1. Thank you to the principals and staff, all e-Innovation staff, circuit managers, EMDC directors and EMIS personnel for completing all CEMIS tasks in order to achieve the online completion of the annual survey, staff establishments, exam registrations and the online capturing of the promotions and progressions of every learner in 2006. Thanks for your contributions towards the development of CEMIS version 2. The CEMIS 2007 experience should be much smoother and efficient now that we have a better understanding of its scope, operation and processes.

2. Completion of 2006 Promotions
2.1 The training to complete the online promotions concluded with a final adjustment to the procedures for promotions at special schools.
2.2 The functionality that enables us to capture promotions of special school learners in non-mainstream grades allows the capturer to select the 2007 grade of the learner, thus intra-grade progressions are also accommodated.
2.3 All learner data and class updates must be completed before capturing promotions.
2.4 The principal should present to the circuit manager reconciled school and CEMIS promotions schedules in which all the progressions and non-progressions correspond.
2.5 The CEMIS online promotions reports and summary should be signed off by the principal and circuit manager. The school files a copy.
2.6 All promotions and progressions should be completed and the promotion function locked by the circuit manager for the school, before any new registrations for 2007 can be captured.
2.7 Any changes in promotion which result from promotion appeals are captured in CEMIS by the EMDC director. The unlocking of the promotions database function is done at Head Office.
2.8 The promotions reports for the district and Head Office managers are available on EduInfoSearch.

3. New CEMIS Transfer Certificate
3.1 The new transfer certificate is blank, but still contains all the built-in security features. The forms were posted to the schools. The old certificates are still valid and must be retained at school.
3.2 All learners transferring to another school must receive a certificate. Do not issue a transfer certificate to the Grade 12s who completed schooling in 2006.
3.3 Please ensure that the school receives an original transfer certificate before any CEMIS registered learner is transferred into the school. These certificates are signed and filed at the receiving school.
3.4 Please capture all transfers out on the system. Learners passing the highest grade at any school (except Grade 12) at the end of the year will be transferred out of the school programmatically. Where more than one learner from the same grade leave the school at the same time, BULK transfer out can be done to simplify the process.
3.5 Printing of the transfer certificate from the system is done by clicking on the Transfer/Exit menu and selecting "Print Forms" from the submenu. Click on the letter with which the surname starts. A list of names will appear. Click on the learner. The print dialogue screen appears, which allows you to select the printer and change printer settings. Please ensure that the printer's page size setting is set to A4 and not "letter". If the page size is set to "letter", the certificate will print over 2 pages. Insert a blank transfer form in the printer and Click "Print" to print the form.
3.6 The principal dates the transfer at the time of signing the form.
3.7 The Transfer-In / Re-registration section of the form cannot be printed from the CEMIS system. The details are completed by hand, the form is signed and filed.
3.8 Transfer-in. All existing CEMIS registered learners who are transferring from one school to another must arrive at the receiving school with a transfer certificate issued by the sending school. These learners must be transferred into the receiving school by using the learner's unique number and the ONLINE transfer function in CEMIS. Such new arrivals at the receiving school must not be mistaken for new registrations.

4. CEMIS New Registrations
4.1 Learners entering the system who were not registered in CEMIS in 2005 and 2006, e.g. learners who were not at a public school in the Western Cape, are new registrations. They are, generally, first-time registrations in public schools into Pre-GrR, GrR, Grade 1, or from other countries, provinces or independent schools.
4.2 The new registrations forms were also posted to the school. Please have these forms completed and signed before capturing a new registration.
4.3 Copies may be made of the form.
4.4 It is very important that the national identity number of the learner be supplied, where it exists. In cases where it is not available, the parent or guardian must be supported to apply to Home Affairs to get the learner registered as soon as possible.
4.5 Currently, a unique CEMIS learner reference number is generated on registration in the system. This number will be used until it is replaced by the national identity number.
4.6 Please observe and apply all the stipulations specified on the form.
4.7 High schools and primary schools with small numbers of new registrations will have to capture all new registrations online.
4.8 Primary and combined schools that register large numbers of new registrations will be provided with a new CEMIS Version 2 OFF-LINE capture tool supplied on CD. This CD will be posted to most primary schools and should be received by the school by between the 1 and 6 December 2006. This tool will auto-install once the CD disc is inserted into the CD-ROM drive of the school computer. Please ensure that you have administrator rights to load the programme.
4.9 The previous capturing tool of 2006 is no longer valid. The old CEMIS icon can be deleted from the desktop.
4.10 The new CEMIS version 2 off-line tool will only allow the capture of pre-Grade R, Grade R and Grade 1 new registrations.
4.11 Any new registration into any grade, other than the three mentioned in 4.10, should be captured while the school is connected online to the database. During the online capture immediate checks are done to determine if the learner does not already exist in the database.

5. Classes Update
5.1 This process of specifying the 2007 class of the learner is critical to all reports and class lists.
5.2 By doing class updates, the school can also ensure that its learner numbers are accurate on CEMIS.
5.3 Please ensure that this update is done as early as possible in the planning and preparation of the school programme, preferably on or prior to the school opening.
5.4 This process immediately identifies learners who do not form part of the class group and makes class lists, addresses, gender lists and learner detail reports available on completion.
5.5 This functionality has been greatly enhanced to simplify adding, deleting and renaming of class groups.
5.6 Multi-grade class groups are now easier to indicate.

6. Online SNAP 2007
6.1 The SNAP survey will be conducted online in 2007.
6.2 Learner numbers per grade and gender will be provided in the control table, which must be signed off on the 27th January 2007.
6.3 Arrangements must be made early in 2007 to

  • transfer out learners who are not at the school or who took transfers,

  • transfer in learners as they arrive with their transfer forms and

  • register online any new registrations.

This will ensure that school numbers are reflected accurately by the SNAP date.
6.4 The educator table will be provided online as a capture table to be completed by the due date for the SNAP survey.
6.5 A sign-off process will be used to signal the completion of the survey and the moment when electronic storage can be commenced.

7. Subject allocation
7.1 The subjects of the new Grade 10s of 2007 must be captured on CEMIS. The bulk subject allocation option simplifies this process. It is a prerequisite that the classes update should have been completed when this process is undertaken.
7.2 The new Grade 11 of 2007 would (in most cases) continue with their NCS FET subjects taken in Grade 10 during 2006. The subjects of the repeaters of Grade 11 will have to be changed to their NCS FET subject choice.
7.3 The Grade 12s of 2007 will be the last group to take their old curriculum subjects in the 2007 matric examination.
7.4 The learners per subject report makes it easy to identify wrong subjects in the grades. Grade 10 and 11 subject codes are 8 digits in length, while the Grade 12 subjects have a 5- digit code, as well as HG and SG distinction. By clicking on the hyperlinked numbers in the table, it drills down to the learners taking the subject. Use this report to identify subject related data problems and to fix them.
7.5 It is important for schools to ensure that the subject allocations are done accurately as it will affect the school's 2008 staff establishment.

8. Reports
8.1 CEMIS displays a range of reports to provide information from the data in the system, e.g. learner status reports, subjects and disabilities.
8.2 When the blue grade-number of the learner control report is clicked, then the summarised learner information for the grade appears. If the information is selected per class and printed out, it can be given to each class teacher to verify during a class administration period. In this manner the entire school's dataset can be checked and corrected, if necessary, within a short time.
8.3 The suggestion in 8.2 simplifies the checking process and the CEMIS admin staff can update the school dataset effectively with this collaborative exercise.
8.4 Principals can request any report that can be generated from the data available to CEMIS. Please call 0800 204 800 or fax your report request to (021) 425 7445.

9. Data correction
9.1 Useful information from a database is dependent on accurate data. Please use the learner information reports, as indicated in 8.2 and 8.3 above, to correct and verify the school's data.
9.2 Data correctness reports per school are provided programmatically to circuit managers each week. These management reports assess the level of correctness of data on language of teaching, learner type, disabilities, class updates and subjects taken.

10. Annual survey 2007
10.1 This survey will be conducted online and must be conducted on the 7th March 2007.
10.2 Most learner tables will be populated from CEMIS data.
10.3 Staff, school fees and infrastructure table will have to be captured online.
10.4 The sign-off for the completion of this survey will be the end of the first term of 2007.

11. Examination registration
11.1 The Examinations Directorate has undertaken to regard CEMIS as the single central trustworthy data-source from which all learner registrations must be done.
11.2 It is thus of utmost importance that principals ensure that all grades 8 to 12 learner details are updated and verified by no later than Friday, 30 March 2007. Accurate and updated learner records at school level are essential to administer these registrations and tests.
11.3 Ensure especially that all learner details are correct and that the subjects and subject grades are verified and signed off by each learner in grades 10 to 12. Use the 'Subjects per Learner' report under the 'Reports' menu to print out and verify the individual learner registration detail.
11.4 Updating or correcting learner examination registration details is done under 'Learner base' in the submenu item 'UPDATE Learner'.
11.5 Grade 8 testing administration and registrations, as well as Grade 9 registrations for the FETC, will also be done via CEMIS. Accurate and updated learner records at school level are essential to administer these registrations and tests.
11.6 The CEMIS database is also used to provide learner details per school for the Grades 3 and 6 WCED Numeracy and Literacy testing.
11.7 CEMIS will fulfil a critical role in providing data to most management processes and therefore learner records must be maintained in one CENTRAL place to serve as the single source of correct information on learner details in the WCED. This exercise should eliminate duplicate requests from schools for the same information.
11.8 Principals are kindly requested to ensure that all learners who are currently at the school are reflected on CEMIS and that any learner leaving or entering the school is recorded on the system at the same time through the appropriate CEMIS function.

12. Learner number audit

A learner number audit will be conducted at selected schools during the first six months of 2007. Special schools will be included.

13. Service Provider
13.1 The open tender to support schools with CEMIS was awarded in November 2006.
13.2 The Deloitte and SAB&T consortium was appointed as the successful bidder to form part of a cohesive EMIS support team to assist schools with new registrations, transfers, class updates and timeous completion of the required surveys.
13.3 An EMIS support staff member responsible for your school will be contacting you early in 2007 to facilitate the envisaged CEMIS processes.
13.4 Part of the support contract the service provider will be required to deliver for WCED is a learner number audit at selected schools. This audit will again entail physically counting the learners at the school to verify the numbers reflected in CEMIS against various registers at school. Please ensure that all supporting documents are filed appropriately.

14. Thank you for your co-operation and patience. The successful introduction of this new system could not have taken place without your assistance and advice.

15. Should you have any queries, please contact your CEMIS regional representative or the Directorate: Education Research on tel. 0800 204 800 or (021) 467 2290.

16. Please ensure that this notice is brought to the attention of all persons concerned with the maintenance of the CEMIS administration and that it is accessible.


SIGNED: P.C. PRESEN
HEAD: EDUCATION
DATE: 2006:11:30