WCED Education Districts in brief

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has eight education districts, divided into 49 circuits, following a redesign process in 2006/07.

In terms of the design:

• The circuit is responsible for bringing professional support closer to schools via strong circuit teams
• The district is responsible mainly for education management
• The head office, based in Cape Town, is mainly responsible for research, policy development, strategic planning, coordination, monitoring and evaluation.

Following extensive research and consultation, the WCED established eight education districts, based local government boundaries, to facilitate an integrated approach to service delivery by all levels of government, in line with national policy.

The districts include four rural districts (West Coast, Cape Winelands, Eden and Karoo, and Overberg), and four urban districts (Metro North, Metro South, Metro East and Metro Central) - see map below.

Rural district boundaries are based on municipal boundaries, while urban district boundaries are based on those of city wards. The boundaries also allow for an equitable distribution of schools and resources across education districts and circuits.

Key district services include advice and coordination on curriculum, education for learners with special needs, and institutional management and governance (IMG).

The work of district IMG Advice and Coordination Units will include supporting adult education and early childhood development centres, and school enrichment coordinators to help schools in managing enrichment and extra-curricular programmes in sport and cultural activities.

The WCED is in the process of building the capacity of the 49 circuit teams to provide specialised support where this support is needed the most.

Typical circuit teams will include advisors responsible for IMG at schools, school administration, general education and training (GET, Foundation, Intermediate and Senior phases), and special needs, including school psychologists, social workers and learning support advisors. Curriculum advisors for further education and training (FET) will operate at the district level.