Don't just pass the buck... Throw It!!!

State to nail parents for bad school results
http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/PrintEdition/Article.aspx?id=461219

PREGA GOVENDER
13 May 2007



Education bodies slam government for passing the buck

The government plans to force parents serving on the country’s 26000 school governing bodies to take responsibility for poor performances by pupils.

A controversial set of changes to the Schools Act, published in the Government Gazette this week, would allow provincial education departments to slap these parent bodies with written warnings and boot them out if results are “unacceptably low”.

Interested parties have until May 28 to comment on the proposals. These comments will be considered before the legislation is passed.

Education Minister Naledi Pandor is adamant that the proposed legislation is not aimed at parents, but the amendments have been widely criticised as a move to “pass the buck”.

Teacher unions and school governing bodies — set up 10 years ago to recommend teacher appointments and administer school property — have warned that parents are not necessarily equipped to monitor results at the country’s schools.

Under the proposed changes, the bodies will now also be forced to adhere to actions taken against principals or teachers who fail to do their jobs.

Other controversial provisions contained in the draft legislation include:

ý Banning principals from giving evidence in court on behalf of governing bodies against the departments;

ý Publishing the names of underperforming schools in the Government Gazette; and

ý Appointing academic mentors to take over from underperforming principals for a specified time.

Pandor said she wanted to ensure that school governing bodies took an interest in the results at schools — and not just determine budget.

“They don’t teach, but they are being made party to processes of corrective action. We are giving a signal as to the kinds of issues they should be paying attention to,” she said.

Salim Vally, of the Education Policy Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand, said the amendments appeared to be a “defensive impulse” by the Education Department, which would incorrectly be laying the blame for poor performance by pupils on the community and parents.

“It will disadvantage people from poorer communities more than it will those who come from middle-class communities,” he said.

Nationally, pupils are assessed in tests written in March and September and in examinations conducted in June and November. A class’s average mark in a subject shows a pupil’s level of understanding of the content, but could also point to how well or poorly a teacher had taught a particular section of the syllabus.

On the basis of pupils’ strengths and weaknesses, curriculum advisers are then expected to provide support and guidance to teachers. But one of the biggest problems is the shortage of curriculum advisers , particularly in Limpopo, which recently advertised 500 posts.

As part of this radical new plan, principals must prepare an academic improvement performance plan and submit it to the school governing body. This will mark the first time that parent bodies are given information about the progress and performance of pupils at their schools.

Pandor said listing poor-performing schools was necessary to identify those schools requiring support and resources. Gazetting them provided the legal instrument.

Mohamed Shah, chairman of the governing body of Rydalpark Secondary School in Phoenix, Durban, accused the department of “passing the buck”.

Shah, whose parent representatives include a policewoman, a telephone technician, a retired businessman, a pastor and a manager, said they could not take responsibility for something for which they had not been trained.

Stephen Duffett, national chairman of the Governing Body Foundation, said it was not clear what the amendment hoped to achieve.

“What is the governing body supposed to do when it gets a warning? They cannot be held to account for matters over which they have no lawful control,” said Duffett.

Paul Colditz, chairman of the Federation of Governing Bodies of South African Schools , accused the department of trying “to divest itself” of its responsibility of providing quality education by making parents responsible.

The president of the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of SA, Dave Balt, described the plan to issue written warnings to governing bodies as “very harsh”.

He said many parents who served on governing bodies did not have the appropriate expertise or training.

The vice-president for education in the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union , Cidi Dipolo, described the plan as “immature”.

“There are illiterate parents on some bodies. You can’t expect them to understand the academic side of things at school.”

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diabolus said:

Now what i wonder about is, isn't serving on such a student body VOLUNTARY ?
Also isn't it for FREE ? [i.e you don't get paid for serving on such a body and you do it ON TOP of your regular job?] .

So if the lazy-arse govt. passes the buck to the equivalent of "charity workers", what will stop those people from just going "screw you, you want me to take the
rap then PAY ME , otherwise i quit" .


Or is the first step in going to a home-schooling system [parent teaches the kids] ?

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lion_fish said:

You just have to laugh at the blatant arrogance...

How long before the guava-ment is responsible for nothing?

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An ideal liberal society is one with minimal government interference. A Utopian ideal to many.

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Naledi Pandor, the education minister, says a badly worded clause in the Education Laws Amendment Bill has caused confusion as to what measures will be taken to help underperforming schools.

The current draft states that school governing bodies (SGBs) could receive written notices when learners perform poorly. Pandor says the clause has been badly crafted and that her department has no intention of punishing the SGBs.

Pandor and provincial MECs agreed on the proposed changes. Among others, the roles of principals and SGBs are set out. Procedures for searches and seizures and drug testing are stipulated, but the perception that SGBs will be penalised for underperformance caused an outcry.

But some parents still do not know their rights, and understanding the Schools Act seems to be a challenge. A call has been made to the education department to educate parents in disadvantaged areas first, before even considering draft legislation

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