Mpumalanga MEC for education tables her budget
The MEC for education, Cathy Dlamini, announced that the department would provide equal priority to all eligible and worthy candidates for teachers’ vacancies in Mpumalanga.
In what educational experts and analysts have described as a bold and decisive move, the Department of Education has decided to withdraw the framework that granted Funza Lushaka Bursary holders first preference for placements.
Tabling her policy and budget speech at the Provincial Legislature on Monday, the education MEC, Cathy Dlamini, announced that the department would equally prioritise every qualified and deserving individuals for teacher’s positions in the province.
There had been outcries from the general public, qualified teachers, labour unions and even political opposition parties in the past, about the department’s stance that favoured and prioritised Funza Lushaka Bursary holders over other graduates funded by different donors.
“We are encouraged by the decision of the Department of Basic Education to withdraw that framework. As things stand, all the qualified unemployed teachers will receive equal opportunities when it comes to selection and appointments,” said Dlamini.
To complement the already existing personnel, she announced that the department intends to improve its human resource capacity by appointing at least 200 new members of staff, converting temporary teachers into permanent positions in line with the Education, Labour Relations Council Resolution, and appointing administration staff within different directorates.
ALSO READ: Mpumalanga schools to participate in ABC Motsepe School Choral Eisteddfod
“We will advertise the posts of subject advisers shortly. This will help a great deal to improve the performance of our learners in a sustainable manner,” she said.
With technology slowly taking over, Dlamini said the department is already responding to this inevitable future of robotics and coding, and as such, they have started e-learning programmes and classes.
“Our Grade 12 learners are using tablets that are loaded with e-learning and supplementary material. There are eight schools, two in each district, in which all learners from grade eight to 12 are using tablets through the Ubuhlebuzile e-Learning Programme.
Some of these learners were enrolled in schools that have piloted coding and robotics for the past three years, and these will be implemented in full scale in the next academic year.”
Dlamini announced that her department has set aside R1.4b to improve school infrastructure, eradicate pit latrines, improve the maintenance of schools, commence with the school for deaf and blind learners and provide mobile classrooms earmarked for this fiscal year.
“In his address on the day of the opening of Legislature, Premier Mandla Ndlovu clearly stated there are three main priorities for socio-economic transformation of our country, anchored on an education system that delivers quality outcomes.
ALSO READ: Mpumalanga Economic Regulator uplifts the youth during information sharing session
“He further said that to prepare learners for a better future and better outcomes at Grade 12 level, we have to prioritise the foundation phase, which is a critical phase like early childhood development [ECD].
We will accelerate this building block, which is a foundation for learning. To achieve this, the department has set aside R1.1b to provide ECD services at the Grade R and other earlier levels in accordance with White Paper 5.
About R11m has been allocated for the maintenance of ECD centres in this financial year, and to support the delivery of quality education in the province, the department allocated R870m to be transferred to schools, R10m for school fee exemption subsidies and R413m for learning and teaching support material.
To promote school sports, the department has set aside R28m, and for the provision of the National School Nutrition Programme, R942m has been set aside,” said Dlamini.
She said to ensure that learners excel in maths, science and technology, the department has set aside R38m for the OR Tambo Mathematics, Science and Technology Academy, and for Digital School Connectivity (Ubuhlebuzile e-learning), an amount of R126m has been set aside.
