| 1.1 |
QIDS UP is the national government's response to the education and skills development challenge described in the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA), and is aimed at achieving high levels of literacy and numeracy in the lowest grades.
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| 1.2 |
During the 2007/8 financial year, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) commissioned a service provider to audit human, material and physical resources in 405 primary and secondary schools in NQs 1 & 2. This enabled the WCED to implement the QIDS UP effectively in order to improve the quality of teaching and learning in the poorest schools.
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| 1.3 |
Furthermore, the QIDS UP is aimed at serving a number of schools in the Western Cape that serve economically deprived learners and that do not have the basic minimum resources required to make effective learning possible.
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| 1.4 |
In the 2007-08 financial year, 369 primary- and 36 secondary schools in NQs 1 and 2 received a significant amount of resource material. A further 171primary and 77secondary schools in NQ 3 will receive support during the 2008-09 financial year.
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| 1.5 |
By the end of the 2008-09 financial year, QIDS UP will have provided assistance to 540 primary schools and 113 secondary schools in NQs 1, 2 & 3.
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| 2. |
Summary of the findings of the above-mentioned resource audit:
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| 2.1 |
Inadequate conditions and space at schools, a shortage of teachers in key areas, a shortage of libraries, a shortage of laboratories for science, technology and ICT, a lack of LTSM specifically tailored to the NCS, a myriad of social problems (e.g. poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, gangsterism) and health problems (e.g. T.B, foetal alcohol syndrome, poor eyesight, poor hearing) militate against academic achievement.
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| 2.2 |
Secondary schools with high failure rates are invariably surrounded by primary schools that lack the resources to provide effective schooling.
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| 2.3 |
The majority of NQ 1 and 2 schools in the rural areas are in urgent need of maintenance and possessed few resources. School furniture was in a poor condition (e.g. blackboards were worn, classroom cupboards had broken doors and handles), broken windows could be observed everywhere, and untidy stacks of old textbooks and used exercise books were a common sight.
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| 2.4 |
These schools have very little LTSM supporting the NCS.
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| 3. |
To address these problems, the QIDS UP was used to provide the following during 2007:
- Installation of fenced-off jungle gyms at public primary schools offering Grade R
- Maintenance and repair work at schools in the lowest quintiles
- School libraries established, or old ones revived, at all primary and secondary schools in NQs 1 and 2 (The library resources provided included books, CDs, tapes and wall charts. Larger schools were given a computer and software for administering the library.)
- Teachers trained to take charge of these libraries
- Whole-school evaluation conducted at selected schools
- Needy schools assisted financially to build an infrastructure for their computer laboratories (This infrastructure is a prerequisite for installations by Khanya.)
Schools which received support through the QIDS UP in 2007 reported favourably on the improvements experienced.
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| 4. |
What can QIDS UP schools expect in the coming 2008-09 financial year?
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| 4.1 |
Resource provision in NQ 1, 2 & 3 primary and secondary schools will focus on improving the quality of education in order to provide equal opportunities within the Western Cape through a programme of redress.
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| 4.2 |
Based on the audit report, the QIDS UP will continue to be used to repair the buildings of the poorest schools and to providing them with basic resources, such as equipment, consumable items, library material and curriculum support resources.
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| 4.3 |
Whole-school evaluation will continue in selected schools.
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| 5. |
Benefitting schools: Annexure A provides a list of all schools in NQs 1, 2 and 3 which are to benefit from the QIDS UP.
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SIGNED: S.M. NAIKCER
HEAD: EDUCATION
DATE: 2008:03:03
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