ECOSOC GLOBAL PREPARATORY MEETING OF THE ANNUAL MINISTERIAL REVIEW(AMR) 28 APRIL 2011

1. ECOSOC GLOBAL PREPARATORY MEETING OF THE ANNUAL MINISTERIAL REVIEW(AMR) 28 APRIL 2011

2. THE ROLE OF CASH TRANSFER IN SOUTH AFRICA • THE RATIONALE FOR CASH TRANSFER • PROCESS FOLLOWED : CASH TRANSFER • NON CASH TRANSFER • FINANCIAL INCENTIVES • BENEFITS ACCRUING • CHALLENGES AND CONCERNS • OPPORTUNITIES • WAY FORWARD

3. RATIONALE FOR CASH TRANSFER Legal framework- South African constitution, 1996 read with South African School Act: • Everyone has the right to basic education; • Government provides resources including • funding on equitable basis; and • redress of the past inequalities Key items includes learning teacher support materials, stationery and other services (e.g. maintenance) Purpose of cash transfer is to ensure improved access to resourced schools, particularly by learners from poor households

4. PROCESS FOLLOWED- CASH TRANSFER • Cash transfer - section 21 schools: • School governing body apply to head of Department for maintenance of school infrastructure, equipment and education materials • The application may be approved subject to demonstration of capacity by the SGB to perform tasks to acceptable standard • The Member of Executive council may also take initiative to grant permission for SGB to perform these tasks • Regarding funding, schools receives a single transfer in accordance with national quintile (poorest given first ranking) • Carry out their own procurement functionsmonitored by Provincial Education Department

5. PROCESS FOLLOWED- CASH TRANSFER continued ... • Cash transfer - No Fee Schools • The purpose of this initiative is to improve access to school for the poor • Schools do not charge school fees, and funds are transferred to cater for the needs of the schools. • 69% of learners and 81% of schools benefitted in 2010 • Non- cash Transfer (i.e. non-section 21 schools) • Funds are not provided directly to schools but rather held in trust by Provincial Education Department

6. FINANCIAL INCENTIVES • Financial incentives that schools receive over and above their budget allocation • National School Nutrition Programme • Meal provision to enhance learning capacity as part of improving school attendance • Funded via conditional grant where the allocation is poverty based and transferred to PED • 7 125 000 learners nation-wide in 20 345 schools, during 2009/10 financial year have benefitted

7. FINANCIAL INCENTIVES continued … • Dinaledi programme • Aimed at improved pass rate in mathematics & science; • 500 schools groomed as centers of excellence in rural and township areas; • Resource provisioning managed by PED • Workbooks • promote effectiveness and efficiency in teaching • Stimulates reading among learners • Procured and distributed by Dept of Basic Education

8. FINANCIAL INCENTIVES continued … • Quality improvement development support • This initiative aims to allocate supplementary learning resource (mainly on numeracy and literacy) coupled with training to promote library corners ; • The resources includes stationery, mobile library; • The focus is mainly on schools situated in poor and disadvantaged communities; • Audit is conducted to close the gap; • Funds are allocated for this programme from the PEDs equitable share.

9. BENEFITS ACCRUING • Cash transfer • Promote allocation efficiency by eliminating admin work and ensures receipt of learning materials on time • Participation of parents in the financial decision making of the schools. • Improved access to education and attendance • Improved access and increase in Grade 1 (5 year olds) enrollment from 61% in 2006 to 71% in 2009 due to provision of nutrition to Grade R learners • Enrollment of learners aged between 7 and 15 increased from 96% in 2006 to 99% in 2009

10. BENEFITS ACCRUING continued … • No Fee Policy • Ensure learners are provided with basic education of good quality; • 8 million learners in 19 900 schools benefitted; • Resulted in greater allocation for poorer learners; • Strengthened the pro-poor aspects of education policy

11. CHALLENGES AND CONCERNS • Slow realisation of academic achievement despite interventions • Due to difficulty in change management, unclear roles and responsibilities, etc • Cash – flow problems; • Due to delay transfer of funds to schools, etc • Ineffective monitoring and evaluation by PED • Poor school infrastructure

12. OPPORTUNITIES • Action plan 2014 towards the realization of schooling 2025; • Turnaround plan that will assist in improving quality of education in the long term; • Focused on what need to be done country-wide to improve quality of education; • Consists of 27 goals of which the first 13 deal with the output in relation to the improvement of learning and enrollment; • while the rest deal with what needs to be done to achieve the 13 output goals

13. OPPORTUNITIES continued … • DBE concentrate on the first outcome: Improving quality of basic education. • The following outputs were indentified: • Output 1 : Improve quality of education • Output 2 : Undertake regular assessment to track changes; • Output 3: Improve early childhood development; • Output 4: Ensure credible outcome – focused on planning and accountability system.

14. 8. WAY FORWARD • Provide all the schools with cash transfer; • Government supports the gradual transfer of funds to all the schools; • Cash transfer for school nutrition programme; and • DBE and PED to train the school management