Empowering Learners: Education and Policy Initiatives Overview

1. BRIEFING TO SELECT COMMITTEE ON WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES9 October 2013

2. Contents/ slide overview • Brief Profile of Dept • DoE Policy Imperatives on Safe Circumcision • Responses to Select Committee Questions on Circumcision • General Notes on Ukhuthwala Practice in Province

3. Dept’s Vision To provide learners with opportunities to become productive and responsible citizens through quality basic education Dept’s Mission To achieve the vision we will: Implement appropriate and relevant educational programmes through quality teaching and learning Mobilize community and stakeholder support through participation Institutionalizing a culture of accountability at all levels of the department Dept’s Goals Strategic Goal 1: Provide equitable access to education and resources Strategic Goal 2: Improve quality of teaching and learning at all educational institutions Strategic Goal 3: Improve school functionality for learner achievement at all levels Strategic Goal 4: Enhance organizational capacity through human resource development and talent management Strategic Goal 5: Promote social cohesion through cooperation with all stakeholders in education Strategic Goal 6: Ensure efficient administration through good corporate governance and management

4. DEPARTMENT POLICY ENVIRONMENT 3 The Dept’s internal and external services are increasingly being geared to implement national policies and guidelines (full implementation remains a challenge) Convention on Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women and Children SADC Declaration on Empowerment of Women Provincial Policy Framework for Gender Equality Employment Equity Plan National Disability Framework Children’s Rights Framework Children’s Act

5. Brief Profile of Dept in province (2013)

6. Brief Profile of Dept in province (2013)

7. Brief Profile of Dept in province (2012)

8. Brief Profile of Dept in province (2013)

9. Brief Profile of Dept in province (2013) Figure 19: Percentage of schools present within each quintile Quintile 1 consisted of the highest number of schools (35%) with Quintile 2 and 3 both consisting of equal numbers of schools (30%). Quintile 4 and 5 both consisted 2% and 3% of schools having the lowest number of schools across all the quintiles.

10. DoE Policy Imperatives on Safe Circumcision • Death of learners during circumcision • The escalating number of amputations • Escalating number of admission in hospitals All the above indicate that the following needs to be further safeguarded: • People’s right to life • People’s culture • Other key aspects of the Bill of Rights • In the process - Teaching and Learning is affected, hence the involvement of the DoE

11. RESPONSES TO SELECT COMMITTEE QUESTIONS ON CIRCUMCISION (1) What mechanisms or interventions has the Department put in place to ensure the circumcision practices are safe for boys? • E C DoE is one of major stakeholders to the EC House of Traditional Leaders under Local Government and Traditional Affairs who are the custodians of circumcision rituals, working with a number of key depts (eg Health, Safety and Liaison, etc) • During 2013/14, DoE appointed 01 provincial coordinator, 14 District coordinators who are Senior Education Specialists for Youth Affairs; & contracted 273 Peer Group Trainers (PGT’s) spread in each District. These Peer Group Trainers are responsible to monitor and conduct activities like: • Awareness to schools • Awareness to communities through local chiefs and Traditional circumcision forums • Monitoring of initiation schools during initiation season • Schools elected circumcision coordinator to frequently conduct boys talk before and after initiation seasons • Department of Education is in a process of finalizing safe circumcision booklet which is going to be used by school based circumcision coordinator and PGT’s for boys talk • Teachers are going to be trained in the 3nd quarter to guide boys towards proper procedures to manhood • Boy’s indabas are ongoing process and conducted successful

12. RESPONSES TO SELECT COMMITTEE QUESTIONS ON CIRCUMCISION (2) 2. Has the Department set aside budget to deal with cases related to illegal circumcision? – During the 2013/14, the DoE has set aside a budget of about R957 000 for above mentioned activities These are funds from the conditional grant for HIV & AIDS Life Skills The DoE equitable share budget is limited for other priorities (about 90% is for CoE) 3. How does the Department ensure that the right to protection is implemented and honoured for ukuthwala or male circumcision? DoE’s intervention strategies during 2013/14 Financial Year includes: - a Youth Conference for 1000 learners held in NNMU (Port Elizabeth) in July 2013 where the above issues were addressed. - DoE officials (District Coordinators) visit and monitor the initiation schools during the circumcision seasons to honour and implement their protection. - Peer Group Trainers continue to include these aspects during their interactions with the learners. - Thirty (30) educators from 6 mostly affected Districts (Libode, Mbizana, Lusikisiki, Mthatha, Mount Frere and Mount Fletcher) will be trained on the above issues/matters

13. RESPONSES TO SELECT COMMITTEE QUESTIONS ON CIRCUMCISION (3) 4. To what extent the Department educated communities on their rights based on human rights, dignity and protection? - DoE hosted two Road shows in Libode (August 2013) and Mbizana (September 2013), who are the 2 Districts that recorded a high rate of initiate’s deaths and amputations. This process is an annual event & is in the Departmental calendar of events. - A total number of 2232 learners and 1122 parents has been reached during these two road-shows 5. How has the Department collaboration with Local Government to ensure that circumcision schools are registered and monitored for safety, security, and to prevent the emergence of further illegal circumcision schools? DoE, Local Government and other Departments, NGOs work together to make sure that each community form Traditional Circumcision Forums who are responsible for registration of initiates by their parents to avoid them attending to illegal initiation schools, and monitor during the season

14. GENERAL NOTES ON UKHUTHWALA PRACTICE IN PROVINCE (1) Provincial Intervention strategy was led by the Office of the Premier and started in 2009 & since 2011 there was high drop of incidences of reported cases Success in strategy related to successful cooperation by local chiefs, community and victim involvement and the successful prosecution of one case where perpetrators received a 10 year prison time sentence All provincial departments and other state organs such as the Human Rights Commission and the Gender Commission were part of the steering committee that implemented the awareness campaigns Awareness campaign in the form of imbizo’s were held with community leaders, learners, parents while the focus were to sensitized traditional leaders around the abuse of the practice

15. GENERAL NOTES ON UKHUTHWALA PRACTICE IN PROVINCE (2) • Poverty was identified as one of the main contributors to the abuse of the practice • Dept of Education was tasked to strengthen Adult Basic Education and Nutrition programme as part of a strategy to minimise the abuses • A total of 1, 764 511 learners are currently benefiting from the School Nutrition Programme of which 898 694 (51%) were boys and 865 817 (49%) are girls. This is 815 937 (46%) more than the total of 948,574 in 2008/09 financial year • A total number of 35 464 adult learners are currently on the database of DoE which is 4, 414 more than the total of 31, 050 in 2008/09

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