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MEC Lerule-Ramakhanya Embarked On Clean Governance

Education department in Limpopo led by MEC Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya of Premier Mathabatha’s cabinet has embarked on increasing and prioritizing recruitment of educators who are 30 years old and below.

 

Departmental spokesperson Matome Taueatsoala told The Azanian that the department was allocated R40.029 billion for the 2024/5 financial year.

 

 

MEC Lerule-Ramakhanya’s department was announced as the best improved province with a 7.4% improvement after getting 79.5 pass rate in 2023 NSC results.

She said: “The recruitment of educators who are 30 years and below remains our priority.”

 

She said the trio, Education Department in Limpopo, Funza Lushaka, and NSFAS Bursary scheme continue to be an impactful pipeline for the supply of educators for scarce skills subjects.  “For the past 10 years, the Limpopo Department of Education has been one of the best-performing provinces in the appointment of the Funza Lushaka Bursary graduates. The province managed to appoint 4,622 bursary holders. In the 2023/24 financial year, 429 bursary holders were appointed in our schools,” the MEC said.

 

Lerule-Ramakhanya said in the 2023/24 financial year, the department appointed 1,622 teachers who are 30 years and below, an increase of 247 educators compared to the previous financial year.

 

“The departmental plan to appoint 2,000 young educators for the 2023/24 remains. The supply from the bursary schemes for 2023/24 is projected at 737 bursary holders who will be appointed in schools based on need,” she said.

 

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said in her speech during Teacher's Month in 2023 that Limpopo boasts one of the highest placement rates at 94%.

 

She said however that of 4,623 educators, 4,347 have been placed, leaving a mere 276 unplaced.

 

Lerule-Ramakhanya confirmed that the department managed to reduce the number of underperforming schools from 440 in 2022 to 310 in 2023, which translates to a reduction of 130 underperforming schools.

 

“It is worth noting that within the 310 underperforming schools, there are 114 newly underperformed schools, meaning that only 196 out of 440 had underperformed. The Department will continue to support all schools so that we can sustain the gains made in 2023,” she said.

 

“The release of 2023 National Senior Certificate results provided context in which the class of 2023 wrote the National Senior Certificate examinations. Over the years, our education system has demonstrated resilience and determination in the face of numerous challenges.We are seeing a significant improvement across all grades and this will definitely ensure that our matric pass rate does not decline,” Lerule-Ramakhanya said.

 

She said in the past financial year, there were 32 underperforming circuits which have now been reduced to 19.

 

“The Department has plans to strengthen and internalize the Rapid intervention plan to all 19 circuits in the 10 districts that are still performing below 70%,” Lerule-Ramakhanya said.

 

She confirmed that the department has remedied the problem of vacant positions which school management processes throughout the province. “The department has since appointed 200 principals, 53 deputy principals, and 141 departmental heads in the year under review. In addition, the department, the Limpopo Provincial Treasury has approved the filling of 2,550 promotion posts in schools, 506 principals, 400 deputy principals, and 1,644 departmental heads.

 

“This will assist in reducing the vacancy rate and strengthen the management of schools. The appointments will come into effect from 1 April 2024, as part of the recruitment for the 2024/25 financial year,” she said.

 

Lerule-Ramakhanya added that in the second quarter of the 2023/24 financial year, the department conducted workshops across all districts to newly appointed school principals of public schools on the management of school finances and applicable legislative frameworks in the school governance setting.

 

She said for the 2024/2025 financial year, the Department has allocated an amount of R2.7 billion as part of norms and standards for school funding for public ordinary schools, R 108 million for special schools, and R167 million for independent schools.

 

Lerule-Ramakhanya also revealed that Early Childhood Development (ECD) remains a top education priority for this year.

 

She said a total of 129,784 children were enrolled for early childhood development education during the 2023 academic year and the children were accommodated at 3,936 ECD centers located across Limpopo.

 

In early 2023, the World Bank and the national Department of Basic Education jointly launched the Public Expenditure and Institutional Review (PEIR) for Early Childhood Development.

 

The MEC said PEIR is aimed at informing planning and programming to help ensure all young children in SA receive a comprehensive package of integrated ECD services to build the foundations to thrive later in life. She confirmed a total of 768 ECD Practitioners successfully completed a training program on parenting.

Meanwhile, MEC acknowledged that 2,312 practitioners were trained on jamboree/norms and standards whose main purpose was to capacitate participants on ECD norms and standards to increase compliance amongst ECD centers.

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