Page 317 - Provincial Treasury Estimates.pdf

Estimates of the Provincial Revenue and Expenditure (EPRE) – 2023/24 Financial Year

x Improvement, not only in the number of National Senior Certificate (NSC) passes but also in the

quality thereof, which should be demonstrated by increased pass rates in Mathematics and Science
and eligibility for Bachelor degrees in higher education studies;
x Support quality education through timely provision of qualified teachers, adequate Learner-Teacher

Support Material (LTSM), school furniture and school infrastructure, including innovatively
addressing backlogs on an ongoing basis;

x Continued focus on Mathematics and Science in all schools;
x Facilitating access to education for learners from poor households through the National School

Nutrition Programme (NSNP) and focusing on learner well-being through Physical Education,
Integrated School Health Programme and School Sports and Culture;
x Continued rationalization of small schools and unviable schools as well as realignment of Combined

and Junior Secondary Schools;
x Improving capacity of educators, school managers, School Governing Bodies (SGBs) and school

communities;
x Enhancing support to schools through an appropriate Service Delivery Model (SDM) and effective
utilisation of Circuit Management Centres (CMS) to strengthen support to Circuits and therefore

improve functionality of schools;
x Focusing on inclusive education to ensure that no learner is left out; establish School Based Support

Teams and ensure that teachers are trained on Strategy on Screening, Identification, Assessment
and Support (SIAS);
x Prioritization of Women, Youth and People with Disabilities;

x Ensure that the “Not in Education, Employment and Training” (NEET) initiative is taken care of; and

Contributing towards youth development by providing internships, bursaries, and training
programmes.

1.5 Demands for and expected changes in the services

In line with the conclusion of the ECD migration function, the department envisages that the development
of children and the quality of ECD education would increase in giving the best support to children from
an early age going-forward. Formal ECD centres are generally sparse in the province. The enormous

demand for facilities remains to be addressed broadly, given the unprecedented number of unregistered
centres that currently outnumber the formal and registered ECD centres in the province. The informal

centres are frequently congested, characterised by constrained resources, and largely disregard safety
regulations.

With focus on E-Learning, investment and support on Information Communication Technology (ICT) has
become a crucial priority for the department. This has been lifted as a “High Impact Project” for the
upcoming fiscal year and is envisaged that it will facilitate the provision of learners with 21st century skills.

The introduction of e-learning requires a change in the design and provisioning of schools and
classrooms. Coding and Robotics has been piloted by the department and the pilot size is expected to

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