Statement by André Gaum, Western Cape Education Minister

The Minister of Education, Professor Kader Asmal, has my full support as he seeks to implement the policy on Whole School Evaluation approved by the Council of Education Ministers last year.

I have noted the concerns of the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) regarding the implementation of the policy, and welcome the appointment of a task team to investigate this issue.

The Western Cape Education Department will honour Professor Asmal’s request to ensure compliance with the letter and developmental spirit of the policy, and of the Developmental Appraisal System proposed by SADTU.

We will ensure that classroom observations for the Whole School Evaluation will be conducted with the necessary sensitivity, care and deliberation requested by the Minister.

It is essential that we implement the Whole School Evaluation, to ensure that we obtain all the insights we must have to develop our education system.

The Whole School Evaluation will complement the WCED’s Annual School’s Survey, which provides valuable data on school needs, based on a self-assessment by schools, among other inputs.

The WCED will work closely with schools as we develop an implementation plan for Whole School Evaluation over the next few months. This will include a pilot phase, to ensure that all involved are happy with the final plan.

In the end, we owe it to our learners to provide the best possible education in our schools. We are committed to assisting our teachers in their efforts to provide this education, and appeal to them to assist us as we develop the best way of evaluating their work.

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