How You Can Support the March to Parliament on 21 March 2010

[For wide distribution.]
 
The 2009 matric results confirm that there is a deep crisis in South African education. The drop in the pass rate continues a trend:
 
2003: 73.3%
2004: 70.7%
2005: 68.3%
2006: 66.5%
2007: 65.2% 
2008: 62.7%
2009: 60.6%
 
A few comments on pass-rates generally:

• To pass matric candidates require 3 subjects at 30% and 3 subjects at 40%. This low threshold for passing underscores the poor results of 2009.
• Pass-rates must be analysed carefully. A reduction in the drop-out rate from grade 10, and a consequent rise in the number of matriculants can result in a decline in the pass-rate. Similarly, if all emphasis is on the pass-rate, schools and education departments can be pressured into excluding candidates uncertain of passing, thereby increasing the drop-out rate. Another way that the pass-rate can be artificially raised is by increasing the number of candidates who write Maths Literacy rather than Mathematics. This must be carefully monitored over the next few years. We join the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (NUMSA) in expressing concern at the high drop-out rate from grade 10. Over 40% of learners never reach matric, and are not even part of the poor examination results.
• Pass rates generally give us a global picture of the country or a province, but we need to know more. South Africa is the country with the greatest inequality of wealth and income in the world. It is therefore vital to analyse educational progress in terms of how different sections of our society are doing. For example, EE congratulates KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) for being the only province to improve its pass-rate, up by 3.5% to 61.1%. But did this improvement occur at the top or the bottom? In 2008, in KZN, 99.5% of white students passed, with 73.9% attaining adequate grades for university entrance, whereas only 53% of black African students passed, with 13% at university entrance level. We need to break the 2009 results down by municipal area, and by former departmental classification of the schools, amongst other indicators. EE will do some of this analysis in the coming months. For a fuller assessment of educational inequality published by Equal Education this week click here.

Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga is correct in her statement that “We have not yet turned the corner in education”. In general, her frank and self-critical assessment of the matric results is to be welcomed. 2010 will be another difficult year due partly to the disruption to education expected by the FIFA World Cup.

Over the next few days, weeks and months the question for the country is not how to increase the pass-rate in 2010 by 2%, but rather how to increase the pass-rate by 10% over 10 years and by 20% over 20 years.

Response to DoE’s comment on school libraries
17 December 2009

Equal Education (EE) strongly rejects and condemns the recent claim by the Department of Education (DoE) that providing decent functional school libraries is “unattainable”. This is a denial of the right to basic education to which every person is entitled, and a violation of the rights to equality and human dignity. EE calls on Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga to distance herself, and the DoE, from this statement.

Ms. Hope Mokgatlhe, DoE spokesperson, commented on 30 November 2009 in The Teacher, a supplement of the Mail & Guardian that “A stand-alone library for every school would be unattainable, given the historical neglect of this.” She also stated that “the department has focused on trying to ensure access to resources in a practical and implementable way. This involves creating and improving classroom library collections, mobile libraries, resources for schools in community libraries and stand-alone libraries that serve a cluster of schools.”

The reality is this:

• Only 7% of public schools in South Africa have functional libraries of any kind. (DoE’s 2007 NEIMS Report.)
• These 7% of public schools that have libraries are the former model-C schools who are able to establish libraries and employ librarians through their own funds, collected through fees.
• Since 1997 the DoE has produced 6 drafts of a national school libraries policy. None have been adopted as official policy.
• The DoE offers no specialists school librarian posts. All posts are for teachers, and most schools cannot spare a teacher to run the library because of high learner:teacher ratios.
• The DoE closed its School Libraries Unit in 2002.
• In November 2008 the DoE published for comment ‘National Minimum Uniform Norms and Standards for School Infrastructure’ which, in tables 15 and 18 states that every large primary school and every large secondary school should have a library of 80m2. The regulations still remain unconfirmed by the Minister and therefore are of no assistance to teachers, learners or education planners.

Statement from civil society organizations on resolving the refugee crisis at the Central Methodist Church, Johannesburg
Protect dignity, health and human rights!

8th December, 2009

The following organizations would like to express our grave concerns regarding the humanitarian crisis that faces homeless people, particularly Zimbabwean migrants, who are seeking shelter at the Central Methodist Church (CMC) in downtown Johannesburg.

We commend the selfless intervention of Bishop Paul Verryn and his colleagues at the CMC who, for several years, have responded to the refugee crisis with compassion and kindness. They have recognized that the people fleeing Zimbabwe are human beings in need of comfort and protection. Bishop Verryn and others have responded in the spirit called for from all of us by our Constitution.

In keeping with its mission, the church has not closed its doors to those in need. Instead it offers people protection from xenophobia and from harassment by some members of the police; it gives people a sense of community when they are far away from home. It has also been able to provide people with networks that have linked them to health care services, skills development, educational opportunities, recreation and work.

However, the present situation that faces those living in the church is not sustainable.

13 November 2009

EQUAL EDUCATION PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION

Equal Education condemns the disruption of examinations and the violence used on learners, teachers & against school resources at Thembelihle High School by members of The Congress of South African Students [COSAS] on Friday 13 November 2009. 

EE welcomes the changes announced by Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga in regard to the curriculum and its implementation, and we agree with her that these signal the beginning of the end of Outcomes Based Education (OBE) as reflected in the original Curriculum 2005 and the current National Curriculum Statement (NCS).

In her statement to the National Assembly on November 5, 2009, the Minister stated:

“The question on everyone's lips is why we do not, as Mamphela Ramphele always wants us to do, declare the death certificate of outcomes-based education, OBE? I must say that we have, to all intents and purposes, done so. So if anybody asks us if we are going to continue with OBE, we say that there is no longer OBE. We have completely done away with it."

Equal Education endorses this step on the part of the Department of Education. This follows a contribution made by EE to the Department of Education’s National Curriculum Statement (NCS review panel in response to a call for Public Comment on the) made in July 2009.

Equal Education is mourning the death of one of the movement's most loved comrades Simthembile Sitsha. He was known to friends as Simthera. Last night, Friday 30 October 2009, at approximately 7:30pm, Simthera was crossing the street near Chris Hani High School in Makhaza when he was hit by a car. It was a hit and run accident -- the car did not stop and Simthera passed away on the street before the ambulance could reach him.

Everyone in EE will miss Simthera. He was loved for his warmth and his hard work. He was an athlete and a person who was alive with energy. He was a talented soccer player, and a team player in everything he did.

He was very dedicated to Equal Education. He was present at the first Youth Group meeting ever, on 24 April 2008. During 2009 he was a member of the EE Leadership Committee.

Equal Education Statement on SADTU Johannesburg Central Region holding meetings during school time
 
23 October 2009
 
Yesterday, 22 October 2009 it was announced that SADTU members from the Johannesburg Central Region called a meeting that was held at 12:00 PM at Orlando Communal Hall. The meeting was a report back from the implementation of Occupation Specific Dispensation (OSD).
 
The Gauteng Department of Education reminded them of a restraining order that was issued by the Labour Court this year. The order restrained SADTU from embarking on illegal strike and work stoppages at school premises and district offices and prevented its members from harassing and intimidating principals, learners, district officials and staff members.
 
Equal Education supports the demands of SADTU for the implementation of the OSD and SADTU’s calls for salary increases for teachers. We believe that teachers need to be respected and compensated accordingly. We will defend their right to negotiate salaries and organise and protest and undertake lawful industrial action when their rights are violated. Further, we will campaign with SADTU for better working conditions for teachers including better teacher:learner ratios, more teaching support and less administrative burden.

In return, teachers should act professionally and never forget their constitutional obligation to provide quality education to the children of this country. Communities, parents, and learners expect teachers to deliver quality teaching and arrive at school on time and teach all the time.
 
We express our deep concern that SADTU Johannesburg Central Region has called an illegal meeting during instructional time, because we cannot accept disruption of learning and teaching in our working class and poor schools.
 
This action is in conflict with:
- The spirit of the right to basic education that is enshrined by S 29 of the Constitution. 
- The Polokwane Resolutions and subsequently the COSATU Strategy that make education a priority, and require that teachers should be at school all the time. 

One month ago Equal Education [EE] wrote to the Western Cape Education Department's [WCED] Acting Head Brian Schreuder. This was in response to the WCED's announcement that it was implementing one of the five key demands of the EE Campaign for School Libraries. In our letter we noted the move by the WCED was in line with the requirement ofSection 195 of the Constitution that public administration be “accountable”. However, Brian Schreuder has failed to respond, or contact EE.

In our letter we said: " Please note that in the interests of public access to information, transparency and accountability to our members we reserve the right to make this letter public." Due to Mr Schreuder's failure to respond we now make our original letter public.

Read the full letter by clicking "read more", or download the attachment.

Over 12,000 people have signed the paper version of this petition. Please sign the petition by leaving a comment at bottom of this web page with your name on it. Please only do so if you live in South Africa (whether or not you have citizenship) or you are a South African citizen or permanent resident living overseas.