Statement by Cameron Dugmore, MEC for Education in the Western Cape

The redesign of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has taken another important step forward with the appointment of 43 circuit team managers.

The appointments will fill 43 of 49 posts established by the WCED for circuit team managers. The department will advertise the remaining six posts shortly.

The circuit team managers will lead multi-disciplinary teams that will bring development support much closer to schools where this support is needed the most.

The WCED has chosen Africa Public Service Day - Monday 23 June 2008 - to announce the appointments, which take effect from 1 July 2008. It is appropriate that we announce these appointments on this day, because they reflect our commitment to improving service delivery to our schools and ultimately to the learners in our classrooms.

The WCED launched its redesign project in 2007 to build the capacity it needs to implement the Human Capital Development Strategy of the Western Cape (HCDS). The HCDS is a cornerstone of iKapa Elihlumayo, the shared growth and development strategy of the Provincial Government of the Western Cape.

The WCED is the lead department responsible for implementing the HCDS, which looks at every level of education, to ensure access to quality education for all.

The HCDS has identified a strong need for holistic development and support for learners, teachers and school management in many schools, mainly in poor communities. The new circuit teams are specifically designed to provide this kind of support.

The WCED has increased the number of education districts in the Western Cape from seven to eight, divided into a total of 49 circuits. Dedicated circuit teams will work together to provide professional, holistic support in a number of disciplines.

Districts are now responsible for managing education, while the head office is responsible for research, strategic planning, policy development and coordination, among other services.

The WCED has created a new branch dedicated to research, policy development and planning, to ensure that service delivery to schools and colleges is well grounded in thorough research and development.

A key principle of the redesign has been to allocate the bulk of the resources for education management and support to the districts and circuits. Districts will receive 75% of resources allocated to service delivery to schools, and the head office will receive 25%.

The WCED is increasing district staff by 69% to make it easier for districts to support schools via the circuit teams and related services.

Functions of the circuit teams include development of school management, governance and administration; teacher development and support, focusing mainly on primary schools; and special needs education.

Typical circuit teams will include

• A circuit team manager;
• Two advisors on institutional management and governance (IMG);
• One advisor on school administration;
• One team member responsible for Foundation Phase curriculum support;
• One or two specialists in intermediate and senior phase education, to provide further support to General Education and Training (GET); and
• Three team members to support special needs education. They will include a school psychologist, social worker and a learning support advisor.

Districts will support Further Education and Training (FET) on a district level. The special focus on GET by circuits reflects the importance given to primary schooling as the bedrock for further and higher education.

The WCED will increase district staff considerably over the next two years to fill positions in the circuit teams and other support services.

The following are examples of changes in the number of approved posts in districts:

• The number of IMG advisors will increase from 64 to 171, an increase of 167%, reflecting an increasing focus on the importance of school leadership and management.
• The number of curriculum advisors will increase from 290 to 360, an increase of 24%, reflecting the need to provide greater curriculum advice to teachers.
• The number of special needs education advisors will increase from 167 to 194, an increase of 16%.
• The number of early childhood development advisors will increase by 700%, from one per district to eight, reflecting a new emphasis on ECD.
• The number of foundation phase advisors will increase from 25 to 49, an increase of 96%.
• The number of intermediate and senior phase advisors will increase from 52 to 88, an increase of 69%.
• The number of assessment coordinators will increase by 100%, from seven to 14.
• The number of social workers employed by the WCED will increase by 167%, from 21 to 56.

The increase in the number of social workers will help to deal with the special challenges faced by learners in poor communities, and what they present to effective teaching and learning.

New posts will include those of the circuit teams leaders (49), school enrichment coordinators (8), quality management coordinators (8), and staff responsible for strategy and support in districts (6).

The role of the circuit team manager is to coordinate and motivate their team, and should not be confused with the role of existing circuit mangers. Circuit teams will include circuit managers who will be responsible for IMG advice.

About 1,200 candidates applied for the posts of circuit team managers. The large pool of applicants complicated selection, but the WCED was very impressed by the calibre of the candidates who came through the rigorous selection process.

Given the high calibre of the successful candidates, the WCED is confident that our circuit team managers will be the vanguard of a new era in service delivery in schools, as we work with schools to provide quality education for all.

For enquiries, contact Gert Witbooi:  082 550 3938, or gwitbooi@pgwc.gov.za or Paddy Attwell: pattwell@pgwc.gov.za.

Visit our website: http://wced.wcape.gov.za

The Western Cape - A Home for All
INtshona Koloni - iKhaya loMntu wonke
Die Wes-Kaap - 'n Tuiste vir Almal