led government came to power in April 1994.

“These issues [decolonisation and transformation] were raised and discussed in the National Commission on Higher Education process in 1995-1996,” Bawa told guests at the symposium. “And both were deferred. Why, one might ask?

“My understanding is that it was mainly from fear that such engagement would cause concern and instability in the established, historically white universities. It has taken over 20 years for us to return to both questions and however we wish to think about them, they are at the centre of the project of how we might re-imagine South African higher education, and understand its social location in the context of the next phase in our re-imagination of this society — a task in which we have been failed by our national leadership.”

Professor Nyasha Mboti, HOD of the department of communication studies at the UJ, agreed with Bawa that the ANC-led government had left the issue of transformation of higher education unresolved for far too long.

He told theMail & Guardian Africaafter the panel discussions: “As Prof Bawa pointed out, this debate was postponed over 20 years ago, and only #FeesMustFall has brought it back. We must thus duly give credit to South African university students for their bravery and foresight in turning our attention back to the core issue: the failure by universities to genuinely and sincerely transform. All the speakers at the debate showed that they are preoccupied not with complaining but with solutions: how genuine and sincere decolonisation can happen.

Uncomfortable process

“My own view is that decolonisation is not a “khumbaya” project, where at the end of the day we all hug and feel happy. On the contrary, it is an uncomfortable process dependent on telling uncomfortable truths. Unpopular, pro-justice decisions will have to be made. We have a window of opportunity to do this, which we cannot afford to let close because of vested corporate and state interests. If that window closes, the future of our children and their children’s children would have been betrayed at the altar of pessimism, racism, big business, neoliberal governmentality, and statutory complicity. The broad message, I think, is this: decolonisation will happen, with or without corporate and government approval. After all, it is not for them. It is for the oppressed.”

Dr Joseph Minga, a lecturer of Cultural Studies at the Monash University in Johannesburg, said achieving the goal of Afrocentricity meant, for him at least, a total rejection of Western education. Afrocentricity, according to Minga, was central to what should constitute education in Africa.

“The demand of our students for a decolonised education today is similar to that of Europe during the Renaissance. Consciousness obliges that some things are deleted while new ones are created,” said Minga.

“In a world where everything is yet to be done, what people need first is a line of thought, the way on which to embark that leads to one’s destiny. And I think students know the way: it is called Afrocentricity. As a theory it is vital for the African university, because by it students will become masters of their own history and the knowledge production needed by their communities.

“It is not difficult to imagine that one day the departments of Nubia and Egyptwill be established in all our universities, the Swahili language accepted in the West as are English and French and Mandarin to us, the amaPantsula dance given space in the School of Art at Sorbonne or Harvard University as we do with their ballet;that day will see the balance of forces tilt in our favour.”

Break from the West

Nigerian scholar Dr Alex Asakitikpi agreed with his fellow Monash University lecturer Minga, saying a future decolonised university must break away from the West and its knowledge production systems.

Asakitikpi also accused some academics in South African universities of “disguising” themselves as Pan-Africanist, while in their utterances and actions they are surreptitiously campaigning for the maintenance of the status quo of Western hegemonic authority over African peoples and their affairs.

“This is very important [to recognise], because it is such elements that tend to drag [out] the decolonisation debatead infinitum, thereby [short] circuiting any significant progress,” said Asakitikpi.

“Yes, I agree with my colleague, Dr Joseph Minga, for the rejection of any suggestions from the West to strike a balance as espoused by Prof [Thaddeus] Metz in his presentation. It is my candid opinion that for too long Africans have acquiesced to external forces in shaping their future, and after more than 60 years we have come to the unequivocal conclusion that that route will not take us out of the economic, political, social, and cultural quagmire that characterises African peoples today.

“What is important for me at this stage, is for Africans (peoples of African descent who have shared a common fate of slavery, colonialism, neo-colonialism, and humiliation over the last 500 years) to create a larger platform to articulate the lines of actions to be taken to achieve the common goals of our emancipation from mental slavery and neo-colonialism, [by] self-determination, endogenous sustainable development, and racial dignity.”

Bawa, in his concluding thoughts, told guests that the issue of languages was going to be critical in the decolonised curriculum of the future in SA universities, because South Africans coexist in multiple knowledge systems.

“The dominance of English and other European languages as academic languages persists in many developing nations, but for many university students these are second or even third languages,” said Bawa.

“This is clearly a matter of access, but it is also about the social justice imperatives related to the development of indigenous languages. The use of isiZulu, kiSwahili, Fulani or Gujarati as languages of academic discourse is the one way of ensuring the long-term sustainability of indigenous languages.”

Fuente: http://mgafrica.com/article/2016-11-14-talking-decolonialisation-transformation-of-higher-education-is-long-overdue

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Sudáfrica: Young scientists seek solutions to South Africa’s higher education crisis

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África/Sudáfrica/Noviembre de 2016/Autores: Sahal Yacoob, Karen Jacqueline Cloete/Fuente: MGAfrica

RESUMEN: La academia constituye 50 jóvenes académicos y 20 ex alumnos de múltiples disciplinas – incluyendo ciencias de la salud, ciencias naturales y sociales, ingeniería y humanidades. Son seleccionados por mérito académico de instituciones de educación superior e investigación. Este es un resumen de una declaración formulada en la asamblea general de la organización 2016 en octubre. En ella, la academia advierte de consecuencias «catastróficas» si continúan las protestas universitarias y no se implementan soluciones a largo plazo a los complejos problemas de múltiples niveles del sector. Somos muy conscientes de los desafíos que enfrentan los estudiantes. Enseñamos y supervisamos estudiantes de pregrado y posgrado. Estos son los futuros jóvenes académicos de Sudáfrica. Financiamos la finalización de nuestra propia educación superior. Varios de nosotros están ahora cargados con altos niveles de deuda que – como jóvenes académicos empleados en variadas posiciones temporales, permanentes, financiadas y autofinanciadas – nos esforzamos por pagar.

The academy constitutes 50 young academics and 20 alumni from multiple disciplines – including health sciences, natural and social sciences, engineering and the humanities. They are selected on academic merit from institutions of higher education and research.

This is a summary of a statement formulated at the organisation’s 2016 general assembly in October. In it, the academy warns of “catastrophic” consequences if university protests continue and no long-term solutions to the sector’s complex, multi-tiered problems are implemented.

We are acutely aware of the challenges that students face. We teach and supervise undergraduate and postgraduate students. These are South Africa’s future young academics.

We financed the completion of our own higher education. A number of us are now burdened with high levels of debt that – as young academics employed in varied temporary, permanent, funded and self-funded positions –- we struggle to repay.

As a group of young academics committed to the South African academic project, we can no longer avoid engaging with these crucial issues at this complicated moment. If this situation remains unresolved, the implications will be catastrophic. This is true for undergraduate and postgraduate students, including both South African and international students. Those who are on time-limited bursaries and fellowships are also at risk.

As an example, if any academic year is compromised, the country could experience a shortage of medical doctors and allied health professionals. Internship placements in those fields will be vacant without graduates. This will place further stress on an overburdened public health system upon which most South Africans rely.

There has so far been a lack of constructive leadership at the national level and lack of effective engagement between staff and student leaders. This has triggered escalating tensions. It has also led to the development of unproductive, often confrontational and personalised debates. These run counter to the principles of scholarly engagement. They hinder the possibility of finding collective solutions to this crisis.

We call for urgent and peaceful resolutions across our campuses that will result in the removal of police and private security. We want to avoid confrontations between police and private security with students and staff. We acknowledge the presence of diverse experiences of structural and direct violence, and the threat these forms of violence pose across our campuses.

We also acknowledge that the presence of police and security is experienced differently. It creates contexts in which teaching, learning, research and innovation cannot take place.

Universities need to recognise the anxiety and psychological trauma experienced by many staff and students during this period. Institutions must commit to addressing this trauma and anxiety. Doing so will help facilitate the resumption of high-quality teaching and learning when institutions reopen.

Recommendations

It’s crucial to develop spaces for respectful engagement that acknowledges and supports continued debate and differences of opinion. We offer our members as a resource to support constructive national dialogue on this crisis.

Fee-free higher education could be financed in different ways, guided through the development of evidence-informed financing models. But it is not academics alone who ought to be involved in this process.

We call on the President of South Africa to:

  • urgently address the root cause and not just the symptoms of the crisis being experienced across institutes of higher education;
  • commit to increased funding streams for the sector, which will improve equity in access to quality higher education;
  • immediately convene a national dialogue. It needs to include student, parent and academic representatives. University administrators, the private sector and industry must also be included. This will be a safe space to discuss approaches and develop a consensus statement committing to realising the goal of fee-free quality higher education for poor and “missing middle” students. The missing middle are those whose parents earn too much money to qualify for government loans but not enough to afford tuition;
  • urgently reformulate the emergency task team he established around this crisis to include the National Treasury. This is necessary to move away from reducing the crisis to one associated only with security concerns. The National Treasury is a key player in realising funding goals.

It’s also important that the President work with the fees commission he established to complete its inquiry into different financing models. The commission needs to release an approved model for implementing fee-free quality higher education for poor and “missing middle” students.

We offer the President our academy’s expertise to support the development of sustainable solutions.

Dire consequences

South Africa will struggle to maintain and grow its internationally respected research-intensive environment if academic programmes are suspended and university campuses closed.

The country’s academy and science innovation needs room to transform and grow. We are very concerned that this crisis will negate the gains made to date – and will have dire consequences moving forward.

Fuente: http://mgafrica.com/article/2016-11-11-young-scientists-seek-solutions-to-south-africas-higher-education-crisis

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Sudáfrica: Basic Education Rejects Allegations Relating to Needu

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África/Sudáfrica/Noviembre de 2016/Fuente: All Africa

RESUMEN: El Departamento de Educación Básica rechaza alegatos ridículos de la Alianza Democrática relacionados con NEEDU.El Ministro de Educación Básica de la Alianza Democrática (DA), Sr. Gavin Davis, ha formulado las absurdas e infundadas afirmaciones de que la Ministra de Educación Básica, la Sra. Angie Motshekga, está intentando influir de manera inapropiada en la labor de la Unidad de Evaluación y Desarrollo de la Educación Nacional NEEDU) y restringir su independencia. Las acusaciones provienen de un correo electrónico interno filtrado por el CEO interino del NEEDU, el Dr. Sibusiso Sithole al equipo de NEEDU. El correo electrónico fue visto en completo aislamiento de todos los demás acontecimientos que habían tenido lugar en el proceso de NEEDU la realización de su negocio. El Director Ejecutivo de NEEDU, personalmente abordó las preocupaciones planteadas y aclaró las opiniones mal informadas que el Sr. Davies llegó a saltar a conclusiones sobre un tema que él sabe muy poco sobre.

Department of Basic Education rejects ridiculous Democratic Alliance allegations relating to NEEDU

The Democratic Alliance (DA) shadow minister of Basic Education, Mr. Gavin Davis, has made the absurd and unfounded claims that the Minister of Basic Education, Mrs. Angie Motshekga is attempting to inappropriately influence the work of National Education Evaluation and Development Unit (NEEDU) and curtail its independence.

The allegations stem from a leaked internal email by the Acting CEO of the NEEDU, Dr Sibusiso Sithole to the NEEDU team.

The email was viewed in complete isolation from all other developments that had taken place in the process of NEEDU conducting its business.

The NEEDU CEO, personally addressed the concerns raised and clarified the ill-informed opinions that Mr. Davies arrived at by jumping to conclusions on a topic he clearly knows very little about.

The Business Case and Business Plan for the Establishment of the Office of Standards and Compliance for Basic Education (OSCBE), is one of the NEEDU founding documents, which was developed in consultation with and guidance from the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) and the National Treasury. This document provides as follows:

«The unit [NEEDU] will be required to report annually to the Minister of Basic Education.»

Similarly, in section 5 (3) the NEEDU Bill, provides that «The NEEDU is accountable to the Minister for the performance of its functions in terms of this Bill.»

In line with these provisions, on 11 July 2016, the NEEDU met with the Minister. The purpose of this meeting was two-fold. First, to brief the Minister about the work of the Unit in the first five-year cycle of systemic evaluations (2012-2016), and, second, to present the plan for the Unit in the second five-year cycle (2017-2021).

«Following our briefing, the Minister asked the NEEDU to conduct deeper investigations on the areas that continue to cause concern in the system. This is what I called ‘the Minister’s directive’ in my communication to the NEEDU team. The Minister’s request or ‘directive,’ (the term that I used in my correspondence), is in line with section 6 (1) (h) in the NEEDU Bill and section 7(1) in the Regulations for the Establishment of the OSCBE, another NEEDU founding document. These clauses provide that ‘the functions of the NEEDU are to undertake any task consistent with this Bill at the request of the Minister,'» explains NEEDU CEO, Dr Sibusiso Sithole.

The NEEDU CEO admitted that as a team they have erred in judgment on several occasions over the past five years to the extent that they had to apologise to the Minister. «In my communication to the NEEDU team, when I was talking about the Minister having raised concerns about how ‘certain issues were handled in the past,’ I was referring to these errors in judgment, which are best known to the NEEDU team and the Ministry,» said Sithole.

He explained that when the Minister talked about the NEEDU being «the research/information hub of the department,» in his email, she was not talking about the NEEDU being part of the Department. She was in fact challenging NEEDU that, in conducting its own research, it must not be oblivious of research findings from the academia and the Department’s social partners. Engaging with research findings from these sources, and advising the Department about the implications of these findings on the work of the Department is part of NEEDU work as envisaged in The Business Case and Business Plan for the Establishment of the OSCBE. The following clause is quoted from this founding document to illustrate the point:

«The advisory reports of the unit [the NEEDU] will be uncompromisingly evidence-based, drawing only on the best available empirical data for its public declarations on the state of schools in South Africa.»

In line with the provisions of sections 6(1) (f) and 7(1) (a) in the NEEDU Bill and the Regulations for the Establishment of the OSCBE, respectively, in its national reports, NEEDU «makes proposals [to the education system] for remedying shortcomings in educational practice and eliminating barriers to quality education.»

In the NEEDU briefing to the Ministry, it indicated that over the past five years NEEDU had observed that some areas continued to cause concern in the system. They provided a list of these areas, and advised the Minister that they needed further in-depth investigation. From this list, NEEDU proposed that the Department should suggest which areas NEEDU could prioritise given that, due to financial constraints, NEEDU could not investigate all areas. «I was referring to these areas in my communique with the NEEDU team when I was talking about having ‘received a response to our submission from senior management about what they think we must prioritise in our work,'» said Sithole.

Having completed the first five-year evaluation cycle in July 2016, NEEDU needed to brief the Minister about its plan for the second five-year cycle (2017-2021). This is line with The Business Case and Business Plan for the Establishment of the OSCBE, which reads:

«Two factors must be present in the structure of OSCBE: independence from the DBE and the requirements to report to the Minister of Basic Education on the activities and outcomes of its work. These two factors are not in contention with each other, as the need for independence is related more to location, internal processes and a perceived separateness from the DBE whereas the need to report to the Minister is quite clear in terms of hierarchical accountability.»

Anticipating that, due to the Minister’s busy schedule, the meeting to brief her about the plan for the second five-year cycle would not take place as planned, the NEEDU had tentatively planned to do follow-up visits in schools that were evaluated in 2013 to establish how they were implementing NEEDU recommendations. «After briefing the Minister as NEEDU we felt it best to proceed with the commencement of the second five-year cycle plan. The reference to ‘suspending all school and district visits in mid-September to start planning for new work’ in my communication to the NEEDU team was about commencing with the second five-year cycle plan,» said Sithole.

The «close» relationship that the Minister was talking about is envisaged in all NEEDU founding documents. For example, The Business Case and Business Plan for the Establishment of the OSCBE, provides as follow:

«While OSCBE may have its own Advisory Council in terms of governance, it must be clearly established at the outset that the ultimate responsibility for ensuring that the unit achieves its objectives is with the Minister of Basic Education. It is essential that the Advisory Council and the CEO ensure that this relationship is nurtured.»

«Establishing OSCBE as a public entity outside government would not be ideal, since the kind of governing board required by a public entity outside of government will inhibit the direct relationship between the Head [of NEEDU], the NEEDU and the Minister required for the optimal functioning of OSCBE.»

Pursuant to the working relationship between the NEEDU and the Ministry of Basic Education envisaged in the NEEDU founding documents (quoted above), the Ministry cogently encouraged a relationship that would see the Department integrating the NEEDU findings and proposals in its work and using these findings to inform its planning. This is exactly the reason why NEEDU was established.

The Planning and Delivery Oversight Unit (PDOU), a branch within the Department of Basic Education, is tasked with the responsibility of monitoring and identifying gaps regarding how the system is working towards school improvement. To keep the NEEDU at «arms-length» from the Department, as envisaged in the NEEDU founding documents, it was prudent that one entry point through which NEEDU would engage with the Department should be identified. The PDOU was identified as that entry point. Thus, the two units (the NEEDU and the PDOU in the Department) would work collaboratively with NEEDU proposing approaches and strategies necessary for systemic change and PDOU, working with and through the provinces, addressing NEEDU findings. This is to ensure that NEEDU recommendations lead to notable impact in the system.

«It was never the Minister’s intention that NEEDU will be absorbed by the PDOU. It is for this reason that in my communique with NEEDU officials I said «NEEDU will work with [not under] the PDOU,» clarified Sithole.

The assertion by Mr. Davies that the Minister of Basic Education shelved the NEEDU Bill gazetted on 23 December 2011 in a bid to curb the independence of NEEDU is equally absurd.

Firstly the Minister did not shelve the NEEDU Bill. In 2012 the NEEDU Bill was gazetted for public comment. Comments from the public were received and changes were incorporated in the final draft.

In 2013, subsequent consultations with the National Treasury and the DPSA revealed that the then Minister of Public Service and Administration was of the view that institutions like NEEDU be established, not as statutory bodies, but as independent government components, under the generic title of Office of Standards and Compliance. It is within this understanding that the DPSA advised the NEEDU to abandon the Bill route in favour of establishing NEEDU as a «government component» called OSCBE.

The NEEDU Bill was then packaged into «Regulations for the establishment of OSCBE» verbatim, without any changes. In other words, the Regulations for the establishment of OSCBE are not different from the provisions of the final draft of the NEEDU Bill. In fact, the Regulations are nothing but euphemism for the already gazetted NEEDU Bill.

Following the decision by the DPSA to pursue a new legal pathway, plans are currently in progress to set NEEDU up as a government component, known as the Office of Standards and Compliance for Basic Education (OSCBE). The Minister would consult with the CEM on the Regulations, formulated in discussion with DPSA, DBE legal advisors and the State Law Advisor. Second, OSCBE would then be established by means of promulgation of the Regulations.

The Minister has in no way delayed the NEEDU report, delays in the report has absolutely nothing to do with her.

The 2014 NEEDU draft report was submitted to the Department of Basic Education for comments in December 2015. In terms of the NEEDU protocol, each site visited (including schools, districts, provinces and the national office) is given four to six weeks to comment on the NEEDU draft report before it is finalised. This practice, which was followed before the 2012 and 2013 NEEDU Reports were finalised, was also followed with regard to the 2014 Report.

NEEDU received inputs from the Department in February 2016. After considering these inputs carefully, there was a need for further analysis of data to provide evidence on the claims and conclusions that the report was making and to collect additional data to close the gaps that were identified in the report.

There are two main factors that caused the delay in the finalisation of the 2014 report according to NEEDU. First, owing to limited funds, further analysis of data had to be done in-house by two NEEDU staff members. While NEEDU has 25 professional staff members, 23 are field-workers (and are based in the provinces), and only two (at head office) are responsible for preparing the national reports, including the analysis of data and the collation of provincial reports into a national report. Secondly, the collection of additional data took longer than anticipated because the NEEDU team had to split into two groups. In the first semester of 2016, NEEDU had already planned to evaluate the quality of curriculum delivery in special schools. One team was therefore responsible for collecting data in special schools while another team was collecting additional data required to finalise the 2014 report. Data collection was completed in July 2016.

Informed by further analysis of data and additional data that was collected, the 2014 draft report is at the final stages of amendment and will be re-submitted to the Department by 30 November 2016 for final input. Thereafter, it will be submitted to the Minister for her consideration.

The Minister has never attempted to «capture» NEEDU, she sees NEEDU as an important and valuable entity whose research must be used by the Department to inform interventions in order to remedy any negative findings uncovered by the research conducted by the unit.

The following facts about the Minister’s commitment to an independent NEEDU speak for themselves:

In the initial stages when the Bill route was followed, the Minister approved the draft Bill. She then presented it at CEM and it was approved.

Following the decision by the DPSA to pursue a new legal pathway to establish NEEDU as an independent government components, and not as statutory body, the Minister:

In April 2014, wrote to the Ministers of Public Service and Administration and Finance requesting their written consent on the corporate form and funding requirements of the proposed government component so that OSCBE could be legally established in keeping with the requirements of the Public Service Act, 1994 (Proclamation No. 103 of 1994 as amended by Act 20 of 2007).

In April 2014, also approved that the relevant Government Notice containing Regulations for the establishment, governance and functions of the OSCBE be published once consent has been obtained from the Ministers of Finance and the Public Service and Administration.

Ministers Sisulu and Gordhan had not responded to the Minister’s request by the time they were deployed to other portfolios after the 2014 General Elections. With the change of political leadership in the Departments of Public Service and Administration and Finance, in July 2014, the Minister again wrote to the new Ministers of Public Service and Administration and Finance, requesting their support in the establishment of an independent NEEDU.

Following the Minister’s correspondence with the Ministers of Finance and the Public Service and Administration, in 2015, the Minister approved the Regulations for the establishment of OSCBE after they these Regulations were endorsed by the Chief State Law Advisor.

Since its inception in 2011 to date, the NEEDU has enjoyed full and unwavering support from the Ministry. Over the years, the Minister has given the NEEDU the space and leeway to do its work without any interference.

The Minister is currently considering the most suitable candidates to lead NEEDU as a permanent CEO and will appoint the best candidate in due course.

NEEDU continues to have an important role and function to facilitate school improvement through systemic evaluation. NEEDU would do this through the establishment of a countrywide credible, sustainable and holistic performance review system which focuses systemically on the state of teaching and learning in classrooms, and on the monitoring, administration and support functions at school, provincial and national levels.

Fuente: http://allafrica.com/stories/201611101047.html

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