Department Bounces Back From Covid-19 Setbacks

The Department of Basic Education has faced many challenges over the past year. Minister Angie Motshekga recently shared how her department has managed to bounce back. 

Motshekga said the department has been able to save thousands of School Governing Body posts over the past few months.

"These posts were under serious threat as schools were experiencing financial distress as a result of parents being unable to pay school fees because of the economic devastation brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Through this initiative, we saved about 27 662 posts which were under threat."

Now that the department is in the process of bouncing back, Motshekga said there is an urgent need to prepare children before they enter the schooling system. 

This will be done by implementing two years of early childhood development before children get to grade 1. 

With this new system, the department will make attendance compulsory for learners who are five years old in grade RR. 

“It is anticipated that the ECD relocation from DSD to DBE will be effected from April 1 2022,” said Motshekga.

The department not only plans to change the early childhood sector, but it also plans to make some changes for learners in primary and high school. 

Talks for the standardisation of assessments for learners in these grades are at an advanced stage.

The Minister believes that introducing learners to standardised assessments at a young age will prepare them for the final standardised matric exam. 

“We have already produced the policy for the general education and Umalusi is in the process of evaluating it. We will be gazetting it and invite comments of the GEC certificate and it will be piloted or it will be implemented quite soon. We will keep the house updated.” she said.