Durban — The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education says it is hard at work to improve pupil education outcomes for the Class of 2023.
In a statement, the department said that the dedication to service and performance by both teachers and office-based officials is in part inspired by the performance of the Class of 2022, which raised the bar by attaining 83% in the 2022 National Senior Certificate (NSC) results.
Here are the areas the department focused on:
Provincial Academic Improvement Plan
The department said that at the beginning of the academic year, the province gathered to put together an Academic Improvement Plan, which resulted in the province targeting a minimum of 85% in the National Senior Certificate (NSC) Examinations.
The Provincial Academic Improvement Plan was followed by the development of District Improvement Plans, where districts crafted performance strategies and set out their own performance targets. Since then, the department in all its 12 districts has been implementing the Academic Improvement Plan and working very hard to ensure that the Class of 2023 is sharpened and ready for the 2023 NSC examinations.
Accountability Sessions
The department said that it held Accountability Sessions, where circuit managers and principals of schools that obtained less than 40% in the 2022 NSC examinations sat before Education MEC Mbali Frazer, Head of Department Nkosinathi Ngcobo and members of top management; and had to account for their poor performance and give details of their academic performance turnaround strategies.
It said that the sessions have proven to be effective because in the 2022 academic year, only Ugu District did not sit before the Accountability Sessions because none of its schools performed below 40%, but in the 2023 instalment of the Accountability Sessions, five districts did not have to attend the session because none of their schools obtained below 40%. This session took place at Anton Lembede on March 16, 2023.
Head of Department’s District Visits
The department said that on May 31, 2023, Ngcobo accompanied by a team from the head office began District Support Visits with the aim of monitoring the progress in the implementation of the Academic Improvement Plan as well as offering support to districts, circuits and schools.
District Extended Manco, subject advisers and principals of schools with large enrolments and those that obtained below 75% and 40% had to be part of these visits.
Moreover, district directors were required to make presentations of their intervention programmes following the analysis of the term one results.
The department said that all 12 districts received enormous support from the head office, with the aim of helping them improve their academic performance.
Winter School Programme
The department said that on June 26, 2023, it held the Winter School Programme in all 12 districts, with the aim of improving learner performance.
The programme included residential camps, clustered walk-in camps and stand-alone camps targeted poorly performing and high-risk schools-progressed learners, and deep rural and non-viable schools with learners at risk.
The department said that the programme, which ended on July 7, 2023, was a resounding success and educators were hailed for sacrificing their holidays to sharpen the Class of 2023.
Mathematics Summit
The department said that with an aim of improving learner performance in Mathematics, it held a Provincial Mathematics Summit, where strategies to improve the teaching of Mathematics were developed. The aim of the summit was to break the 60% ceiling when it comes to the performance of Mathematics in the province.
Deputy Director-General responsible for Curriculum Management and Delivery, Mbongiseni Mazibuko, started the District Mathematics Summit, which began in the Amajuba District on Friday, August 25, 2023.
The summit will also focus on improving performance in Grades 3, 6, 8 and 10.
ECD Advocacy Sessions
The department said that with the Early Childhood Development (ECD) Function Shift from the Department of Social Development to the Department of Basic Education (DBE), the department is now responsible for children from birth to Grade 12.
DDG: Curriculum Management and Delivery, Mbongiseni Mazibuko, held ECD Advocacy Sessions in all the 12 districts, aiming to inform, clarify misconceptions and have a conversation that leads to a more synergised and effective approach to the implementation of the ECD programmes, and is also intended to improve efficient service delivery to the ECD sector.
“All these programmes, including ECD programmes, indicate that as a province we are serious about improving the performance of our learners in all grades,” said Ngcobo.
“The performance of the Class of 2022, as plausible as it was, meant that we need to work harder since we can’t afford to drop the bar as the province of KwaZulu-Natal.”
Ngcobo said these programmes and interventions are going to continue until pupils sit for their final examination, starting on Monday, October 30, 2023.
MEC Frazer said: “Having approved the Academic Improvement Plan, one is encouraged to see the vigour with which all the districts are working to implement it. As a province, we are pulling out all stops to ensure that our learners have a fighting chance in life. We want to once more urge parents and members of the public to work with us and create an enabling environment for our learners to thrive.”
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