117859 GDE APP 201920 6th proof 26 July

Part A: General Information & Strategic Overview

adoption of ICT across the education system; prepare to make two years of early childhood development compulsory for all children and achieve universalisation; improving learner performance in grades 3, 6, 9 and 12. The Department will maintain its sustained focus of ensuring that high quality matric results remain a provincial priority. The success of our matric achievements will continue to be reliant on intervention programmes that are aimed at under performing schools and the training of educators to enhance the delivery of quality education. Our commitment to promoting inclusive education with the provisioning of special schools will continue. We will continue with the screening, identification, assessment and support (SIAS) policy in all public schools to identify areas where School Based Support Teams and District Based Support Teams can prioritise further support. The Whole School Improvement programme will press on with improving school functionality. The Department will prioritise policies and strategies to target the achievement of quality teaching and learning outcomes by enhancing the skills and competencies of educators, including school management teams comprising the school principal, deputy principal and subject heads. We will also focus on appointing adequately qualified educators whose subject content knowledge is at required levels, develop their skills and enforce accountability. This will ensure that we transform the entire teaching and learning environment and sustain the change that will continue to produce high quality results. The Schools of Specialisation blueprint will ensure that our learners have access to a specialised, modern, relevant and dynamic curriculum that responds to the imperatives of the 4th Industrial Revolution. The twinning of schools will maintain our efforts of promoting structured partnerships for joint planning and the execution of programmes between schools of varying socio-economic backgrounds promoting social cohesion and resource efficiencies. We will pursue with our efforts of identifying inefficiencies regarding the physical infrastructure of school buildings and related resources by replacing inappropriate school structures and sanitation facilities as well as replacing unsafe and inadequate school buildings. In alignment with the Master Skills Plan II the GDE will implement a mass apprenticeship programme across the economy to accelerate skills development in the province. We will continue to pursue opportunities with the private sector regarding the placement of our learners in experiential learning programmes. The distribution of bursaries and internship placements will continue to play a crucial role in assisting our learners to enter higher education institutions to start their own businesses, or to enter the world of work and thereby escape the cycle of poverty.

Annual Performance Plan 2019/20 | 7